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Syria: ISIS and True Worship

March 25, 2015 by Meagan Church

James the brother of Jesus tells us that “true worship is this, to take care of orphans and widows in their distress…” It is hard to think of a more stressful situation than that faced by the Christians of Iraq and Syria. They are hunted down, raped, sold into slavery, beheaded, starved, crucified…and they are our own brothers and sisters. Their situation is terrifying at best with no end or help in sight.

Sitting in the comforts of our homes or offices right now, it is difficult to imagine fleeing our homes with only our family and the clothes on our backs. We have not been faced with this choice, this necessity of flight as Syrians, such as the family in the video below, are doing right now.

Shown in this video is a Muslim Syrian family who left Syria a year ago fleeing the war, but mainly to escape ISIS. They lost one child to what was probably a curable illness. As the mother says in the video, “Every mother who loses one of her children, she hates life completely. But thank God.” Thank God indeed because even through this tragedy, the family has been open to the gospel of Christ because of the love and aid they are receiving.

We have found a way to clothe and feed these desperate ones. We have teamed with Paul Wilbur ministries to get much needed help to these terrified families of the Middle East. Jesus said “whatever you do for the least of these my brethren, you do it for me.”

Please help today by visiting Wilbur Ministries’ website. Your donation of any size will speed much needed food and clothing to starving men, women and children who are being displaced by ISIS.

Don’t wait; give now to save precious lives, while there is still time. Thank you so much for loving our Messiah and making a difference today!

Ukraine: The Flight of Refugees

February 26, 2015 by Feeding the Nations

Eastern Ukraine has been under attack. People have been dying every day. Children have lost their parents; parents have lost their children. People have taken refuge in basements for weeks with no food, no heat and no communication. Dead bodies lie in the street. Evacuations are necessary, yet are becoming more and more difficult. The elderly are being left behind because they can’t reach their rendezvous spots. As our friend in the Ukraine, Sergey Kosyak, said, the nation is in crisis:

“I have not seen this much grief and sorrow in the whole length of this war. Today we evacuated yet another group of refugees from the war zone in the occupied territory—over 150 people, mostly women. I stood and wept as they were exiting the bus, especially when they started carrying out the infants. In the building people were very quiet, deep in thought, no conversation could be heard, even children didn’t cry. These people left their whole lives behind with very little hope of returning to their homes, still there, unharmed.

“When I was paying the drivers, they warned me that starting February 1, special passes were going to be required to clear the Ukrainian checkpoints. As it is, we’ve been able to get away without the passes for a long time now. To be precise, we were the only ones able to carry out mass evacuations in the area. I replied that we will keep trying and trust God for the rest. …

“While we were standing waiting for the church bus, one of the refugees got a phone call that a shell had hit her house, another lady got a message that her house had been hit as well, killing her relatives, a 27-year-old woman and her 11-month-old baby. Who knows, maybe they had also been turned away from one of the checkpoints, making them wait for 10 days to get their passes. … We are not able to provide enough living space to all the refugees — no place to put the beds, we are having to put them in the hallways. … This is the teaching we received from Jesus: to feed the hungry, and to be kind to a foreigner/refugee.”

The situation has turned dire. Eastern Ukrainians are running from Russian aggression. They are fleeing a war zone. Reports are coming in that soldiers were going after Christians and Jews, demolishing Bible schools, churches, synagogues and orphanages. This nation desperately needs our prayers. And they need our help.

Our friend Svetlana Pokhodina has sent winter coats, blankets and warm clothes, but she needs our help with getting funds for evacuation and food to these hurting and desperate people. Boxes of relief items are being sent at the cost of $65/box.

What can you do today to reach these people? What can we do together to spread the love of Christ to these people who are fleeing their homes and their families because their nation is under attack? How much can you give, so that they can eat and find safety?

Can you give $100? Can you spare that amount, so that these refugees may be nourished along their plight? Any amount you give will make a difference.

Together we can bless these hurting people. Together, we can pour out Christ’s love upon them as they leave behind their homes and escape this war zone. Pray with us and join with us by clicking here.

Greece: A High Price for Faith

October 15, 2014 by Feeding the Nations

Greece has been in the middle of a financial catastrophe. Unemployment has hit 40 percent. People are angry. Demonstrations happen weekly. Businesses can’t afford to pay rent or stay open. Even still, in a country of 10 million people, nearly 1 million refugees have entered the country, fleeing Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries in hopes of finding something better.

These refugees have left their homes, relatives, jobs and everything they know. Oftentimes families end up in different camps and countries, or they live outside in parks without any shelter or rights. Recently, Feeding The Nation’s (FTN) Finland office sent a team to Greece to feed some of these displaced families.

“Living in the street with four little children seems to be impossible, but unfortunately it is a reality for many in Athens,” said Paivi, FTN’s director in Finland. “You could see fear and hopelessness on their faces. One young man told me that he met pastor Philip in the park. ‘I liked what he said and I was very impressed of what he was doing. I have peace now and I am not afraid any more. Jesus is my Lord, I read the Bible every day and I like to pray,’ he said. He found Jesus three years ago and helps eagerly in the kitchen.”

FTN has been feeding 500-600 refugees weekly since the beginning of the year. Each time food is given, the Gospel is shared. “It was good to see how these Christian Afghanistan people welcomed everyone warmly, talked to them, listened to their worries,” Paivi said. “All of these people are Muslims and all the young men who I talked to told me their families had abandoned them because they had converted to Christianity. They surely pay a high price for their faith.”

While there, Paivi and the other team members worked with pastor Philip who has been a missionary in Greece for 24 years. “Refugees are often treated badly, and that’s why we want to treat them with respect and love and also give them good, tasty food,” he said. “God loves them and every one is precious to God.”

God does care for each and every person. We give thanks for Paivi, her team, Philip and everyone else who has made these feeding missions possible. Lives are being changed because of them. People are turning to God, even at the risk of losing their families. That is indeed a high price for their faith.

Please join with us in making more outreaches, such as these, possible. Help us reach more people around the world with food, hope, and most importantly, the Word of God. Simply click here to do so.

1,000 Miles for Hunger

September 24, 2014 by Feeding the Nations

This Saturday, September 27, Jeff Nicolet will ride his motorcycle from South Bend, Ind., to the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, all in an effort to fulfill a need he saw. For the last 10 years, Jeff has had a strong desire to support the kind of outreaches and missions that Feeding The Nations (FTN) is involved in around the world. The only thing was, he wanted to take a different approach.

“I felt a responsibility and ownership to take food and hope to those countries, but I didn’t have a way to bridge the gap between where I am in Indiana and where the food goes to other countries,” Jeff said. “I thought the best way to demonstrate that gap would be to do a symbolic ride to the biggest nearby bridge and ask for support.”

Jeff decided to combine his desire to help the hungry and his enjoyment of motorcycles by challenging himself to create the Ride to the Bridge for Feeding The Nations. The ride covers 1,000 miles and takes a total of 20 hours round trip. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the ride.

Over the last decade, Jeff has raised thousands of dollars for FTN by asking others to support his ride through donations to FTN. This year, all funds he raises as a result of the ride will go to helping complete the construction of the new warehouse on the FTN campus. When completed, this warehouse will make it possible to feed even more people domestically and internationally.

If you would like to support Jeff’s ride, simply click here and designate your donation for the “Ride to the Bridge.” For donations of $25 or more, you can choose to receive a T-shirt to wear your support for Feeding The Nations. If you would like to receive a shirt, specify your shirt size in the message box when donating.

(Photo credit @iStock.com/summersetretrievers.)

Mexico: The Eternal Impact Soup Can Make

September 16, 2014 by Feeding the Nations

We recently sent 43,000 pounds of dried vegetable soup mix (enough to make nearly 1 million bowls of soup) to Mexico. We received word that the food has been a true blessing for those who have received it, not only meeting their immediate needs, but also making an eternal impact on their lives and relationships with Christ. The food was distributed by Jerusalem Evangelical Ministries (JEM) and was given to countless children, destitute families and individuals, homeless, orphans, widows, elderly and more.

“This shipment of dried soup mix was very timely in providing healthy nourishment for many destitute people of all ages who suffer throughout most seasons of the year from conditions of hunger and malnutrition,” said Lanny Anderson, JEM director of missions. “These conditions are especially prevalent in the rural villages and inner-city communities we minister to in Northern Mexico.”

Lanny went on to tell the story of Laura, a woman who received a portion of the food, but more importantly, she came to know Christ through this mission:

In late April of this year, Laura lost her husband and an infant child in a tragic accident which was too gruesome to describe. Being left alone with a five-year-old son, Laura was encouraged by her parents to move to Cheke’ where a small dirt floor dwelling was prepared for her to live in with the financial and volunteer assistance of the church. Up to this time, Laura had not known Christ in her life yet, and she was still suffering from the severe shock of losing her loved ones. She had many questions in her heart about why this tragedy had happened and was reluctant to seek guidance for her spiritual, and emotional needs. During the following weeks of May and June, Maria Porchas, our missions representative, made acquaintance with Laura and comforted her in the love of Christ. In her visits, Maria shared the message of the gospel and brought gifts of clothes and basic necessities for Laura and her son. These necessities included portions of the nutritious dried soup mix which was a blessing very appreciated by Laura. Through Maria’s witness and these means, Laura is now embracing Jesus and is attending church fellowship meetings regularly.

There are many testimonies that relate to the food shipments we receive. We consider ourselves at JEM very privileged and thankful in having a part in the coordination of receiving and distributing the food donations. I must say again, as I have done in previous reports, that it is so wonderful to see the children and malnourished partake in this blessing. Like our brother James said in scripture, “Faith without Deeds is Dead.” (James 2:26) May the Lord be Glorified!

Thank you to all who helped make this possible. To join with us in reaching others with much-needed nutrition and the love of Christ, donate today.

Syria: ISIS and True Worship

Ukraine: The Flight of Refugees

Greece: A High Price for Faith

1,000 Miles for Hunger

Mexico: The Eternal Impact Soup Can Make

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