A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FOR OUR FAITHFUL PATRONS      ·    ISSUE NO.4

 

'Bucket of Hope'
 - A Victory Story

HAITI–In Camp Louise, in a small town near Cap Haitien, there is a church and a Christian school. Pastor Payot Jacques, like many other pastors serving hungry parishes in Haiti, had long wrestled with the question of how to bring a feeding program to the school. The goal of Pastor Payot was to provide one good, nutritious meal per day to each child—perhaps the only meal they would receive. Malnutrition had been very prevalent among the children because all they were being fed were rice and beans. The lack of nutritious vegetables was very evident. Pastor Payot approached Meg Merzilus of Living Hope Mission, to ask for help in the planning of a garden. After consulting with Met Jacques Saintelus, a local agronomist and professor of regional fame, Meg and Pastor Payot began planning to utilize the seed from Hope Seeds. A piece of property next to the church and school was identified as being suitable for gardening. The parents of many of the children in the school pledged to work in the garden. So, the garden was begun.

When Meg returned to Camp Louise some months later she could hardly believe her eyes as she saw a beautiful garden surrounded by a good fence. The parents of several school children had been busy in the garden planting seed and weeding, and along with the teachers had arranged a watering schedule. Watering the garden required carrying buckets of water from a distant source, for there is a lack of available public water. Nevertheless, the garden was filled with cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, carrots and greens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bucket of Hope
Contents include gardening tools,
an assortment of seed, a disposable camera,
gardening stakes and gardening instructions.

The feeding program was well established and the children were now receiving fresh, nutritious vegetables with their rice. People from the community admired the beauty of the garden and its rich supply of nourishment so much that they asked if they could purchase the extra produce. As the children’s needs are met, the produce is then sold to the community.

In a small town in Haiti, there is a garden that is doing more than just feeding the hungry. It is providing a hope which is made possible by a loving God through caring people.

 

Seeds Sent to Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN–Hope Seeds sent 26,000 seed packets to Afghanistan in June of this year, as part of a relief effort spearheaded by Global Hope Network. In this newsletter, we explore the current situation in this war-torn and earthquake-ravaged country that has seen so much political instability over the past two decades. In August of this year, a team from Global Hope Network traveled to Afghanistan to look for additional opportunities to help rebuild. In their assessment of the country, they describe the atmosphere as tense and the situation as tentative.

During the last twenty-five years, Kabul, with a population of 1.2 million, has seen nearly 70% of its buildings destroyed. One out of every six people has been wounded or disabled and, as everyone knows, the Taliban disbarred girls from attending school for many years. North of Kabul, in a large valley more than 100 miles in width, the Taliban deliberately destroyed every home and over 2 million fruit trees and all vineyards in the area. However, the optimism of the hardy Afghans has been given a boost due to the concerted relief efforts of Hope Seeds and other organizations.

A recent report from Marvin Bozard of Global Hope Mission, informed us of the following: "The seeds arrived in late September via container. There is a large agricultural project in Istolif that we (Global Hope Mission) are partnering with. Demining is still occurring in many areas. The area of Istolif is a beautiful area with so much potential. Know that we are working on a major agriculture project and your (Hope Seeds) seeds will continue to be a source of food." Also, from this report we have learned that most of the seed will be distributed in early 2003. The seeds of hope being planted today to demonstrate the real possibilities of a caring and more democratic future in Afghanistan, may well bear fruit before long. A bright tomorrow seems promising for a downtrodden people who have, for so many years, endured more than their fair share of grief and deprivation.

Sword Bean

Variety Highlight

The sword bean is a unique and valuable seed for many reasons. Missionary Hudson Hess of Family Life Outreach in Cap Haitien, Haiti, has a victory story about the great benefits of the sword bean. Hudson is a survivor of the Japanese prison internment camps in the Philippines during World War II. The son of missionaries, Hudson recalls how living in the camps was especially difficult. One of the difficulties was obtaining adequate food provisions. The native Filipinos had shown the Hess family some of the edible plants which grew wild in the jungles. Canavalia gladiata, or sword bean, was a ‘gift from God’ during the years spent in the camps. Many times Hudson and other children slipped out into the jungle to harvest young sword bean pods to bring back to their families as nourishment. The sword bean, when picked young, is prepared much like snap beans, providing valuable nutrients. Flattened and large, even when young, the pods measure 6" in length, 1" in width and 1" in thickness.

 Mature pods may reach 12" or more in length with white seeds having a diameter the size of a nickel. The plant is leguminous and good for soil improvement, and is very tolerant of stress levels resulting from too little or too much rain. The sword bean has an upright growth pattern with large umbrella-like leaves, thus shading out other competing seeds around the plant. Several agricultural experiments performed in the U.S.A., Nicaragua and Brazil have shown the sword bean to be a beneficial plant when inter-cropped with corn. Hope Seeds is producing sword bean seed in its Florida garden and in the Hope Outreach Garden in Cap Haitien, Haiti. The seed is not presently available from our sources in the commercial seed industry. We will make this seed available, along with results from research, to missionaries in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the World. Your financial support of this work is appreciated. The gifts you send really do amount to a hill of ‘beans’.

Hope Seeds’ Treasurer & Resource Manager Reports

Brian Griesbach, a banking consultant by trade, serves on the Hope Seeds’ Board of Directors as Treasurer and Resource Manager. Over the course of 2002, many steps have been implemented by Hope Seeds and its staff, in an effort to move towards a very accountable system of service and fundraising.

1. Adoption of a ‘Governance Manual’ by the Hope Seeds Board which empowers the board to a governing status, and moves the director to CEO and accountable to the board. There are many very good stipulations within this manual which mandate proper accountability for the operating and working parts of this ministry.

2. Plans for the future call for an audit in 2002. Mr. Griesbach reports: "The recognized need for fiscal responsibility and accountability moves Hope Seeds to strive to efficiently manage increasing financial resources in undertaking activities consistent with the vision set forth in our mission statement. Hope Seeds has completed a Due Diligence of accounting firms in the Bradenton, Florida area. A very respected firm has been selected to complete the audit of our 12/31/02 financial statements."

 

3. Registration in 2003 with the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) is planned, and efforts mentioned in steps 1 and 2 are an integral part of our qualification. This organization is well recognized for being the ‘watch-dog’ of Christian charitable organizations. We are all eager to see the day when we can join this group of working Christian organizations.

4. A Financial planning and budgeting process is being matched up with the many needs and requests for seeds and ministry materials. In the remaining weeks of 2002, plans are being drawn up based upon the needs and requests of our strategic ministry partners, and resource needs are being evaluated. Mr. Griesbach states: "Looking ahead to the remainder of 2002 and 2003, we have a great need for continued financial support. Without that support, desperately needed seeds and spiritual information will remain on the shelves of the Hope Seeds warehouse. Since the creation of Hope Seeds, there has been significant growth in the number of contributors. We thank you for your continuing support!" He states further: "We are also very appreciative of our seed providers. Seed contributions rose from $277,000 (value) in 2000 to $815,850 (value) in 2001, with more seed still coming in 2002."

The Hope Seeds Board of Directors and its staff work diligently to accomplish our mission statement and we seek your prayerful support.

Oh, if Plants could talk, the stories they could tell.

"When David came to Mahnaim… [men] .brought supplies and food for David and his troops: bedding, bowls, pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, buttermilk, sheep and calves. They brought these things because they thought: ‘The troops in the desert are hungry, exhausted and thirsty’." 2 Samuel 17: 27–29 (God’s Word to the Nations)

  The ancient fava bean, also known as Broadbean, English Bean, Windsor Bean and Horse Bean, is listed in the story of Israel’s King David as a source of food and nourishment. The many items mentioned in this biblical grocery list show the multiple sources of nutrition which the people relied upon. The fava bean has a non-starchy, strong bean flavor and an aftertaste which is best described as grassy and bitter—the fava bean is an acquired taste. High in protein, potassium and vitamins A and C, the fava bean is highly valued today in most of Central Asia, Mediterranean countries, Northern Africa and the Middle East—the area where our Bible story originates.

  Beans are leguminous and are useful for both food and soil improvement. The leguminous (nitrogen-fixation) quality of beans is often overlooked or unappreciated. In the course of our work at Hope Seeds, we try to identify the bean species within each country we are helping, and promote more and better use of beans.

   In the Biblical account where beans are mentioned—the only time beans are mentioned in the Bible—King David is on the run from his son Absalom, who is trying to kill his father and take over the kingdom. This is not a very happy chapter in the long and colorful history of Israel’s King David. God inspired three men to take food and provisions to David and his troops. Shobi, a governor from the Ammonite capital of Robboliv; Machir, Mephibosheth’s benefactor; and Barzillai, an aged, but very wealthy man. In so doing, these men provided ‘encouragement and energy’ for the battle ahead.

  The missionary troops who are doing battle against hunger and malnutrition recognize the ‘beans’ and resources we (the Christian community) send to them as ‘energy and encouragement’ to never give up and to continue feeding the hungry.

The Missionary troops who are doing battle against hunger...continue feeding the hungry.
Water the Garden!

Drip, drip, drip, drip! One drop at a time. Water is essential for a garden to grow. But in many places water is hard to come by, and it is a precious thing. The wise use of water will ensure a plant’s continued growth until the harvest.

  Trickle Irrigation is one of the newer inventions of agriculture in the last 30 years. Trickle Irrigation distribution allows water to drip slowly through small holes in a plastic tubing. Thus, it places the water close to the selected plants, thereby controlling unneeded evaporation and watering of weeds.

  

Your financial support to the growing needs and opportunities of Hope Seeds is similar to Trickle Irrigation. Each dollar is used to grow this ministry which teaches people how to feed themselves by providing them with seed and instruction. We invite you to continue your prayerful support, knowing that we thank you each and every time you send a gift. Drip, drip, drip, drip! All the way to the ‘Harvest’.

"Support and Involvement" is the title of a booklet we have available for you and your congregation, or organization. This booklet will share ideas and ways you can become involved and support the work of Hope Seeds.