A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FOR OUR FAITHFUL PATRONS      ·    ISSUE NO.5

Hope Seeds’ Board of Directors Meet
January 8th, 9th and 10^th 

The Hope Seeds’ Board of Directors gathered in Bradenton, Florida, for their first quarterly board meeting of 2003. Two new members were elected into the board bringing the number of directors up to 12 (see inside back cover for new listing of board and advisory board members). The diversified talents and backgrounds of this group of people bring valued leadership and motivation to the board. CEO Mike Mueller, Inventory Manager Jean Mueller, and Web site and Communications Manager Bethany Mueller will continue to work with an army of local volunteers in preparing seed for shipments in 2003. 
 

A new budget and business   plan for 2003 was unanimously approved by the board, setting a goal for reaching out to hungry people with 3 million seed packets in over 30 countries worldwide.  In addition, the establishment of more teaching gardens in Haiti, Kenya, Honduras and elsewhere was approved. 

Four strategic partners traveled to Bradenton to provide informative and inspiring reports for the Hope Seeds’ Board. Through these reports, it became evident   to everyone in attendance that seeds indeed make a difference in ministering to people. 

The partners in attendance were:

Hope Seeds sponsored an outdoor concert on January 10th featuring  board member and Christian singer/songwriter Don Wharton.  A live auction of donated gifts was also held to benefit the work of Hope Seeds. This was a great way to end our meetings, with over 100 in attendance having fun in song and laughter. Now, we go to work…

Day3Seeds 

Seed packets are abundant this time of year in the United States. It seems every store will have some on display. We are so blessed to have seeds readily available. But, do we remember who gave them to us? Not always. We tend to take them for granted, don’t we?

  Hope Seeds has designed a new seed packet program called Day 3 Seeds which will help us remember WHO gave seed to us. God made seed bearing vegetation on day three of Creation. Within the pages of the Bible there are many agricultural references, including mention of specific species of garden plants. We have placed these     verses on the seed packets with some historical content and added good seed with planting information. These seeds are for gardens in the United States and are available via our Web  site (www.hopeseeds.org).  

Day 3 Seeds will be marketed in the U.S.   to raise funds for our work. Schools, youth groups, clubs, and stores are invited to      purchase a box of 100 packets packed for resale. The funds that reach Hope Seeds as a result of this effort will help us continue our efforts to feed the hungry and make the good news of Jesus known.    

Day 3 Seeds will also be available in Spanish, French, and other languages as time progresses and funding becomes available. These packets will become a useful evangelism tool for our mission partners as they provide agricultural support. 

  Day 3 Seeds will provide witnessing opportunities and a reminder to all of us that the God of Creation does indeed love us. For just as he thought of the tiny seeds to feed us (Genesis 1:29), he thought of sending  Jesus to save us (John 3:16). Praise the Creator!

 If you wish to learn more about Day 3 Seeds, and specifically more about pricing and related promotional materials, please contact us for more information.

In the Book of Numbers, we find a story about some foreigners among the Israelites who had a strong craving for other kinds of food. Even the Israelites started crying and said, “If only we had meat to eat! Remember all the free fish we ate in Egypt and the    cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions, and garlic we had? But now we’ve lost our appetite! Everywhere we look there’s nothing but manna!” Numbers 11:4–6 (God’s Word)

How rude! How ungrateful! The Scripture above shows the ingratitude of the children of    Israel towards God’s gift of    manna, food from heaven. How can these people who were crying for something to eat now be     complaining about being bored? They should be happy for the   food they were given… right?

The Egyptians had control over many  millions of slaves as they continually built monuments  and temples unto themselves.    The Israelites were a large people- group, numbering around two million, and among them were ‘others’ who chose to depart from Egypt with the Israelites. All were slaves to a system which provided free food—or so it seemed. The task of feeding so many slave   laborers was managed by the Egyptians who spent great amounts of money to have food produced and brought to the work sites. A slave needed to be fed to   be productive. In this small portion of scripture we are told what some of the foods were. 

Cucumbers are extensively grown in northern Africa and the Middle East, and are a delicacy desired by many. A source of refreshing taste during the heat of the summer, the fast-growing and good yielding cucumber is an important food for the poor and wealthy alike.

Watermelons are a favorite food for many people around the  world. It also has been cultivated along the banks of the Nile river for thousands of years. Its sweet and juicy interior is a good source of water and nutrition, and is    easily transported.

We also find other delectable vegetables such as leeks, onions  and garlic. Useful for soups, flavoring, and a garnish to meat dishes, these members of the allium family are universally recognized for their value as food flavor enhancers. Their pungent and sweet flavors have no equal. 

Taste buds are inspired by the memorable taste of these vegetables. A salad is not complete without some cucumber; a burger is not ‘built’ unless it has a pickle and/or a slice of onion; what is a summer picnic without watermelon;  a good soup is nothing without some leeks or onions; and, oh,  that garlic bread! All of us are contented having a full assortment of food from which to choose. 

The Israelites, even in the bonds of slavery, had been spoiled by excess. They felt it was their ‘right’ to have more than what God had provided. They even seemed to be challenging God to provide meat as the taskmasters had done for them in Egypt.    How often do we find ourselves doing the same?  How soon we forget the bounty in our homes, looking for the next items we hunger for. Are we slaves to our possessions? At times we are, and then we remember to thank the Lord for all that he so graciously provides.

The cost of free food to the Israelites was slavery… and then God miraculously delivered them and provided ‘manna’. If plants could talk they would remind us to be grateful to God for all that HE has given us.

The water temperature here is around 54 degrees Fahrenheit. When the night temperatures drop into the low 30s, we can use that warm water temperature to protect our plants. And, should frost settle on plants in the morning, the use of warm water to wash off the frost will keep the sun from damaging the plant material under the icy-frost crystals. We have saved our sub-tropical garden from freezing simply by using water.

  Your extra financial support is comparable to washing away the frost, so a plant can continue to grow. We are grateful to you for for considering Hope Seeds worthy of your financial support.

It’s Christmas morning. Children are filled with anticipation and excitement, waiting for the arrival of gifts and opening of presents.  Then the big moment finally arrives, the packages are torn open and eager little hands search out the new treasures and faces are beaming with smiles of pure joy. 

This past December 25th, such smiles were made possible because of packages sent to Cap Haitien, Haiti, thanks to the generosity      of many of our volunteers and   supporters. Boxes of T-Top Totes filled with human care items and seeds were distributed in many areas of Haiti.

Among the recipients was the family of the “Cow Patty Kid” (see newsletter #3). Four small children were informed that on Christmas Day a special package would be delivered to each of them.

The day arrived. Like so many other kids in the World, they were dressed and waiting since 7 a.m.  Ready to receive a gift… “Wow! A back pack, a blanket, a raincoat, some soap, toothpaste, paper,  pencil, crayons, a tennis ball, some small toys… Wow!” Pure joy.

One of the small ones, a little girl, asked: “Can I keep the box?”  When asked why, she responded, “I need someplace to keep my clothes so they won’t get so wrinkled.” The treasure was more than what was in the box, but was the box itself. Jesus says in Matthew 6:21: “Your heart will be where your treasure is.” (God’s Word)   The treasure, within these boxes filled with donated items, was “LOVE”.  The loving hearts of generous people who know a  gracious God are reflected in each package sent.

The look of pure joy like the one expressed by this beautiful child says it all—Thank You!