A 2003 Psychological study made the follow claim about some of its findings…”the experience of gratitude leads to positive psychological, physical, and social outcomes.” (1) But I don’t need a scientific study to tell me that a thankful heart is healthy. And it’s no wonder, since the scriptures ask us to live in an attitude of gratitude. I am certainly thankful for what is happening with in our organization.
It’s four months into 2015 and things are looking great for our project!
This year will see a 5K Run (coming up very soon), a benefit Golf Tournament (also coming up shortly!) and a benefit dinner all organized and implemented for the sole purpose of providing support for the children we feed in India. Yes, 2015 will see more events than last year and we hope each year will bring new and improved opportunities for our cause.
2015 is also the year that our organization has experienced some change.
We believe this shift will be for the better. We are transitioning our name from Operation Feed the Children to Hope for Hungry Kids. Our website has already been updated as you can see and for the next several months, our literature and promotional material will look like this: Hope for Hungry Kids (formerly Operation Feed the Children).
The name is the only thing that has changed. Our members, supporters, leaders and especially our goals have not changed. The goal of feeding those orphans of Jyothi’s Home for Children in India will remain our focus. That purpose is why we began and it will continue until there are no more hungry children in India.
I can’t thank each of you enough for all that you do. Those of you who are faithful to send in your monthly support: it is invaluable. Each month, when I send Jyothi the money that is received from you, I forward the names of that months donors at Jyothi’s request. He wants to see, each month, who has sacrificed for his children. He does this, so he will know who to pray for and to have the children pray for. These are prayers of thanksgiving to God for you and for what you are doing to help their cause.
I have been there when these children pray. I have seen firsthand how powerful it is when a young boy or girl, being moved by the generosity of their American friends, raises their voice to thank God for you, and to lift their voice to ask that He blesses you and your family for your generosity and love toward them. It is a sobering thought to know that these children are well aware that without people like you, they would not eat, therefore the sincerity of their thankfulness rings out daily toward the heavens.
I encourage all of you to continue in this effort. Tell others of your support and commitment to this cause. Share our website www.hopeforhungrykids.org and the pictures of the children that each of you support. There are many people out there who want to help someone and will when the right opportunity comes along. You may very well be the one who exposes the right opportunity to them.
Our organization has added many new supporters this year. With each new face comes a fresh sense of purpose and zeal for our efforts. It is refreshing to sense that what we are doing has been ordered from above. It is certainly evidenced in the loving and faithful helpers, supporters and leaders that have stepped up to accomplish something for this mission.
I am reminded that our lives are but vapors in light of eternity. As Americans, we live under a blanket of liberty and freedom that many in this world know nothing about. Wisdom tells us that, as short as our lives are, they are better spent on the care and concern of the least of us, than on the comfort of ourselves. This truth makes the voices of those children in India, as they pray for each of you, while kneeling down on the dirt and concrete floors, sound out loudly in my mind. That, while they are fortunate to get two meals a day, sit on dirt and concrete floors for school and meals, and play within a walled yard for protection against the Cobra’s and wild animals, they are taught to be thankful for what they have received. This reminds me that my life should be lived also in great and continued thankfulness.
Jamey Green
Executive Director
Hope for Hungry Kids
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
(1) Emmons, R.A. & McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.
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