My heart is heavy tonight

After sleeping for a few hours I found myself awake. I knew I needed to get up and pray. For what I wasn’t sure, but as I started praying I knew who I needed to pray for – the homeless, the poor, the starving children in third world countries, the men and women in poor nations who are suppressed and oppressed by their governments to the point of starvation.

The people of Haiti are on my heart. They have been devastated by two hurricanes – Fay and Gustav. We know how bad it is when a hurricane hits here in the U.S. The effects of Katrina are still a daily way of life for many people who live along the Gulf Coast. If hurricanes can be that tough on the richest nation in the world, imagine how devastating it is on the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

There are people – children, men and women – starving in Haiti. They have been for years, and for a variety of reasons – drought, floods and civil unrest. Malnourishment rates are extremely high and the infant mortality rate is among the highest in the world.

The Sudan, Darfur, Somalia, Sri Lanka and India are just a handful of nations struggling with starvation and malnutrition.

Look at these facts:
- In its State of the World’s Children 2008 report, UNICEF reported that 9.7 million children died before reaching 5 years of age, four-fifth of them lived in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The United Nations reported in its State of Food Insecurity in the World 2002 report that most deaths of children in poor countries were attributed to starvation and diseases that strike vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened by hunger.

You may ask what can be done. There are millions of people starving, so what can a small ministry like Love In Action do? My answer is, there is plenty we can do. I have long admired and supported Samaritan’s Purse. I believe they respond to problems like the world’s food crisis better than any other organization. But even as great a job as they do, they can’t reach everyone.

Love In Action can’t reach everyone either. However, we can help some of them. There are other Christian organizations doing great work in these poor countries. So, with all us doing our part, we can reach the starving and malnourished with food, which opens the door to sharing their most important need – Jesus Christ.

We were recently blessed with the opportunity to help reach the people of Haiti. And now, with God blessing us with a 33,000 square foot warehouse, I know He is opening the doors to expand Love In Action, and soon we will be able to provide food and other necessities to help the people in countries like Haiti, Darfur and Jamaica. Yes, Jamaica isn’t just a resort country. That’s the area they show tourists. But on the southern side of Jamaica there are some of the worst slums imaginable.

But it’s not just other countries. There are plenty of needs right here in the U.S.
Here are some sobering facts:
- 12.5 percent of Americans – 37.3 million people – lived in poverty in 2007, according to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau. This is an increase in the number of poor people from 2006, when 36.5 million Americans lived in poverty. With the current state of the U.S. economy, this number will surely increase.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that in 2006:
• 35.5 million people lived in households considered to be food insecure.
• Of these 35.5 million, 22.9 million are adults (10.4 percent of all adults) and 12.6 million are children (17.2 percent of all children).
• The number of people in the worst-off households increased to 11.1 from 10.8 in 2005. This increase in the number of people in the worst-off category is consistent with other studies and the Census Bureau poverty data, which show worsening conditions for the poorest Americans.
• Black (21.8 percent) and Hispanic (19.5 percent) households experienced food insecurity at far higher rates than the national average.
• The 10 states with the highest food insecurity rates in 2006 were Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Arizona.

According to estimates of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, on any given night in America, anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless.

According to a December, 2000 report of the US Conference of Mayors:
• Single men comprise 44 percent of the homeless, single women 13 percent, families with children 36 percent, and unaccompanied minors seven percent.
• The homeless population is about 50 percent African-American, 35 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian.

As you can see, there is plenty of work to do. God has worked through Love In Action the past seven years to reach thousands with His love. To provide for the physical needs of thousands of homeless and poor throughout the U.S. We have seen thousands give their lives to Jesus. Now God wants to stretch us and do even more. Martha and I are excited and we can’t wait to see what God has planned.

Thanks to everyone who has joined us. Many are praying for us and supporting Love In Action with finances, supplies and their time. We couldn’t do what we do with you. Thank you and may God continue to richly bless each of you and your families.