THANK YOU!

I'm writing this blog for one reason; to say THANK YOU GOD!
And to acknowledging our thanks to a few others.

Last month we received a call from the founders of Outreach International, Floyd and Kathy Hammer from Iowa, inviting us to a graduation ceremony where the Regional Commissioner of Singida, Tanzania would be receiving an Honorary doctorate. Commissioner Kone was being honored for his service to his country and we were grateful to have the opportunity to meet him here in ours. After the graduation we found ourselves catching up on several things pertaining to both ministries, Outreach International and Africa Harvest of Hope. Our sense of God's leading and presence at that time was beyond being able to express and later when we reviewed our conversation, we concluded that God is going to make a way for these visions that He has given to His children (OI and AHOH) to help His children (in Tanzania) become reality.

Let me tell you a little more about Outreach International and Africa Harvest of Hope.

Outreach International (OI) packages food and ships it to Tanzania. (They do much more than that but for "blog" sake we'll just stick to the food packaging.) Packaging food and then shipping it to Africa may sound like an organization that you have heard about before. Maybe on TV or through a church, but I can guarantee you OI is not at all like any of the other organization you've heard of before. A few years ago, Floyd Hammer personally sent tens of thousands of meals for Africa Harvest of Hope to distribute to hungry children in Tanzania. I don't know of any other organization that would give anything away like that.
Outreach International has built a feeding center in Singida that feeds 600 to 800 children a day. Every day! They send a container every month filled with these boxes of packaged food. The food is then distributed to people they know will make sure it gets to the people who need it the most, the children. They have recently made one of their stops in Korogwe at the AHOH Children's Home.

* We will be making a post soon about how you can help with this project.

Africa Harvest of Hope is in the praying/planning stages of building a community compound in Korogwe that will include a feeding center like the one in Singida, as well as a hospital, two trade schools, a hotel, another orphanage and a church. We know that God is not limited and we are grateful that He always shows us that we can do nothing in and of ourselves, but with God, all things are possible.

During the course of our conversation with Floyd we discovered how we could see this vision become reality. By hosting these packaging events we will not only be packaging the food that will be sent to the children in Tanzania, we will also be raising money to pay for the food and the shipping and we will begin raising the funds to start the Korogwe Community Project.

* More info on how this is done in our next blog.

AHOH is going to host our first Kids Against Hunger food packaging event in November. We will be attending one of these events September 20th in San Diego to learn more about the process. We will be booking a venue in our area for the November event and posting the information for anyone who would like to get involved. Please keep us in your prayers about this.

We thank God for His faithfulness!
His Word says, "and it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24

Please call (909) 335-8167 if you would like to be a part of the packaging event in November. God bless you!

Grace and Mercy!
Alan and Shannon
Africa Harvest of Hope
africaharvestofhope.org

Love and Prayer

When we use the word "love" we usually have a sentimental feeling or attitude attached to the use of it. However in reading 1 John 3 we see that genuine love results in actions, not only feelings. Very often, in these days of many stresses, we as Christians need to ask ourselves if our words and our actions are lining up. We say we love; we love God, we love our wives and our husbands, we love our children and we love our friends. I need to ask myself, is my love manifested (made known) to those people I say I love? I need to think of everyone mentioned above and then think even deeper and further as God would have us to do. As 'called out' believers we are to ask ourselves, do I love "them" too? Those that are hard to love. Does my love show. Is it manifested? Is it made known? What is hiding behind the walls of my heart that only God knows about. The fact that He knows it's there is what should matter.

1 John 2:9 says, he who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. Who do I hate? We may not like to think about that. We may say, "Oh, I don't hate them I just..."

Jesus said (commanded) us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and He said that the second command is like it, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Leviticus 19:15-18, Mark 12:29-31) He reminded us of who our neighbor is in the story of the good Samaritan. (Luke 10:33) This man didn't even know the man he helped. The Samaritan man took the opportunity to manifest (make known) his love. He saw an opportunity and did something. His love was not a sentimental feeling, it was an action. His heart (who he was) is seen by his actions. George Sweeting adding to D.L. Moody's quote that "Character is what you are in the dark." added, "True character is what we are when nobody is looking, in the secret chambers of the heart." This is what should matter.

1 John 3:16-24 tells us what love looks like in a Christians life and when we have this confidence in Him because we keep His commandments whatever we ask we receive from Him.

We want God to answer our prayers and so we ask that He will show us, "who we are in the dark." May we take opportunities that He puts in our path and may we love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and also, love our neighbors as ourselves, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for praying with us!

Prayer Requests

August 2009

1) Herbert and Emily need prayer for healing and strength, wisdom and discernment.

Herbert and Emily Mwaimu and their family live in Tanzania and run the field work for Africa Harvest of Hope. Please keep them in your prayers. The enemy is obviously not happy and would like to steal, kill and destroy. These are faithful, true believers who give everything they have to care for these orphans and stay faithful in the ministry as pastor/shepherd to the community in Korogwe. May God bless them and keep them.

2) Please pray that we will be able to add more children to the "Children's Home" in Korogwe.

It is our vision and hope that God would raise up "Churches As Families" to adopt these "Children's Homes" as they are established. We will then be able to use the funds that are received to go towards the building of more "Children's Homes". AHOH receives donations through this website and by word of mouth only. 100% of what comes in to AHOH is used in Tanzania. Nothing is used for administration purposes or to purchase tickets to go to Tanzania. We are in the process of putting together a plan for churches to look at that will explain the vision we have for the "Churches As Families" program.

3) Please pray for Africa Harvest of Hope for direction in begining the next "Children's Home" in Mbozi.

Mbozi is far south Tanzania and Pastor Manfred and Mama Manfred are precious believers who like Herbert and Emily have given everything they have to see the salvation of the people and children who God has placed in their lives. These families have little to nothing but they are willing to give everything. God has shown us the story of the widows mite in real life. (Luke 21:1-4) We give out of our abundance, they give out of their poverty.

The last chapters of a book we've been reading (Crazy Love) tell stories about people who do remarkable things for the glory of God. We wish there could have been a chapter written about the people we have spoken of here. They truly will have many precious treasures to give to our Savior when they meet Him.

4) "Churches As Families" Program: We are asking God to put this plan together on paper and as a presentation for churches to look at. Please pray for wisdom for everyone involved and also that God would bring those who are to be involved in this project.

5) Please pray that we will have the time and the wisdom in keeping this website information up to date as we receive it.

Herbert does not have a computer at home and using a public computer in Africa is one of the most frustrating things I've ever encountered. With only going to Tanzania twice a year we depend on the communications from Herbert to know how to pray and what we need to be doing from this side of the globe to help in the efforts for this ministry.

Praise Reports:

* Outreach International (www.outreach.org) will be helping us to provide Kids Against Hunger meals to the children in the "Children's Home" in Korogwe. Thank you all who have been praying for this. Look for an update on this "Praise God" report in our next Update.

* The children in the Korogwe "Children's Home" have all been to the doctor recently and by the grace of God not one is infected with HIV. They all had parasites and some had malaria but they have all been treated and are very healthy. They have been bonding and Herbert said they all 'hang out' together even at school. We will post an article about one at a time so you can get to know them.