Hello everyone! Ok, I have a mission project that my family has decided to do, and I'm throwing it out there if any of you guys would like to participate. Talk about a God thing – we were walking on the trail near our house after church today, and noticed this bright yellow piece of paper on the ground, and I'm like "what's that?" So my dad picks it up and hands it to me, and I read it. Apparently there's this mission project thing that the Presbyterian Church has been doing every year in March for a long time through this organization called One Great Hour of Sharing. They use the money collected through this project to help with disaster relief, etc. around the world. We don't go to the Presbyterian Church, so I was thinking, why don't we do this and send the money to Gospel for Asia, the organization we are going to support a native missionary through?
What they do is use a calendar starting today, March 4th, and going through March 31st, and every day you put so many coins in a 'bank' thingy (we're using a chest) that represent something. For example, today's is: "One Great Hour of Sharing brings hope and help to our neighbors around the world. Put one coin in you bank for every year of your age." Then at the end of the month, we can send a check to GFA for either something specific (like bicycles for native missionaries, or printing gospel tracts and Bibles) or just to be used wherever it's needed most. My family has already started this, but I was just thinking how great it would be if each of our families could participate and be able to send them a really big check!
If you would like to participate, there are a number of ways to go about the coins. We finally decided to use real coins because they create a much better visual picture for us, and are a more tangible way of representing what we have that other people less fortunate don't have, and how we can help them. We also discussed using other objects with assigned values instead of coins, since coins are kind of a hassle to get and then change back at the end of the month. Tomorrow my dad is going to get some coin rolls from the bank for us to use, and then at the end of the month we're going to spend an afternoon/evening as a family rolling them back up to take to the bank when we send the check. Or you can just keep a tally each day of how many coins you would be putting in (some pennies, some nickels, some dimes, and some quarters) and total it up at the end without using the actual coins at all. You can do whatever you think would work best for you.
Below is the calendar I found with how many coins to put in the bank each day and what they are for:
March:
4th-Average life expectancy in third-world countries is 45 years. Put one coin in your bank for every year of your age.
5th-70% of those suffering from hunger in the world are women and girls. Give one coin for every woman or girl in your family.
6th-Over 40% of people in the least developed countries live on less than $1/day. Give one dollar's worth of coins.
7th-A dairy farming project in Pakistan is helping a village of 4,000 create a stable and growing source of income. Give one coin for each glass or carton of milk you drink today.
8th-About 85% of the world's young people live in developing countries. Give one coin for each person under 18 in your household.
9th-Many people in developing countries spend hours every day collecting and carrying water. Give one coin for every faucet in your home.
10th-Over 350 million children must work, sometimes over 15 hours a day. Give one coin for every hour of TV you watch today.
11th-In some places, something as simple as a drinking cup is a luxury. Give one coin for each glass in your cupboard.
12th-Two children are orphaned by AIDS every 60 seconds. Give one coin for every parent you have.
13th-In western and central Africa, only 4% of our neighbors have a phone. Give a coin for every time you talked on the phone today.
14th-In south Asia, only 36% of women have skilled help when giving birth. Give one coin for every family you know with a healthy baby.
15th-Refugee programs offer shelter, food and safety, and give people a chance to begin rebuilding their lives. Give one coin for every time you have moved.
16th-850 million people are malnourished, most as a result of chronic hunger. Prepare a family meal without spending more than $1, and give one coin for each family member.
17th-A program in Laos helps rural children obtain basic education that can help improve their lives and the future of their communities. Give one coin for every page you read today.
18th-More money is spent on pet food in the US and Europe than the $13 billion needed to meet the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people. Give the cost of one bag or can of pet food.
19th-In sub-Saharan Africa, only one person in 100 is an internet user. Give one coin for each minute you spend online today.
20th-Women in Bangladesh are using a micro-credit loan to create a weaving business that will help 800 tribal women earn income making blankets. Give one coin for every blanket in your home.
21st-Gospel for Asia is helping clean and rebuild homes and lives in Sri Lanka and the Indian coast after the tsunami. Give one coin for every room in your home.
22nd-The war in Sudan is the world's longest-running civil war: 35 of the last 46 years. Give one coin for each year of pace in Sudan.
23rd-More than 2 billion of our neighbors around the world lack adequate toilet facilities. Give one coin for every time you go to the bathroom today.
24th-People in 60 countries live with the threat of landmines buried near their homes and in their fields. Give a coin for every day you walked safely in a yard or park this week.
25th- One of every six people on the planet lacks access to safe water. Count the number of people in church today, divide by six, and give on coin for each person.
26th-Drought has recently killed up to 60% of livestock in some regions of Kenya. Give one coin for every pet in your home.
27th- In the least developed countries only 45% of women can read and write. Give one coin for every gook, magazine or newspaper you looked at today.
28th-Church World Service helps disaster victims both in the US and in other countries. Give one coin for every major disaster you can recall in recent years.
29th-In South Asia, only 61% of students who enter school will reach fifth grade. Give on coin for every year of education you've had.
30th-In Egypt, about 10% of 10- to 14-year-olds work, and nearly 65% of poor families send at least one child to work. Give one coin for each hour you spend doing chores this week.
31st-The Good Samaritan gave the innkeeper two days' wages to care for the man who had been beaten. Will you give two hours' wages to the lost souls of Asia?
April 1st-Pray over your gift to GFA, that it will be blessed and used with good stewardship, and that God will use it to do His will in Asia. Pray that it goes where it is most needed, and that it arrives there safely. Also pray for GFA's ministry in their work for the Lord, and for native missionaries in Asia.
I hope together we can help to spread God's love to those who have never even heard of Him before!
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