The Meaning of Poor as Used in the Bible
Despite a few exceptions, a case can overwhelmingly be made that references in Scripture to the poor or to poverty should be taken to mean economic poverty, unless the passage can clearly be argued to have a different meaning.
Hugs
No child should live in poverty. No child should have to grow up to wander the streets and beg not only for money but for someone to tell them they are worth a hug.
What is the Definition of Poverty?
The absence of a clear definition is a serious problem for organizations whose missions are to eradicate poverty or, in our case, to release children from poverty.
Tell us how you understand and define poverty, and then in future blog posts we’ll explain the basis of our holistic approach to ministry and what our definition and…
May I Have a Hug?
It is fully within your power to change the world of a child and make it rich. You can be willing to walk slowly enough through this life that you will see the young ones who cross your path, and take the time that is necessary to let them know how important they are.
Pink
Pink is associated with purity, love and compassion. It communicates gentleness and freshness. Pink represents good health and life, which you offer to children in poverty.
What Does Isaiah 58 Have to Do With Poverty?
How does Isaiah 58 relate to extreme poverty? How does it relate to oppression and corruption? Does Isaiah 58 have anything to do with these topics?
How about its relevance to how we serve the Lord today? What are your thoughts?
Purple
Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes wisdom, nobility and ambition. It communicates wealth and extravagance. But it’s also the color of dignity – something you’re helping give to children in poverty.
How Do We Teach the Children in Our Programs?
Our holistic child development model is central to our mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. And the curriculum standards we have put in place in all of our programs are key to achieving this goal. We have created a global curriculum to help develop children holistically—physically, spiritually, cognitively and socio-emotionally. It…
Orange
Orange is a bold invigorating color suggesting strength, endurance and success. It represents enthusiasm, encouragement and determination. It is the banner of success carried by children released from poverty in Jesus’ name.
White
White symbolizes goodness, innocence and purity.
It’s the color of perfection and safety. It’s the color of light — the Light of the World we share through our ministry.
Now a successful man who owns a large egg-selling business, Wolly Towoliu was once known as a little boy who had a very bad attitude. Wolly liked to hit his friends, sometimes even with stones. His mother once even said, “It would be better if you just went to the forest. I can’t stand any…
Yellow
Yellow is the color of sunshine. It’s associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy. It’s an optimistic color, one that communicates a brighter future for children in poverty.
Green
Green is the color of nature. It represents balance and symbolizes self-respect, growth and harmony. It also symbolizes freshness, – like a fresh opportunity, a chance to succeed and break the cycle of poverty.
Blue
Blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth and heaven. It is the color of the sky. And it is the color of Compassion. It represents the unlimited potential of the children we serve.
Providing an Inheritance to Children in Poverty
Mariana’s mother gathers the family around her at night to read a portion of the Bible and to pray together. She knows this is the best inheritance she could leave her children.
Red
Poverty is hopeless and depressing. But light shines in the darkness. And color brightens it. Vividly!
Is It Safe to Challenge the Status Quo?
Challenge is an aggressive word. It suggests victory … or loss. It implies a struggle and change, possibly forced change. Change creates uncertainty for people. And uncertainty breeds worry and fear.
Asking people questions about what they believe and why they believe it is challenging. It’s often deemed unacceptable. People feel threatened and get defensive.…
Actions Have Consequences
Our ability to take ownership of our actions is a necessary skill in escaping any strain of poverty – physical, emotional or spiritual. Actions have consequences. It’s something God tried to show us through Adam and Eve.
How we go about fighting extreme poverty contrasts with how other organizations work toward the same goal. We fight poverty personally; whereas, many organizations fight communally.
I don’t mean that other organizations aren’t personally invested or committed to eliminating extreme poverty. I mean that a child focused, child development approach to fighting poverty is distinctly…
WANTED: the Freedom to be a Kid
According to the United Nation’s International Labor Organization, “Child labor is every work activity that children and adolescents do before turning 18 years old, that affects their physical, social, intellectual, psychological and moral development.” And poverty is a key contributor to the prevalence of child labor.
Helping children in poverty is not an obligation but an opportunity. We grow emotionally and spiritually as we experience fulfillment through stewardship and the joy of loving sacrifice.
Fewer Children Are Dying
Good news from the government is pretty rare. Good news in the media is even more rare. So when I read this headline the other day, I smiled: “WHO sees good progress on UN health goals for poor.”
According to a recent study by the U.N.’s World Health Organization, good progress is being made on health-related Millennium…
The Children’s Mite
Children are the most ignored and vulnerable group in Bangladesh, and the children we serve there are some of the poorest in the world.
But these children, who live in circumstances we can’t imagine, are learning to see hope in their lives and how to help others.
When they heard about the Jan. 12 earthquake in…
Our child development centers are distributed in different types of settings in Mexico; the biggest difference is between urban and suburban areas.
In the context of this blog post, the term “suburban” is defined a bit differently than in the developed world: Suburban areas are smaller cities or towns, normally located on the outskirts of main…
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