A Season of Sacrifice

This Lenten Season our congregation has been collecting for Heifer International, a foundation that exists to enrich the lives of impoverished families around the world. This is accomplished in a two step process. First, the means are provided for a family to have food, which may also serve as a source of income. Second, education and support are provided in how to turn the gift into a continuing source of food and income. The bonus is that as the first profits start to come in, the family, in turn, gifts another family with the means to provide and earn.

There are many ways to start a family on the path to self-sufficiency. Depending on the location of the family, they might receive a flock of chicks, a bee hive, a pig, a goat, or a cow. There are many more options, but those five animals are what we focussed on for the five weeks of Lent.

A flock of chicks costs only $20 and provides eggs and meat to a family. Plus, imagine the income when selling the eggs! Now the children can go to school, and the hope of a future can become a reality.

The honey that bees produce provide an excellent source of income. In addition to that, bees are necessary for the production of some crops. Introducing them into an area can be the best thing for more than one family! The cost for a bee hive is $50.

Pigs are so easy to maintain, eating what is often thrown away anyway. And with such a low cost to keep, they still provide protein and a source of income. For $120, a pig will start a family well on their way to self-sufficiency.

$120 will also buy a family a goat, another animal that is easy to maintain. Goats also provide milk which can be consumed on its own or made into cheese. The profits that a goat can bring in are amazing. And when a kid is born and gifted to another family, the gift continues.

A cow, like a goat, offers so much to a family. And in addition to the milk and cheese a cow has to offer, beef is a huge resource that can feed several families at a time. And, as always, as the first fruits are brought forth, they are passed on to other families in need. The cost of a cow is $500.

The starting goal of our congregation was to purchase one of each of these animals by the end of the Lenten Season. Each week an animal was presented and a can was passed. The idea was that anything over the needed amount would be saved toward the cow at the end...the total needed was $810. By the end of the fifth Sunday, we had raised over $1800. And what's more, a member of the congregation has pledged to match, dollar for dollar, whatever was raised. Praise God!