In the summer of 2002, I will travel to Jimbolia, Romania, to teach English as a second language and serve the poor of this small eastern European town. I am being sent by Christ Community Church of Des Moines, IA, to go as an emissary of Food for the Hungry (FH). For one year, I will be working with seven to fifteen year olds at Talita Kum, a Christian Canteen and Day Care Center for children from poor and vulnerable families. This will be my first mission overseas and is a result of my search for a way to use my gift of teaching, my knowledge of the English language, and my growing compassion for the poor in a way that serves others not only spiritually but physically and mentally, as well.

FH is an interdenominational, nonprofit, Christian relief and development organization, founded in 1971 by Dr. Larry Ward. FH is working in 25 countries and has about 1,300 staff, most of which are involved in the area of development. FH seeks to reach out to the poorest of the poor with the love of Christ through meeting both spiritual and physical needs.

FH’s vision, to which all FH staff are held accountable, is to see communities and the people within them becoming “equipped to progress beyond meeting their basic needs and having a growing group of Christians who are loving God and one another, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, and reaching out to serve others.” Generally, FH accomplishes this by speaking out as advocates of the poor, sending people to share Christ’s love, and facilitating emergency relief and sustainable development. Their work is biblically and prayerfully based. As a side note, FH has worked to help victims and workers at “Ground Zero” in New York and in Afghanistan. For more specific information on the work of FH, see www.fh.org.

FH has also branched into areas outside the more “traditional” relief and development activities by working in church development, child development, micro-enterprise development (giving small interest-free loans to help people start small “businesses” to earn income for the family), and education.

The goal of the teachers, such as myself, is first to share the Gospel and to love and care for the children, who have been oppressed and abused, or often neglected. Oftentimes, the best times in the children’s lives are those spent in school or other related activities because they experience love and are safe from the abuse. Secondly, teachers can provide educational opportunities for the children that can help them break out of the poverty cycle. Additionally, I will be building relationships with others in the school and in the community. I hope to continue these relationships with the individuals and institutions, perhaps from a more grass roots level, in the future.

I am currently a candidate in the “Hunger Corps” program, which is made up of people who go out to the field for at least one year and raise their own financial support. The goal is to have as much of the organization’s money as possible go out to actually help the poor and not mostly to the people who work for the organization to cover administrative and living costs, etc. In fact, FH is considering having their paid staff, such as those in their main office in Scottsdale, Arizona, raise full or partial support. This also encourages those of us going overseas to build a team of supporters back home to encourage and help us, as we seek to do the same for them.

You have the opportunity to participate with me in this ministry to the poor with your prayers and financial support. We in the United States have an abundance of wealth, which means we have so much we can generously share with the poor in our own communities and also with our brothers and sisters across the world. Many of you are already deeply involved in helping the poor and some of you have not yet made such a commitment. I ask all of you to please consider joining me, as you are able.

For more information, please contact me by e-mail at LauraFul@aol.com or by regular mail at the address below. To participate financially, please send a check or money order, made out to Christ Community Church with “FH” or my name in the memo section, to Christ Community Church, 5731 Urbandale Avenue, Suite 8, Des Moines, IA 50310. Your donation is tax deductible.