Streams of Mercy

Yesterday our children heard a mission story about a young woman named Juana. Juana had to start working at the age of six to help her family. She always worked very hard, and for long hours. When she grew up and married, she hoped things would be better for her children. Despite their best efforts, she and her husband still struggled to give their children the most basic food. They often went hungry, and whenever a child became sick, they had to choose between paying for medicine or food, because they couldn’t afford both.

Juana knew things had to change, but because she did not go to school, she didn’t know where to begin. Thankfully, Heifer Project was there to get Juana started – with a gift of 65 chickens. Juana learned how to care for the birds and run an egg business. Today, Juana’s family has plenty of eggs to eat, as well as to sell for income. Gone are the days of having to choose between food, medicine and school. Now Juana and her family’s future is filled with hope!

I told our children that I was giving each of them the gift of a flock of chicks – that would be sent somewhere in the world to help a family with children just like them. I’m counting on their parents to explain further about the importance of giving gifts that help others, and hopefully a few families will start a new tradition of giving through Heifer International!

It’s amazing what can be accomplished with a flock of chicks! A good hen can lay more than 200 eggs a year. That means plenty of eggs to eat, share or sell. Families can make money from chickens without spending much, because the birds require little space and can thrive on food scraps. Also, chickens help control insects and fertilize gardens.

Choosing Christmas gifts from Heifer International will help families across the world pull themselves out of crushing poverty, and will help a family for years to come. Goats and sheep, alpacas and heifers, pigs, chicks and honeybees are gifts that keep on giving. “The idea behind Heifer is similar to the notion that it’s better to teach a man to fish so he can feed himself than to give him a fish that will feed him just once. One animal could eventually benefit an entire community.” The practice of “passing on the gift” in sharing the offspring of the animals received from Heifer, again and again, helps build community and improve the quality of life for all.

Heifer also builds solar-powered wells that bring life-sustaining water right to families own backyards. Heifer helps families install treadle pumps, practice water conservation and use organic fertilizers to protect drinking water to improve their health. The gifts of tree seedlings and garden seeds are also given, and families are taught how to keep their plots of land healthy by planting trees and vegetable gardens using natural fertilizer.

One church I served received a generous endowment and the decision was made to give a “tithe” of the endowment to benevolence. In doing that, some of the money went to purchase the gift of an Ark from Heifer! An ark contained two cows, two oxen, two sheep, two goats, two beehives, two water buffalo., two pigs, two trios of rabbits, two trios of ducks, two trios of guinea pigs, two flocks of geese, two flocks of chicks two alpacas, two schools of fish and a Community Animal Vet Kit. Talk about a gift that goes on giving!

I hope our little ones will begin to feel a part of making the world a better place through sharing their flocks of chicks with others.

Elizabeth