Spend Yourself: The Cookstoves

Hi, all.

Last week I spent a little time talking about our ministry and why we chose the tag line: Spend Yourself. You can read all about it on Spend Yourself: The Generator. Suffice it to say, in the next few weeks I'm going to highlight some very specific ways that you can help us out financially. Of course, we always covet your prayers, and we love the many other ways that our supporters and friends uplift our ministry, but we are also facing some very exciting opportunities that require a little fundraising. Today, the focus is the cookstoves.

We are super-excited at OBOH to be a part of a new, cutting-edge project that is distributing bio-safe, fuel efficient cookstoves to families in the community surrounding Christ Our Hope orphanage. Want to know more about the project? You can read more about it in the Cookstoves post. However, I'm going to turn it over to Peter Gbelia of SJEDI Green Energy to explain the project in detail...

The stoves cost $60, but we give a family a stove for $30 and 3 months to pay it off, so $10 per month (or more time if needed). We found the average cost to a family is $20 per month for charcoal fuel costs and this stove will save them 50% or $10 per month on average ($120 per year), not to mention saving on the other costs like not having to buy the local stove every few months because our charcoal stove lasts 5 years.

The "community" formed a community bank account with our partner EcoBank or LBDI. Then 3 women project leaders were chosen by the community to run the program (and receive compensation). Every month the families with stoves give the leaders their payment and the leaders deposit into the community bank account. After the stoves are paid for, some communities agree to take part of the monthly savings and deposit into the community account to build assets to run community projects (because each family saves $10 per month, maybe they agree to contribute 50 cents or $1 dollar per month to the community fund, etc). Or payments can be made in LD if it is easier, which is usually the case.

We call this the "micro-lease" program, so the chosen families get the stove right away and use the fuel savings to pay back the cost (of the subsidized cost hopefully), and its been a proven poverty alleviation program.

Once the students master making "green charcoal" from things like corn and rice husks or saw dust, etc., they can then sell this green charcoal to users of the cookstove for increased efficiencies and savings and a good little revenue stream for the orphanage, and of course it ties into the research the students will be conducting. Now they can learn about entrepreneurship as well, which SJEDI will gladly mentor them on.

Sounds like an amazing project, doesn't it? Wondering where you come in? Well, did you catch that very first sentence? The stoves cost $60, but we give a family a stove for $30 and 3 months to pay it off... The math doesn't work, does it? That's because we're subsidizing half of the cost of the cookstove to make the purchase attainable for the average Liberian. So, do you love to cook? Are you grateful for your oven? Are you passionate about healthy living and taking care of the beautiful world we call home? We'd love to have you come alongside us and subsidize the purchase of a stove for a Liberian family. Just $30 will put a stove in the home of a family just like yours. Donate today.

You can click on our Facebook link to give online, or you can mail your donation to:

One Body One Hope

c/o The Baarts

589 13th St. Cir. SE

Sioux Center, Iowa 51250

Thanks for reading!

Warmly,

Nicole

Spend Yourself: The Generator

When One Body One Hope was formed, we chose the passage of Isaiah 58:6-12 as our "theme scripture." It summarizes our mission, gives us something positive to focus on, and serves as the inspiration for our tag line: Spend Yourself. We're passionate about people and relationships, about justice and mercy and the humble give and take that happens when people exist in true community. We're also passionate about giving ourselves... And that giving happens in a number of different ways.

Often when people consider the word spend, they automatically attach it to money. And it seems to carry a negative connotation. Even the dictionary agrees: To spend is to "dispose of one's money, wealth, and/or resources." Spending involves more or less throwing away a limited resource that is difficult to replace. It's a bit depressing, to be honest.

But we don't see it that way. According to Isaiah 58, the more you spend, the more you have to give. If you spend yourself, "your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday..." The Lord will "satisfy your needs" and "strengthen your frame." You will be like a "well watered garden,  like a spring whose waters never fail." Isn't it cool how God works in contradictions? Give of yourself and you will never run out of things to give...

One of the things that we love to do at OBOH is challenge people to join us on this exciting journey. Our lives have been forever changed, downright transformed by all that we have experienced -- particularly the way that as we continue to spend ourselves, we continue to be replenished, refreshed, and restored to give and give again. Often this giving is of a very personal nature: we pray, we fast, we sacrifice time and energy and resources as we endeavor to continue in relationship with our friends and family in Liberia. But sometimes our giving does come down to dollars. It has to.

In the next few weeks I'm going to highlight some very specific ways that you can help us out financially. Of course, we always covet your prayers, and we love the many other ways that our supporters and friends uplift our ministry, but we are also facing some very exciting opportunities that require a little fundraising. Today, the focus is the generator.

The only electricity at Christ Our Hope orphanage comes from a gas powered generator. They only run it a couple of hours a day, but even so the motor wears out quickly and needs regular maintenance. Sometimes, it just plain needs to be replaced. Now is one of those times.

A generator costs about $1500 in Liberia, and Christ Our Hope needs a new one! Are you an electrician? Do you have a heart for gears and motors and making things work? Or do you simply enjoy being able to turn on a light with the flick of a switch? If God is prompting you to help the kids at Christ Our Hope by donating toward a new generator, we invite you to join us and spend yourself! You can click through to our Facebook page and donate online there, or you can send your donation to:

One Body One Hope
c/o The Baarts
589 13th St. Cir. SE
Sioux Center, Iowa 51250

Thanks for reading!

Warmly,
Nicole

World Water Day & The One Week Water Challenge

Hi, everyone!

Did you know that today is World Water Day? Since 1993, the General Assembly of the United Nations has encouraged people not to use their water taps on this day to raise awareness of global water issues. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I've already used my tap today... a lot. To brush my teeth, take a shower, get several drinks, and wash the dishes, just to name a few of my forbidden tap uses. But just because I may have used my tap today, doesn't mean that the day is a bust. I think today is a fantastic day to talk about some water-related issues... And to introduce you to One Body One Hope's One Week Water Challenge.

People often ask us, "How can I get involved?" The obvious answers are: pray for us, consider sponsoring a child through OBOH, or give a one-time donation. But we also want to give people opportunities to connect their passion for global issues with their day-to-day life -- ways to educate their kids and families about the world beyond their home and community. And we think the One Week Water Challenge is just the way to do that!

We are looking for families who are willing to spend themselves, and drink nothing but water for an entire week. The money saved will be used to dig wells in the communities we support in Liberia. Doesn't sound like much of a challenge, does it? Well, take a moment to consider... In one week my family spends almost $50 on drinks alone:

• 2 gallons of milk: $7
• 1 gallon of orange juice: $5
• 2 bottles of V-8 Fusion: $6
• Milk boxes for hot lunch: $1/day x 5 days = $5
• 6 cans of Coke: $6
• 2 specialty coffees at our favorite coffeehouse: $6
• 1 bottle of wine: $12

That's $47 worth of drinks, and I haven't even calculated my regular morning coffee (with creamer, of course), the smoothie I make almost every day (with a carton of yogurt, berries, bananas, spinach, and flaxseed), or little "extras" I just purchase on the fly... An iced coffee, Gatorade for the boys after hockey practice, etc. The number just climbed to nearly $75.

Yikes. That's a lot of money. Even more concerning: Can I make it a week without coffee? Will my kids throw a hissy fit if they have to drink water with their school lunch instead of milk? I say: Bring it on! What an amazing teaching experience. What an opportunity for me, and my children, to spread the word about worldwide water issues and what we can do to make a difference. I'm in. Are you?


Rice and Beans Video from Todd Montsma on Vimeo.


If you'd like to participate in the challenge, you can do so whenever and wherever. Families can participate, singles, entire churches, or even offices, sports teams, or school classes. Pick a week, any week, and dive on in. Feel free to use the video as a promotional material. We also have devotional packets that I can send to you in a PDF file and you can print it out and use it throughout the week. Whenever you're craving a caffeine buzz, or would really love a glass of OJ with your breakfast, take a moment to think about the miles that women in Asia and Africa have to walk just to collect dingy water that might make them sick. Or the fact that more children die of water-related illnesses than for any other reason. You just might be able to give up coffee for an extra week.

Peace.
Nicole