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