Your gifts are making an impact

The ongoing involvement of Julie’s Heart Cry with different levels of ministries compels me to share my heart with you. When a problem is so pervasive in a community – affecting almost every household in the ultra-poor bracket – we want to make sure we are using your donations wisely while leaving a lasting impact and much fruit.

Women’s ministry

We have come to understand that when women in their local churches and communities are empowered with the Gospel and equipped with income-generating skills so they can put food on their tables, they’re less likely to advise their daughters to have abortions.

How can a Bible-believing parent succumb to worldly pressures and suggest an alternative to their daughter or son choosing life for their unborn baby? The honest answer is hunger, a lack of funds for medical care and school fees. These are the brutal, stark realities for millions of impoverished families worldwide.

Pastors’ families

I know many pastors and their families in East Africa and the Central African Republic who cannot sustain their families by relying on the tithes and offerings from their congregations’ meager donations – people who live on a dollar or less a day. Pastors’ kids are often ridiculed and bullied for walking barefoot. Many have run away from home because there is no food to eat.

These families have been torn apart by bitter, angry and resentful children. I wish I could say these things are happening only to pastors’ families; it is all too familiar among the church members, too. Many of the abortions taking place in pastors’ homes are the direct result of pride; however, even more abortions are taking place among ultra-poor families, including pastors’ children.

Resource centers

Resource centers have become invaluable to the communities described above. These centers’ long-term goal is to have local, income-generating mechanisms in place, enabling them to serve the many needs knocking at their door regularly.

Rather than continually raising funds for all the varied needs, Julie’s Heart Cry’s strategy is to enable our ministry partners to be self-sustaining. We want to allow them to adequately manage the many demands while continuing to share the Gospel without interruption.

How do we execute this strategy? JHC was introduced to Kisa Projects, which offers various small business training programs in skills like candle making, shampoo and conditioner, school chalk, bars of soap, cake, tomato sauce, body lotion and much more.

One of the resource centers supported by our ministry in East Africa reminded us of the critical benefit of owning one of these operations, such as a soapmaking machine, to produce their own income instead of relying on donations. To that end, our ministry funded the soap and school chalk training and will soon set them up with their own soap-making equipment.

This model has been so effective and well received by our partners that we would like to see it sustained.

As we continue to come alongside our partners in these various ways, please

pray that hearts will be receptive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you’re interested in learning more about these self-sustaining training programs or would like to make a donation, please email me at juliesheartcry@gmail.com or call (434) 941-2479.