Bless our family and our friends, and be with all those in need this holiday season.
Heifer Update for September 2022
Heifer Most Wanted
It has been such an exciting program, but you will have to wait to get the final results. I can share with you what happened between June 16th and August 15th. Donations for that time period were as follows: 6 Flocks of Chicks, 5 Hives of Honeybees, 1 Sheep, 1 Pig, 2 Goats and 2 Alpacas. And then, Heifer International applied matching funds to double the impact of our gifts of: 4 Flocks of Chicks, 2 Hives of Honeybees, 1 Sheep, 2 Goats and 1 Alpaca.
All those numbers really mean that you have just made it possible for 27 poor, hungry, small farmer families to leave behind them the poverty and hunger they have been fighting with. When they “Pass the Gift” the number grows to 54 families. We finally get to 243 families that will eventually have their lives changed because of your generous support.
Thank you and God Bless You.
Heifer Update September 5th
The “Heifer’s Most Wanted” Program is over. For the four-month program, the LUMC, through the Lakeview Men’s Ministries and Heifer International, put the following animals in service around the world – 4 Heifers, 3 Alpacas, 3 Goats, 2 Sheep, 2 Pigs, 9 Hives of Honeybees and 9 Flocks of Chicks. Matching funds from Heifer International then produced – 4 Heifers, 1 Alpaca, 2 Goats, 2 Pigs, 2 Sheep, 6 Hives of Honeybees and 6 Flocks of Chicks. Over time 495 families will see the benefits of your donations. Praise God. You definitely put hunger and poverty on notice. Thank you.
Now we turn our attention to the new program “Bees ‘N Seeds”. We have featured the Majestic Bee before and now we add “seeds” to the program. The Gift of Garden Seeds gives those little bees something to work with. The seed package includes seeds and saplings of all types. Vegetables, fruit, legumes, fodder, and more. The bees will help make lush, productive gardens produce like this.
A Heifer project in India taught Budhini Hansda and her husband how to grow vegetables in their kitchen garden. And with recent record-highs in COVID-19 cases, this garden has become a lifeline, providing much-needed fresh food and a sustainable income.
“We are food secure at a time when many people were unable to arrange even one proper meal a day.”
Don’t forget the LUMM Breakfast this coming Saturday morning. I will be giving an update on July’s activity of the Heifer Project. Exciting!
Heifer Update September 12th
The “Heifer’s Most Wanted” donations are in. Here are the results of this wonderful program. It featured seven specific criminals that needed to be bailed out and put to work, here and around the world. Lakeview United Methodist Church certainly did a great job. Here is the list of animals we donated and those matched by Heifer International.
| Donations | Matched |
|---|---|
4 - Heifers 3 - Alpaca 3 - Goats 2 - Sheep 2 - Pigs 9 - Hives of Honeybees 9 - Flocks of Chicks | 4 - Heifers 1 - Alpaca 2 - Goats 2 - Sheep 2 - Pigs 6 - Hives of Honeybees 6 - Flocks of Chicks |
That means a potential of 495 families can relieve themselves of hunger and poverty – here and around the world.
Now we move on to “Bees ‘N Seeds”. Again, off to a great start – 3 Gifts of Garden Seeds and 2 Hives of Honeybees in the first week. Remember, the seed package contains Seeds of Vegetables, Clovers, and other Fodder Grasses plus Saplings of Fruit and Nut Trees, and trees grown primarily for firewood. This program will run to the end of 2022. Let’s make it memorable around the world.
Heifer Update September 19th
They went from farmers to entrepreneurs – how? – with bees. Three women in Mexico have teamed together in a beekeeping cooperative and have become very successful. They have increased the prices they receive for their honey by 280%. The three – Edith, Lubia, and Clara are shattering the view that beekeeping is a male occupation.
Some fun facts about bees:
- Honeybees pollinate 80% of all fruit, vegetables, and seed crops in the U.S. Our tables would look very different without bees.
- Each beehive can pollinate 200 million flowers a day – that’s about 18-20 football fields.
- Bees do a “Waggle Dance” to communicate.
In Ecuador, Heifer International has introduced a new project, “Future of Food.” It helps farmers earn enough money to care for their family and land. And, in Honduras, Heifer started a training program, “Farmer Field Schools.” It began by recognizing 3 simple, inexpensive ways to improve production and increase income.
- How to increase crop yields using fewer seeds.
- How to harvest grasses and cane to promote new growth.
- How to store feed to keep it from rotting.
The Heifer training moved them from living on a day-to-day basis, but to go further and thrive.
All of this can and is being done by the support of donations. This continued support moves us closer to a day without hunger and poverty.
Heifer Update September 26
One of Heifer International’s most important promises is to care for the earth. For development to be sustainable, families must raise their animals in harmony with nature. So, Heifer, in addition to livestock, provides trees and seeds to grow flourishing gardens.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Heifer helped many countries with new programs to fit their specific needs. In India, a Kitchen Garden Program: Budhini Hansda is one of many in India who relied on a Kitchen Garden. His was a one-acre garden of eggplant, cauliflower, okra, spinach, and more. He stated, “We are food secure at a time where many were unable to even arrange one proper meal a day.”
Other programs were – in Zambia and Malawki, an Agro-Vet Program – in Bangladesh, a hatching pot for chickens – in Honduras, blending corn, wheat bran, molasses, and high protein leaves into feed blocks for cattle and – in Kenya, a Digicow Dairy app to access vet services, virtual trainings and crowd source advice via smartphones and in Haiti – Heifer helped develop and build a sheltered market. This prevented travel of six hours by sea to market their goods. The “Anse-á-Pitres” Market has accommodations for 170 merchants – 80% of which are women.
Next week’s topic – “Bees”.
