Noah was able to save only a
handful of people.

Today, Heifer Project International daily helps thousands of individuals escape the blight of poverty, disease, rejection and despair. Wars…environmental exploitation… poverty…injustice…over cultivation…greed and the arrogance of power… Human beings have created global conditions that rob millions of people of the joy, hope, potential that God wants for them. Into this ocean of despair sails the HPI ark, a loving and caring response to hopelessness and indifference. Since 1944, more than 4 million struggling families have become self-reliant, with the help of food and income-producing animals. They have learned how to support themselves through better land management. And just as important, they have learned how to share their newfound knowledge with their neighbors. But HPI is far more than a modern-day Noah’s ark. Through the faithful support of congregations and individuals, HPI sails an ark for the new millennium:

Helping Children
When food is scarce, girls often go without. Lacking income and with little understanding of nutrition, a young Ugandan mother must make a horrendous choice: feed the boy who will support her in her old age, or the girl who can be married off at an early age. HPI helps many mothers avoid the dilemma by providing children with life-saving nutrition from milk, eggs, or meat. With extra income, parents pay for their children’s schooling and for better health care and housing.

Enabling Women & Families
Women are often the family farmers. In Poland, for example, Bernardyna Suwala teaches her young son how to take care of their HPI calf. After decades of communist control, her generation must develop the self-reliance on which democracy relies. Women such as Suwala are taught new ways of managing animals, keeping records, and marketing animal products.

Caring For The Environment
HPI gives more than animals; it teaches intangibles such as respect for and care of the land. Many of the world’s poor farm steep, rock hills that are unproductive and dry. But when HPI teaches terracing and contour farming, planting trees and roots to hold water, they help the land bloom again.

Developing Community
A cornerstone of HPI is teaching a sense of community-the interconnectedness that helps society work. From the beginning, community members together plan, develop and implement projects. Working together and sharing their knowledge-they soon learn-is better than working alone.

Passing On The Gift
As part of its long-term emphasis on helping others help themselves and help others, HPI encourages partner families to “pass on” their gift animals’ offspring to another family in need. And they, in turn, “pass on the gift.” Thus your gift is shared over and over-a remarkable, renewable resource.

By helping fill an ark this month, you’ll help people around the world build more productive lives…and a better earth! Make checks payable to RLC and designate for Heifer Project. Questions: George Doering, through RLC-925-828-1580.

In July, a donation of $700 was made through RLC’s Vacation Bible School to Heifer Project International. These funds purchased 35 rabbits for 12 families in Guatemala.

“Ark” fundraisers included an evening at Westminster Theatre, a bunco party and golf tournament. Combined with the Ark Bank collections in December, including some large individual contributions, Heifer Project 2000 received a Grand total of $10,500!!

W O W !!!! RLC did it again contributing enough funds for 2 arks which provides 60 sets of animals and 1 heifer for 61 hungry families around the world including sheep in the USA.

I am extremely proud of RLC and proud to be a member of a congregation that supports so many social concern projects. There have been many changes in the past 14 months, but through them all, I feel RLC has become an even stronger Christian congregation than before.

On behalf of Heifer Project International and RLC’s Social Concerns Focus Group, I want to commend and thank everyone who helped with their time, talents and contributions. And a very special thank you to all the children that filled their ark banks and were the official “kick-off” group for this worthwhile organization that gives the gift that keeps on giving!

George Doering,
RLC Heifer Project Coordinator