Archives For Spiritual Integration

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by Isaie Ndayizeye, HOPE Rwanda Co-Director

The COVID-19 pandemic is a time of much fear: fear of hunger, loneliness, lockdowns, poverty, even death.

It’s also a time of loss. Weddings are canceled. Graduations are missed. Church buildings are empty on Sunday mornings, and many businesses are closed.

At HOPE International, we’ve been asking the question: Amid this fear and uncertainty, how do we bear witness to Christ and His Kingdom? Continue Reading…

Material poverty is a complicated reality, with many causes and perhaps just as many proposed solutions. According to the World Bank, just over 1 in 10 people lived in extreme poverty in 2013, categorized as living under $1.90 a day. While this number is falling, it still represents 767 million people.

Those living in material poverty face many challenges: lack of basic resources like food, shelter, and money; corrupt social systems; poor education; and limited access to health care.

But those who haven’t experienced poverty often overlook one of its most profound impacts: hopelessness and shame. Material poverty can compound the brokenness that exists in our relationships with each other, with God, with ourselves, and with the rest of creation. Material poverty says to those in its grasp: You are not worthy.  Continue Reading…

Life in Haiti hasn’t been easy for a long time. More than half the population lives on less than $2.40 a month, while wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a select few. For the last several months, government corruption, fuel shortages, spiraling inflation, contaminated drinking water, and food scarcity have caused many Haitians to rise up in protest against a government that has been largely deaf to their cries. These protests are making international headlines. Continue Reading…

by Luke Harbaugh, Church Representative

At HOPE International, we’re fervent believers that the local church is God’s design for serving those living in great need. As HOPE’s church representative, I get to help pastors equip their churches to live into this calling while faithfully and prayerfully partnering with HOPE’s clients and partner churches around the world.

However, it can be hard for many churches to feel connected to HOPE’s work from so far away. Church leaders often ask for tangible ways to connect their congregations with HOPE’s. Here are some practical ways your church can engage more deeply with HOPE’s work: Continue Reading…

At HOPE International, we’re motivated by Christ’s call to love our neighbor as ourselves and to make disciples of all nations. Seeking to break through the barriers of poverty, we use our skills as bankers, pastors, and development workers to affirm the God-given dignity of all people and offer them tools to escape poverty. Continue Reading…

by Laura Beirne, Senior Human Resources Business Partner

I spend my days talking with people who want to work at HOPE International. I interview candidates who are filled with enthusiasm and passion. They’re enlivened by HOPE’s goals and drawn to the way we pray together and care for one another as we carry out our work. They remind me daily why HOPE’s mission is inspiring and important—and that our corporate culture is unique.

At HOPE, I love that we have an opportunity to approach staff recruitment differently. We’re not just hiring the most qualified person for a job; we are looking for team members who will further our pursuit of a Kingdom-focused mission. Because our goals are a little different than some companies’, so is our hiring process. Here are four unconventional things applicants may observe in our recruitment process: Continue Reading…