By Alisa Hoober, HOPE Board Member
Earlier this year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit HOPE International’s work in Zambia.
I’ve traveled and seen poverty before, but being with my children changed how I related to those I met. It was a blessing to visit with our whole family, especially with my three young daughters.
At home, we pray for HOPE and support their work—but showing our children HOPE in action was something I won’t forget. Continue Reading…
By Bethany Hammond, Project Management Associate
I’m going to have a hard time reconciling this trip. I’ve traveled to over 30 countries in my 39 years. But this one was different.
In early April, I traveled to an isolated, rural community in northern Zimbabwe to visit a people group called the Doma. My assignment was to listen to community members share about the challenges they face in their daily lives. While my co-workers at HOPE Zimbabwe had given me good context, I was in many ways unprepared to witness the poverty and physical danger that the Doma people endure each day.
Bethany (right) with a savings group member named Jimmy and his family
The Doma people have lived for years on the margins of Zimbabwean society. Their area near the Zambezi River is so remote that they weren’t affected by the COVID-19 pandemic! They live off of the land, between what they can grow, forage, and sometimes hunt—though they aren’t allowed to hunt any animals from the nearby conservation area.
They come into daily contact with wildlife that destroy their crops and cause them physical harm or, sometimes, death. I’ve never visited a community that faces such stark challenges. Continue Reading…
Originally posted on Peter Greer’s blog.
I first recognized that I had a prayer problem, ironically, on one of HOPE International’s quarterly days of prayer. When a facilitator invited our team to pray silently, I ventured outside for a prayer walk—but spent my “prayer time” ruminating over operational and staffing challenges HOPE was facing. My internal RPMs were revving, and I couldn’t seem to quiet my mind or heart.
By the end of the day, I had set a new fitness record as I paced the grounds but spent precious few moments in prayer. I strategized, planned, and toiled—focusing on what I needed to do with a sprinkling of prayer pixie dust. I concluded the day with neither peace nor clear direction, but I did have growing clarity and conviction that there was a disconnect in my prayer life: I would have described prayer as a first priority, but the way I invested my time suggested it was a last resort.
By Charlotte Sprecher (pictured left), 2023 HOPE LM&E fellow
Can listening to a person’s situation help alleviate poverty?
As a fellow on the listening, monitoring, and evaluation (LM&E) team at HOPE International, I have come to believe that it is where we must start.
At HOPE, the LM&E team conducts surveys to learn how to improve our programs, close the feedback loop, and honor the stories we hear. Although we listen to evaluate our ministry, we also believe that listening is part of the ministry itself! Asking someone for feedback plays an important part in how we build a relationship with them and affirm their God-given value. Continue Reading…
by Jesse Casler, Chief Operations Officer
December and Christmas are usually when we think of generosity in charitable giving. In this season, we’re encouraged to turn our attention toward others and share the blessings we’ve received that year. For many, end-of-year giving to nonprofits is also incentivized by tax planning, which results in incredible sums of money donated in the last few days of the year.
In this conflicting storm of consumerism and altruism, we’re inundated with so many messages, each vying for our attention and, ultimately, our money. So, at the start of the year, the last thing we want to think about is spending more or giving away anything. But, if we want to be good stewards of what God has given us, if we’re seeking to use our resources for maximum Kingdom impact, we have to talk about generosity before and after December. Continue Reading…
by Chris Horst, chief advancement officer
For reasons outlined in more detail on my personal blog last month, I’ll be stepping back from my current leadership role at HOPE International into a part-time role in January 2023. This transition was made for positive family reasons and the desire to decrease travel and be more present with my family during this stage.
My transition means that two of my colleagues will be stepping into more senior leadership positions. For more than a decade, I have worked closely alongside both Dan Williams (pictured above in black) and Erika Quaile (pictured above in pink). They have both proven to be exceptional leaders of their respective teams. But even more significantly, I’m impressed with who they are as people. I am thrilled that they will be promoted to vice presidents and fully confident in their ability to move HOPE’s mission forward.
Dan and Erika embody the best of HOPE’s culture, and we are inspired by how they follow Jesus. They desire to grow, learn, wrestle with their own shortcomings, and serve others—their families, churches, communities, and colleagues.
It has been a joy and privilege to manage Erika and Dan, and I’m thrilled to share more about their unique qualifications for the roles they’ll be stepping into in the new year.
Continue Reading…
