Training the Poor in Peru

350291We are excited to announce that Sons of Thunder has invested $20,000 into feeding and outreach projects in Lima, Peru, thanks to your incredible support!

 
We are working in conjunction with our good friends at HALO International who do preaching, youth outreach and education in conjunction with a handicraft co-op, equipping young ladies in poverty with vocational skills to earn a better living.
 
The team has been overrun with hungry children every week who come for a healthy meal in one of the most impoverished areas of the world.

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Providing basic staples in the slums has opened a massive door to the gospel. In addition to feeding the hungry, the team has also distributed medicines to more than five thousand people.
 
"One of the greatest human needs in rural Peru is intestinal parasite medicine. Imagine living with daily diarrhea. This leads to anemia, which leads to malnutrition, which leads to behavioral problems and problems with brain development," writes Jordan Hess, founder of HALO.
 
The comprehensive spiritual needs of the community are facilitated when the gospel is preached practically through acts of service. The gospel reformats the very foundation of society, manifesting in changes to families, relationships and the entire economy. Spiritual principles carry over to real, hands-on changes in people's lives.
 
"Each week we encourage the parents and work with the children. Many simply don't know a different way. They came from abusive families and they abuse. We have seen wonderful success in the short time we have been there," says Jordan. "Two women kicked out the man that was abusing them and their children, and one man changed his life and wanted to follow God!"
 
The goal of community outreach in Lima is not merely to feed the poor. Rather, it's the old adage "teach a man to fish." HALO has already implemented a study program to teach poor women how to weave and gain valuable work skills to pull them out of poverty. Jordan has also been working with import attorneys and shippers to sell products in US that are made by women in the slums.

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"One would never guess that the purses below were made by widows and orphans living in mud and straw huts," says Jordan. "Peruvians are especially amazed when they see the bags. Normally this kind of skill is learned in a lifetime, they have learned it in a few months!"
 
On an individual level, the spirit of generosity, service and love is already being reproduced in the lives of the poor. 
 
"The HALO Weavers saved money for 4 months to do an outreach into an even poorer community. This was a dream come true for us. To not only help the desperate poor get back on their feet, but to encourage them that they can give to the poor themselves. We brought soaps, shoes, toothbrushes, medicines, and house hold goods to people living in straw huts without electricity or water," writes Jordan. "The thing that struck me the most is that the HALO weavers dressed so nice for the occasion! You would never have known they were dirt poor themselves! What a blessing for these ladies to be able to give to others. It was the first time in their lives they had ever given to the poor. They were blown away!"

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