Eleanor is a Fourth-grader in the Engedi community who likes school, especially Social Studies. When she heard one Sunday that kids in Guatemala can’t go to school just because they don’t have shoes, she wanted to help do something about it. Even though she had never run in a race before, she asked her dad to sign her up for Tread. She then started thinking of creative ways to raise money.

First, she got her siblings together and put together a dance show in their basement. She emailed invitations to her grandparents, aunts and uncles, made popcorn, and charged $10 a ticket. Through the dance show, she raised $120. Eleanor realized that there were probably more than 10 kids who needed shoesThis was already more than she had expected to raise. The goal for each runner was to raise $100, or enough for 10 pairs of shoes, and she thought that was probably all she could raise.

But as Eleanor thought about the kids in Guatemala, she realized that there were probably more than 10 kids who needed shoes. She didn’t like the idea of anyone being left out and not getting the shoes they needed to go to school. So she started thinking of other ways to raise money.

This wasn’t the first time she had worked to raise money for kids. Last summer, she helped her family cook chili and sell it to raise money for mosquito nets in Africa. So she decided to use her cooking experience from last year to help her raise money again.

She enlisted the help of her mom and grandmothers to cook meals and sell them. The menu she offered was either tater tot casserole or pasta with peanut sauce and veggies. Both came with cookies. After spending a whole day cooking food, she sold it to friends, family and teachers. All together she sold 40 meals!

In the end, Eleanor came in as the top Tread fund-raiser with $1,075. She was surprised to see how much money she had raised and excited to help so many kids in Guatemala be able to go to school. She ran the 5k race with her brother and her dad and had a lot of fun. She’s already looking forward to doing it again next year!

Eleanor running with her dad

Eleanor is a great example that we’re never too old or too young to be used by God to help those in need.

Take a look at the pictures to see a recap of the evening.

Emily’s first trip to Guatemala took place her freshman year of high school, and she went with her entire family. She experienced her first impression of real poverty, despair and injustice as they served the people of Guatemala. This first trip planted a seed deeply in Emily’s heart, as she later returned five times—including three other mission trips.

Because her family is mission-focused, they are fully supportive of Emily’s response to God’s call to serve as Engedi’s missional resident. Emily said, “They expected me to move to Guatemala since high school.”

Although much of her daily life as a missionary will surprise her, she plans to use her background in special education to develop curriculum for schools in basic subjects such as reading and math. She will follow (and adapt) curriculum provided by Bethany Christian Services, and she will work closely with a foster home called Monte Flor, which houses teenage girls who have experienced the rough consequences of poverty.

Emily’s greatest sense of confidence, though, comes not from her skills but from a passion that fuels both her faith and her ambition for breaking cycles of poverty. Because she has been deeply in prayer since high school about how to stay connected to improving conditions in Guatemala, Emily feels anchored in this next step and sure that God opened this door.

In Chichicastenango (“Chichi”), Emily will be encountering the Mayan religion, which has been influenced by Roman Catholicism, but also has a strange mix of mysticism. She is eager to introduce Jesus to the lost and poor. She will also be well entrenched in the broken school system where public school costs money and a typical Guatemalan family cannot send all of their children to receive an education. In fact, many schools only educate children through the third grade.

Although understandably fearful of the unknown and the challenges of language barriers, Emily is equipped to fulfill this high calling placed on her life. She says, “God will fill me with boldness. He’s done it before. He’ll do it again.”

We’re proud of Emily and look forward to all that God accomplishes through her servanthood!

Over the past year, since being birthed out of Engedi, CultureWorks has seen a lot of growth and changes. After starting with an average of 10 kids registered for classes, they just wrapped up the Winter semester with 55 kids participating in the free after school art classes.

These kids come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some are affluent, some are on free and reduced school lunch programs, some are involved in the Juvenile Justice System, and some are home-schooled. But when it comes to the creative process, they all start on equal footing.

Everyone starts with the same blank page or the same unformed piece of clay. Together they work through the process of learning a skill—trying, failing, and finally succeeding alongside one another with skills that they can use throughout life. What was just a blank page becomes a painting. What was just a lump of clay becomes a vase. What was just an interest in the arts becomes skill. Transformation is constantly taking place at CultureWorks.

What was just a blank page becomes a painting. CultureWorks just purchased two more pottery wheels. Now the wheel class, the most popular class and fastest to fill up, can be expanded. Another popular class is the new DIY Fashion class that was added this spring. God has been faithful this first year and CultureWorks is eagerly anticipating the year to come.

Register for classes or learn more about CultureWorks here.

Lisa Soukhome’s Story

I grew up in a Buddhist home, with my parents and two sisters. I was the only Buddhist in most of my classes, and one of my friends wanted me to know Jesus. She invited me to her church every Wednesday. Most of the time she tried to convert me to Christianity, but I was too strong in my Buddhist beliefs and did not allow others to change me.

Starting in the fall of 2010, my Aunt and Uncle invited my sisters and me to their church. They have always been a good example to us through Christ, and have taught us about the love of Jesus. My dad always said, “You may go to church, but you may not accept Jesus into your heart or get baptized.” Whenever I walked into the sanctuary, I always felt the comforting presence of God. The pastor’s preaching always kept me thinking, and wanting to get to know Jesus more and more. My little sister, Kara, was the first to accept Jesus into her heart. My Dad was not happy and asked me why I didn’t stop her.

On March 13, 2011, some of my friends who are part of Engedi helped me accept Jesus into my heart. I am so thankful for their help along the way on my new journey walking with Christ. To further my relationship with Jesus, I became a partner with Engedi, joined various groups here, and have built many relationships. I continue to hunger to know Jesus more and I see life from a different point of view than before.

As of today, I am happy to say my family attends church and every member of my family (including my dad) have accepted Jesus into their hearts and have been baptized.

Stacy Molnar’s Story

Ryan Dykstra’s Story

Megg Johnson’s Story

God does big things in cafeterias. I met my wife in one, I made my specific career choice in one, and I set a Count Chocula-eating record in one. While I have yet to discover everything God was trying to convey to me through that last occasion, His intent in yet another momentous cafeteria experience has been quite clear.

‘Twas January 2004, and I was but a third-year medical student on my first surgery rotation. Being the low man on the totem pole, I was quietly consuming my lunch while listening to the residents on my team ponder what kind of houses, vehicles, and vacations they would enjoy with all the money they would make someday. Since we were all up to our eyeballs in debt and since surgery is one of the less-forgiving residencies, it seemed harmless enough for them to dream, but then I uttered something that woke them up quite quickly. “My wife and I will probably just stay at about the same standard of living we’re at now, since we’re already pretty comfortable.”

“My wife and I will probably just stay at about the same standard of living we’re at now, since we’re already pretty comfortable.” Wherever that came from, I admit it was at least a little naive, having no knowledge at that time of the expenses involved in owning a house or raising a family. But God had something more than pizza under a hot lamp cookin’ that day, and He used my resident’s reply to challenge me: “No you won’t. You’ll eventually live at least at your means, just like everybody else.” I never forgot that.

Of course, it would be six more years before we had substantial means to live at, anyway, as my own residency began and ended, but even during that time, God used predictions like my resident’s as a dare to my wife and me. Instead of thinking about what we would have someday, we slowly started to realize that we had many things already. We didn’t have much time, but we had some, even when I was on call or working weekends. We didn’t have much knowledge about adult life out in the world, but we had some, and we each had a story that gave us nuggets of expertise in small but significant arenas. We didn’t have much money, but we had some and realized we didn’t need a lot to be comfortable and enjoy great relationships with others. So the question became not so much what we would do with our time, knowledge, and resources in the future, but what we would do with them in the present. God answered.

God was teaching us to set aside resources that were never considered our own. My wife and I soon found our time and knowledge being respectively used to reach women and students, and the ways God introduced us to responding to His challenge regarding our resources were to tithe no matter what, pay off any debt as fast as possible, and actively learn to spend and save effectively. God was teaching us to set aside resources that were never considered our own, so that we wouldn’t think of having more for ourselves even when we did.

Good thing, too. Like anyone who starts a career, when I got my first “real” paycheck, it would have been so easy to start making material dreams a reality. Except by the grace of God, we found that we hadn’t been creating those expectations. We got a house in a low/mid income neighborhood because we already knew we could be comfortable there, and God blessed us with a multicultural environment perfect for our multicultural family, not to mention a fantastic nearby church! We became blissfully ignorant of the newest gadgets, novelty toys, and fashion trends, and God blessed us with fewer customer service calls, less maintenance hassles, and reduced jealousy and insecurity in our friendships. There were less and less Jones’ to keep up with, and we were less and less Jones’ to be kept up with. It’s amazing how happy that makes everyone. But it’s even more amazing how much money (and time) that frees up.

What God cooks up in His cafeteria is even sweeter than Count Chocula. And that’s pretty sweet. By challenging us to primarily divert income away from what was “ours” to tithe and pay off debt, God has quickly put us in a nearly debt-free position to now use almost all of that diversion to advance his kingdom. We’ve committed to living under the median US income and giving the rest away. Honestly, that’s still a lot of money to have, but we don’t face the pressure of being forced into that lifestyle. It’s surprising how little a sacrifice it seems once you’ve made it, but already we have experienced the abundant fulfillment and fruit it brings, and it looks a whole lot better than cashmere and tastes a whole lot better than caviar!

Being able to both better understand and enrich people’s lives is an awful lot of fun. We expect and look forward to how God will continue to challenge us through His words and workers, because what He cooks up in His cafeteria is even sweeter than Count Chocula. And that’s pretty sweet.

No matter how much of them you have, may whatever time, knowledge, and resources he has given you also be transformed into the joy for which He created it, and nothing less.

On March 25, 45 volunteers gave away 7,500 pounds of food to 105 households. Here are a few pictures from the evening to give you a taste for what Gleaners is like.

Volunteers unload the truck and organize the food.

As guests come through, they are greeted with smiles, friendly faces and all kinds of food.

Some volunteers distribute food while others help carry it.

Throughout the evening there are opportunities to talk with guests, learn about their stories and pray with them.

Feeding America (Gleaners) is on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Registration begins at 5pm and is followed by a free pizza dinner. After dinner, we distribute tons of groceries. The next Gleaners is on Wednesday, April 26. You’re welcome to help serve others, receive food—or both.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me… whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25.35–36,40