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Habitat for Humanity

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loretta:
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that has helped to build over 500,000 decent, affordable houses and served 2.5 million people worldwide.

Habitat for Humanity started working in India in 1983 and has since helped tens of thousands of families, making the programme in India one of Habitat for Humanity's largest within the Asia-Pacific region.  After the Jimmy Carter Work Project in 2006 - where one hundred homes were built by more than 3,000 volunteers, including celebrities like Brad Pitt, Steve Waugh and John Abraham, during a five-day blitz build in  Lonavala - Habitat India launched the IndiaBUILDS - A World of Hope Campaign to support 100,000 families to live in safe and decent homes by 2015.

India faced a housing shortage of 74 million housing units by the end of 2011, according to the National Housing Bank. The majority of the housing shortfall is in rural areas. One in every five rural dweller lives in a kutcha home made of mud, thatch, grass or other non-lasting natural materials. In urban areas, the poor live under bridges, on pavements, train tracks, highways, canals as well as in crowded slums.

A worthy project that I would encourage people to support. A local church here is organizing a marathon next week to raise funds for Habitat and I would support it wholeheartedly. But like every other NGO of its size, Habitat is likely to have its own shortcomings, so I would be wary of supporting them financially.  I would rather help people I know with money for rent/repairs or even navigating the system for housing finance/aid.  And what better way to share the good news as we know it. :)

Max:
I just feel God is calling me to go out of my way to reach others, and I feel this is a way I can do that. Believe me, I'm in no way getting involved to boast and sound my own trumpet. I want to do something worthwhile, and I think this would be a good way to spend some free time I have. Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

Rhys 🕊:
I like what John said and that passage is true so we should obey it.

It says to be seen by them and if that is your attitude then your wrong but doesn't mean you can't be doing those things.

Luke 21:1  Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,
Luke 21:2  and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.
Luke 21:3  And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.
Luke 21:4  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

I'm sure the rich loved to be seen by men for there giving and not so the poor widow. Jesus used her as an example of giving so have her attitude.

2Co 9:7  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2Co 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.


If it's what's in your heart to do then do it.

Rhys

acomplishedartis:

good luck Max. I wish you the best on your next little project...

If I were to join an aid organization, I would try to find one that is not sponsored by religion.

But you seem to have your mind all set up already, so I guess just go ahead and do it. God knows your heart.

Abednego:
JfK, I love reading your posts.  You're no nonsense, and know how to drill right in to the heart of a matter.  I've also been able to realign a few of my thoughts due to some of the things you have said, and that's another plus.

That being said, I can't believe how far away we are on our positions on this.  I understand the scriptures you reference, and they have changed me.  But let me expound.

As I continue, keep two things in mind. One, I know God is in charge of who lives and dies. No argument there. Two, is:

Philippians 2:13 (KJV) | For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Ray has said somewhere in one of his papers, as God does Phil 2:13, He hides it from us.  I can not feel what He is doing so as I put it, "I just do what I know to do". Going on:

My wife and I volunteer for an organization that targets at risk (mostly younger)  women considering abortion. When they bought the building for their present location, they needed a lot of help. Being computer savy, I handle their computer needs. I ran the cables to network three of their offices across two floors, and installed all the hardware to get them up and running. There were also people who installed walls, painted, replaced windows and a myriad of other things that I'm not very good at.

Was that a good thing to do?  Of course, but there is no way any of us could have accomplished what we did without others knowing what we were doing.  I know God wanted me to do that (now) because if He didn't then I wouldn't have done it.  Out of all the volunteers, I was the only one with the knowledge to give them what they needed. I believe God provided for that need with the background He gave me.

Now I move on, and the organization started a membership drive as a fundraiser. My wife and I decided on our donation. Not a big deal, we share what we have when we think it's the right thing to do.  At their annual meeting, where they detail what they are doing with their funds they had a time when they acknowledged the top four levels of giving.  When our names were read off, neither of us were tickled about it.  The next year when we decided what to give, we also told them we wanted it to be anonymous.  It was, but there were still a few people who had to know what we did.

So I'm not quite sure how you are understanding what Jesus was teaching?  Are you saying I should not support this organization because there is no way I can do it in secret?

If the only time I help anyone or give financially is when it isn't possible for anyone to know what I am doing, I just won't be able to help anyone very often.

Philippians 4:11-12
King James Version (KJV)
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

For me the above goes hand in hand with what Jesus taught about giving.  I do know what it is like not to want.  I also know what it is like to eat out of garbage cans, because there was a time in my life where that is how I survived.  As I went from one to the other though, I found out up close and personal what the love of money can do to a person.  I understand (at least for me) exactly what Jesus was talking about when He spoke on giving.  Because I felt it, and I felt it hard.  It's the understanding that led me to say please make this gift anonymous.

Rant over, but remember:

Acts 4:36-37
King James Version (KJV)
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

No secret here, they laid it out for all to see.  But then look what happened to Ananias and Sapphira.  They both did the same exact thing, but one did it right and one did not.  I don't think we're being told that we have to find a way where no one can see our works.  I just think we're being told not to do it like Ananias and Sapphira.

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