HOPE International

It's that time of year again—on September 13, we're having our 24th annual golf tournament fundraiser. We hope to see you there! ⛳

What better way to empower underserved families to escape poverty than by spending a sunny day on the green? You can help us reach our goal of raising $1,400,000 to invest in the dreams of 56,000* families around the world through discipleship, biblically based training, a safe place to save, and loans.

Join us at one of this year's three gorgeous courses across Pennsylvania and Maryland—and invite some friends along!🏌🏻‍♀️🏌🏾‍♂️ Register as a golfer or explore sponsorship opportunities at https://hopeint.cc/golf.

*$25 allows HOPE to serve one person for a year.

24th annual golf tournament Join us in PA and MD!

Today is Financial Awareness Day in the U.S.! It’s a day to reflect on our financial habits and take proactive steps toward achieving our goals.

Every day, we see people living in poverty working hard to achieve their dreams. It’s our joy to equip people like Lakshmi in South Asia* with Christ-centered microfinance and savings groups to help them provide for their families.

*Name changed and location withheld for security

There are now more than 3 million internally displaced people (IDPs) living in Ukraine. How do we continue to walk alongside families who can't return home because of the war?

The HOPE Ukraine team took a listening-first approach to assess IDP's evolving needs—and got a surprising answer. Find out more on our blog:

Displaced but undeterred: Ukrainian IDPs show radical generosity | HOPE International Imagine your lunch break being interrupted by bombs exploding in the next town over. Hearing of war coming closer on the news. Realizing that to remain safe, you and your family need to leave your home. Packing up your car and waiting in traffic for hours. Living in another family’s house for mont...

We're excited to kick off our annual Investing in Dreams event series in Denver, CO in just a couple of weeks! 🙌

Starting next month, we’re hosting 15 events across the U.S. 📅 If you’d like to learn more about HOPE or be a part of our mission to help underserved families across the globe break the cycle of , we’d love to see you there!

Sign up for an event near you at hopeinternational.org/events

“My dream is to be a light,” shares Bosco Nsabimana, a wholesale crop business owner who is served by Urwego Finance, HOPE’s microfinance institution in Rwanda.

Watch how Bosco used loans from Urwego Bank Plc to expand his wholesale business to employ 500 people, including those with disabilities, and improve his family’s livelihood!

https://www.hopeinternational.org/learn/video-detail/my-dream-is-to-be-a-light-boscos-journey-to-uplift-others

We wouldn’t be able to help women and men break the cycle of across the globe if it wasn’t for our generous donors! To continue empowering underserved families, we invite you to sponsor our 24th annual golf tournament on September 13!

Our goal is to raise $1,400,000 to drive out poverty. These funds will equip 56,000* families worldwide with tools including discipleship, biblically based training, a safe place to save, and loans—all fundamental to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Enjoy time on the green with colleagues and friends on one of three beautiful golf courses across Pennsylvania and Maryland— Iron Valley Golf Club, Wyncote Golf Club, and The Woodlands Golf Course.

Explore opportunities and learn more on our sponsorship tab at https://hopeint.cc/golf. Sponsorship deadline is Aug. 14.

*$25 allows HOPE to serve one person for a year.

When she was rescued from human trafficking, Maya was grateful to be free, but fear and sadness plagued her days. “I lived a very hard life,” she says.

Maya found eternal hope through a church started by our microfinance partner.* In Christ, she gained newfound peace and joy. She shares, “I have experienced [a] total transformation of my life, for which I am deeply grateful.”

When we combine the Good News of the Gospel with access to financial services, people like Maya can not only provide for themselves but find eternal hope in Christ. And we want more people to experience this freedom! Learn more at https://www.hopeinternational.org/dreaming-beyond/ or click link in bio.

*Location and partner name withheld for security

Part 3 of 3

Maya belongs to a people group in South Asia* who are targeted by loan sharks because they cannot read or write. Maya and many of her neighbors also experienced the horrors of human trafficking. After she was rescued, HOPE International's microfinance partner* gave Maya a loan to provide for herself, which she paid back with profits—she then took five more loans to grow her farm and chicken business over the coming years.

Microfinance offers entrepreneurs in low-income communities a different path—one that affirms dignity and equips them to move toward financial stability. Through our Dreaming Beyond Our Boundaries initiative, we’re growing our network of partners who serve vulnerable communities like Maya’s. Learn more at https://www.hopeinternational.org/dreaming-beyond/

*Location and partner name withheld for security

Part 2 of 3

Around the world, over 1 billion people—almost a quarter of adults globally—live without access to financial services like a bank account or business loans (World Bank). Access to the powerful combination of microfinance and the hope of the Gospel can equip them to unleash their potential to change their situations.

Through our Dreaming Beyond Our Boundaries initiative, we’re expanding to bring financial services to communities on the margins! Join us at https://www.hopeinternational.org/dreaming-beyond/

Part 1 of 3

In case you missed it, check out the replay of team Walker Hayes on Family Feud winning $25,000 for HOPE International—available on Hulu! And, for more of a play-by-play recap of the episode, check out this article on Southern Living magazine! https://abc.com/episode/e15c44fa-d91a-40cf-a7c9-d34f0a0b38e3/playlist/PL553044961

What’s one thing savings groups do before they save a cent together? Pray and worship. One group member says, “because within the group every meeting starts and ends with praying, I have adopted this culture. Every morning and every time I go to work, I start with a prayer.” Our weekly and daily rhythms shape our lives, and what better practice to grow in than prayer?

What role does prayer play in your life?

Pictured: the “climbing with the Lord” savings group, Peru

We learn so much from Jeff Rutt, HOPE’s founder, about dedication to God’s Kingdom and faithfully stewarding what God has given us. In this in-depth profile with NCF, the Rutt family shares how they live out their commitment to faithful, God-honoring generosity with their children and grandchildren—including on a recent trip with HOPE to visit savings groups in Zambia and Zimbabwe!

Read how in NCF’s article: https://www.ncfgiving.com/stories/7-things-you-get-on-a-family-mission-trip/

When Mary Chimudenda needed money to provide for her three children after her husband passed away unexpectedly, she turned to her savings group in Zambia—not a loan shark—for support. “From the time my husband died, people have seen me doing fine through the savings ministry,” Mary says.

“My children are fed, they dress well, and they go to school.” Praise God!

We’ve seen a lot of creative ways to raise funds to fight poverty, but competing on to support HOPE is a first! 🤯 
  
Last night, Walker Hayes and his team were on — and won! HOPE will now receive $25,000 to invest in the dreams of families in poverty with financial tools like microfinance and savings groups. Praise God! And thank you, Team Walker, and thank you Celebrity Family Feud for bringing the fun 🙌

We’ve seen a lot of creative ways to raise funds to fight poverty, but Walker Hayes competing on to support HOPE is a first! 🤯

Last night, Walker Hayes and his team were on Celebrity Family Feud —and won! HOPE will now receive $25,000 to invest in the dreams of families in poverty with financial tools like microfinance and savings groups. Praise God! And thank you, Team Walker and Celebrity Family Feud, for bringing the fun. 🙌

Get to know HOPE Benin's country director: Yvette Missainhoun!

Yvette brings a wealth of experience in leadership and economic development. Since she joined us last November, she’s gathered a powerful team, built relationships with local church leaders, and positioned church partners to start savings groups. Read our Q&A with her on the blog:

Q&A with HOPE Benin's country director | HOPE International In 2023, HOPE International expanded to start a new savings group program in Benin! Last November, Yvette Missainhoun (pictured above) joined us as HOPE Benin’s country director. Since then, she’s formed a team of skilled, dedicated staff and built relationships with local church leaders. On Jun...

Exciting update! We have officially begun partnerships with our first two church denominations in Benin: the Assemblies of God Church and the Union of Baptist Churches🎉 We're excited for these churches to begin savings groups in the communities they already serve. God continues to use His Church in Benin to tackle material and spiritual poverty🙌

Did you know that today is World Listening Day? Today, we celebrate the value of listening more and talking less.👂

At HOPE, we learn so much from the people we serve. If we’re truly seeking to honor Christ and love the families we walk with, listening must be a key part of our practice. We strive to be a listening-first organization—committed to hearing from the men and women we serve, and then evaluating and integrating their feedback into our work.

Pictured: An Urwego Finance staff member talks with Patrick Rukundo, an entrepreneur we serve in Rwanda

Our 24th annual golf tournament fundraiser to help drive out global will be on September 13 and we'd love to see you there! ⛳

We invite you to join us as a sponsor or golfer to help us raise $1,400,000 to invest in the dreams of families around the world through discipleship, biblically based training, providing them a safe place to save money, and accessibility to loans.

Enjoy time on the green on one of three beautiful courses across Pennsylvania and Maryland—Iron Valley Golf Club, Wyncote Golf Club, and The Woodlands Golf Course.

Explore sponsorship opportunities and learn more at https://hopeint.cc/golf

Would you pray with us for HOPE Burundi's staff, entrepreneurs, and savings group members? The country's fuel shortage presses on, making it difficult for loan officers to visit the people we serve and for entrepreneurs to conduct their businesses as usual. Join us in asking the Lord for provision, safe travels, and creative solutions during this time.🙏

In this episode, Jeff, Jeff, and Kristen discuss:

*Gratitude is born at the crossroads of perspective.
*Living life with a grateful heart.
*Finding your life of purpose.
*The key to raising grateful kids.
*Capturing the moments and the audience that matter most.
*Staying present in the moment, looking up, looking around, and slowing down.

Listen to this week's episode with Kristen Welch on Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3VX7Z2P

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3zJ0YLr

A key to alleviating , to breaking generations-long cycles, lies in relationships.

“In the garden of Eden, deep communion with God and others laid the foundation for work,” says Brian Fikkert founder of The Chalmers Center.

Read more in this article from NCF on why relationships are so vital to empowering underserved families: https://www.ncfgiving.com/stories/5-surprising-ways-your-giving-can-help-fight-poverty-in-america/?utm_campaign=saturday7&utm_source=marketing_cloud&utm_medium=email&utm_content=01_fight_poverty_btn&j=3213816&sfmc_sub=237032763&l=2050_HTML&u=50770553&mid=100015468&jb=7009

In our recent global staff devotion, we were encouraged by what it means to abide in Christ. We read the story of Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him. Her sister Martha grew frustrated with this and asked Jesus to send Mary to help with the meal preparations.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

Jesus invites us to set aside busyness--even with good things--to be with Him. May this also encourage you to spend more time with the Lord—abide in Him!

We praise God for the freedom we have in Christ! And we thank Him for being the God of inclusion: He offers His salvation to all who choose to accept Him as the way, the truth, and the life!

Photo courtesy of Vaishakh Pillai.

10 years ago, the Lord laid the Batwa community—a historically marginalized group in Burundi—on HOPE Burundi’s country director's heart. We praise God for working in that calling!

Our local church partners served over 7,400 Batwa people last year and aim to serve more than 4,000 by the end of this year. Francois, a Batwa savings group member, shares, “When my community members learned how my life was changing, they started joining the savings groups, and their lives are also changing.”

Pray that more Batwa people would experience inclusion and that the Lord would continue to open doors for the HOPE network to reach more groups who’ve been marginalized.

Pictured: Francois

"The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I come that you may have LIFE and have it to the FULLEST. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:10-11

Pictured: Entrepreneurs worshipping Jesus in Rwanda

“They are [deaf], but that does not mean that they are not allowed to know God. When we meet together, they hear that God loves them.”
- Jacqueline Nyirasindikubwabo, volunteer savings group leader

We’re Dreaming Beyond to equip more groups on the margins—like the Haranirakubaho (“strive to survive”) savings group—to break the cycle of poverty and experience the hope of the Gospel. Learn more at https://hopeint.cc/3TTunt5

🌄 Frontier spotlight: When Jacqueline Nyirasindikubwabo’s brother was born deaf and non-speaking, she saw the isolation this community can face in Rwanda.

In response, she invited other deaf and non-speaking people from her community to start the Haranirakubaho (“strive to survive”) savings group. Now, 30 members meet weekly to save, pray, study Scripture, and find belonging.

Join us today in praying for the Haranirakubaho group and other deaf or non-speaking men and women we serve around the world 🙏

“Who are the groups of people ... who feel excluded, marginalized, or on the fringe? Which groups feel systematically excluded from access to financial services? Which groups experience stigma from the broader society?” - Jesse Casler, COO

Dreaming Beyond Our Boundaries means seeking out those who have been overlooked. This often requires humility and sensitivity—but God is faithful to provide solutions where He calls us.

Pictured: the "Strive to survive” savings group in Rwanda

What are the spiritual disciplines of some of the world’s most influential Christian leaders? Tune into this episode on the Center for Christianity in Business podcast to hear our president & CEO, Peter Greer, share about the tools that can help develop a stronger prayer life from his new book, Lead with Prayer. 🙏

Spiritual Disciplines of High-Performing Leaders (Interview w/ Peter Greer) | Houston Christian University On this episode, Peter Greer shares findings from his study of the spiritual disciplines of some of the world’s most high-performing Christian leaders. Pete ...