· Of the 16,785 total people groups, 6,947 (41.5%) are identified as unreached with the Gospel of Christ totaling 2,832,677,000 individuals. (Joshua Project- U.S. Center for World Mission)
· According to the World Health Organization, some 56 Million deaths occur per year. That works out to about 153,400 per day, or a little more than 100 per minute. Of these, 29,000 die each day directly from hunger or hunger related diseases.
· For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for 5 years.
· US $13 billion (the amount people of the United States and the European Union spend on perfume each year) would satisfy the world's sanitation and food requirements.
· Americans spend an astonishing $41 billion a year on their furry friends. (Worldwatch Institute)
After reading these grim statistics (there are hundreds more) I realized that a person could become discouraged and overwhelmed, thinking it is impossible for anyone to make a difference. Then I remembered the Starfish Story ... A man was walking along the beach when he noticed a young boy reaching down to the s
hore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. "May I ask what it is that you are doing?" said the man. The young boy paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." Upon hearing this, the man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are thousands of starfish along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" At this, the young boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"
As I reflect back on 2011 I realize that you and countless other Christians are making a difference, even if it is one soul at a time. And of course the work in Romania through Tabita Ministries is making a difference by sharing the Hope found in Jesus and giving a practical hand-up when needed. If you were to ask these dear ones (starfish) in Romania: Adina, Larisa, Cristiana, Ema, Denisa, Andreea, Iustina, Natalia, Larisa, Andreea, Rosalinda, Corina, Alexandra, Francisca, Alina, Damasis, Andreea, Mariana, Valentina, Denisa, Lorendana, Alina, David, Paul, Daniel, Ruben, Laurentiu, Sebastian, Narcis, Patric, Elena, Dimitrius, Carmen, Michael, Teresa, Peter, Anna, Liviu, Florica, Dorian, Flavius, Luidmila, Paulina, just to mention a few from Biserica Crestina Baptista Ciacova if knowing Christ is making a difference in their lives they would shout a resounding AMEN! They know Jesus because He reached down, through a faithful servant, picked them up and made a huge difference, a difference between spiritual life and death.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus; bless you as you make a difference in someone's life this New Year, 2012.
Mat 25:40 ... "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' NLT
In His Service, Milton & Kathi
Read more about Tabita Ministries
