Stories from Heaven Sent Ministries

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May 7, 2018

Who are these everyday heroes? They packaged more than 228,000 meals for starving families in South Sudan

When we hosted our 7th annual Mercer County hunger Challenge in mid-April, who were the 1,000 volunteers we counted on to get the job done?

Football players. Princeton High School's football team came ready to help — dressed in their uniforms — and worked together to package meals. At least 60 guys from the Bluefield College football team came as well. They were some of the most enthusiastic volunteers of the weekend.

High school wrestlers. For the fourth year in a row, PikeView High School's wrestling team did the "heavy lifting" for us. They came Thursday night to help set up. They carried and stacked more than 34,800 pounds...

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March 13, 2018

We're exactly one month away from the Mercer County Hunger Challenge — and only 61% funded

Seven million people are facing starvation in South Sudan. One in three of the country's residents has been forced to flee their homes. That's why we're sending the container of food from this year's Mercer County Hunger Challenge to South Sudan.

One month from today — April 13 — volunteers will begin packing the food for that container. Our goal is 1,000 volunteers packing 216,000 meals over a three day period. We are grateful to those of you who have already registered or donated to get us started.

As of this morning, we have only $42,000 of the $69,000 we need to pay for the food ingredients.

What can you do?

If you live close enough to Princeton, WV we'd love to have you participate in the Hunger Challenge.

When you register for a two-hour packing time slot, each person in your group will donate $65 to cover the cost of the food you'll personally package.

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February 27, 2018

You've been part of a 20-year legacy of help and hope

Twenty years ago, Heaven Sent Ministries got its start by sending volunteers on short-term mission trips. When those travelers realized that so many children were desperate for food, we began packaging and shipping food.

Since then, you’ve helped Heaven Sent Ministries provide millions and millions of nutritious meals to starving children and families in 23 countries all over the world. Those bags of food traveled around the globe in the name of Jesus Christ – shared in his love.

Those bags have carried with them the fingerprints of every volunteer who packaged food. That food has given children a chance to grow up healthy and strong — despite famine and war, earthquake and flood.

If you ever wonder, "Does my support of Heaven Sent Ministries really matter?" — please know...

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January 20, 2018

You provided 527,000 meals for starving children in 2017

Were you one of the 2,700 people who personally packaged food at a Hunger Challenge in 2017?

Did you donate so we could purchase food ingredients?
Did you support one of our missionary staff so they can do the work of this ministry?
Did you pray for the food shipments or for the children who received the food?

If you did any of these things, you were a critical part of getting more than half a million meals to desperate children in Burkina Faso, Iraq, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Dominica — just this year.

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December 26, 2017

Thanks to you, children around the world will have a future

In the 20 years since Heaven Sent Ministries began, donors and volunteers like you have helped us ship millions of meals all over the world. Thousands of children have survived and thrived because of your support. Some have become adult leaders, shaping their communities for the better.

Ailou started primary school at ACTS Ministry in Burkina Faso when he was...

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December 11, 2017

Bus full of food arrives in Haiti

We're happy to report that the bus packed by Mission USA volunteers in Ohio has arrived safely in Haiti. The bus is full of food and supplies that will be used by Mission of Hope International.

We love a happy ending! If you want to read more about how that bus got packed with Heaven Sent Ministries food, scroll down to our October 2 story.

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November 10, 2017

Together, we’re getting food to hurricane victims in the Caribbean

Can you picture a self-contained medical clinic built inside a 20-foot shipping container?

Clinic in a Can just shipped one of their solar-powered portable clinics to the Caribbean island of Dominica, which was badly damaged by hurricanes. Before the clinic shipped from Kansas, volunteers loaded 87,000 Heaven Sent Ministries meals inside!

Take a look at Clinic in a Can's website for a closer look at their amazing work — and to get a tour of the inside of a container clinic.

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT) The kingdom of God works best when we work together, all doing our part.

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October 31, 2017

We'd like you to meet... Jeff Mullins

Jeff is our logistics and facilities magician. Okay, that’s not his official title, but it would certainly fit. One of his most amazing gifts is the ability to continue a train of thought when six different people are asking him questions at the same time!

Jeff began working for HSM in 2004, managing our warehouse and all of the items that come and go, especially related to our hunger relief work. He has become very familiar with truckloads of rice and soy, vitamins and vegetables – and he also drives our forklift and truck. Jeff coordinates the care of our vehicles, equipment, and building.

Jeff and his wife, Kathy, live in West Virginia and are the parents of a young daughter and son. Jeff enjoys time with his family, just about any kind of vehicle, working on models, and camping in the sticks.

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October 23, 2017

Your disaster relief response has amazed and inspired us!

When we put out requests on Facebook and local radio asking for water and supplies to assist hurricane-ravaged communities, we had no idea how incredible the response would be.

You — our friends, neighbors, and donors — have provided 3,080 cases of water and supplies for 250 Blessing Buckets!

Since September 1, our HSM team has delivered seven...

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October 2, 2017

A divine appointment to provide relief

For their 2017 Hunger Challenge in Canton, OH, our ministry partner Mission USA purchased a used school bus for their long time partner, Mission of Hope in Haiti. On September 30, 75,000 fortified meals were packaged, boxed and loaded onto the bus to be shipped to Haiti.

But before that could happen the bus had to be UNLOADED! Local River Tree Lake Church planned to attend the Hunger Challenge. They did a little research on Heaven Sent Ministries and realized we were working with God’s Pit Crew to collect Blessing Buckets and water to help recent hurricane victims. They wanted to help. They filled 197 buckets and purchased several pallets of water and loaded it onto the school bus to bring to us at the Hunger Challenge. Those items were removed from the school bus and loaded onto our truck for the return trip to West Virginia. Whew! That’s a lot of loading and unloading for a GREAT purpose!

It really is amazing seeing how our Lord works. Five small organizations worked together to accomplish His work. Food for desperate people in Haiti and relief supplies for desperate hurricane victims were provided.

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September 15, 2017

Because of you, these children don’t have to wonder where their next meal will come from

When little Aliou, Séverin, and Abdou first came to the ACTS Center in Burkina Faso, they couldn't believe there was enough food to fill their bellies.

These darling little ones used to hide a portion of their food in case they weren't fed the next day. You see, it is not uncommon for a village child to eat only one meal every three days during the "lean times" of the year. Some students take part...

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August 29,2017

Relief Arrives Today in Ouagadougou,Burkina Faso!

Just moments before our staff meeting, we received this message from Sharyl Sieh of ACTS Ministries Burkina Faso. Praise the Lord! This food is closer to being in the hands of some very hungry people who want to be self-sufficient, but are suffering through the effects of extended drought.

The food was provided by donors and packers at Hunger Challenges in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio in April and May of 2017. Over 280,000 meals were packed onto a container with other essential supplies.

Pray for the delivery of this container through customs in the face of renewed fighting and violence in the area.

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August 14, 2017

Your partnership with HSM brings hope for little girls in India at risk of being sold

Two years ago, seven-year-old Aanya’s* father put a sedative in her food. An alcoholic, he had already sold off nearly everything the family owned to buy liquor. On this particular day, he decided to sell his daughter.

He drugged her and carried her to the market where he planned to sell her for $10. But Aanya woke up and realized she was in danger...

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July 20, 2017

Will you buy a box for them when you buy a box for you?

Many families are now using subscription meal services like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Plated. Several of our staff have used these services as well... and that got us thinking.

A box of their food provides 6 to 8 servings of food... and costs about $69.

A box of our food provides 216 servings of nutritious dehydrated meals... and costs just $65.

Subscription meal prices begin at $8.74 for one serving.

The same $8.74 will purchase 30 servings of our highly nutritious food.

The next time you make a payment for your subscription meals, will you also think about purchasing food for the world's most desperate people? It's easy to donate right here on our website. You can feed a whole bunch of hungry children with just a click of your mouse.

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June 12, 2017

Because of you, a school full of children in Burkina Faso has food for the entire 2017-18 school year!

The weekend of April 7 – 9, you helped our HSM team pull off a three-day Hunger Challenge in Princeton, WV that filled an entire shipping container of food for desperately hungry children in Burkina Faso.

For many of these children, their only meal each day is the lunch they eat at school. Thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers, children at the ACTS school in Burkina Faso will have enough food for nearly the ...

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May 14, 2017

We’d like you to meet… Jane Stout

Jane joined the HSM staff in 2015, after serving in a key volunteer leadership role with our Mercer County Hunger Challenge for several years.

Jane manages our social media presence, coordinates communication, and is taking on a new role in donor care.

Jane has a background in psychology, education, and human resources. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, she has lived in many parts of the world and held a wide variety of jobs as a military spouse. She enjoys reading, landscaping, and gardening.

Jane and her husband, Craig, live in West Virginia. Together, they serve as Chaplains for the Princeton Rays minor league baseball team and are active in the local Rotary Club. They have three adult children.

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December 30, 2016

Here's What you Helped Us Accomplish In 2016

You provided more than 750,000 meals for starving children this year. You read that right – three-quarters of a million meals. That’s something you can be very proud of. Whether you personally packaged food – or if you donated so we could purchase the food ingredients – you did it!

At Hunger Challenge events in 10 U.S. cities, our amazing volunteers gathered to assemble nutritious meals of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and vitamins. They weighed and sealed and boxed up the…

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August 18, 2016 - by Lynda Gravier, Hunger Relief Director

You're making a real difference in world hunger numbers

The first posters I designed for HSM Hunger Challenges proclaimed, "36,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes." A few years ago, when we updated our brochures, we were able to change that statistic to "20,000 children die every day."

In early June, I was at the Justice Conference in Chicago. The room was full of believers who are fighting injustice around the globe. These people are tackling human trafficking, poverty, racial inequality, and hunger. And I learned from them ...

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August 15, 2016

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You Are a Game Changer for Hungry Refugees in Iraq

Thanks to you, we delivered 150,000 meals to Iraq in June! Here's how:

September 2015 - A U.S. doctor, the brother of one of our board members, returns from Iraq, where he cared for Syrian refugees. He tells us of desperate need for food in the refugee camps.

October 2015 - A prayer group in Midland, TX is convinced that they need to "do something" for refugees...

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April 20, 2016

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Can you imagine walking 45 kilometers with a 33 pound box of our food on your head?

When we packaged 285,000 servings of nutritious food at the Hunger Challenge in Princeton, West Virginia last March, we never imagined that dozens of those boxes would travel the last 45 kilometers of their journey – to the most desperate families in the Democratic Republic of Congo – on the heads of faithful women.

Charlotte Barkley, our missionary partner with Bush Telegraph Mission, sent this...

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December 30, 2015

Truck-drawing

A Huge Thank you! You've given so much toward a new truck.

Thank you!

Eight weeks ago, we sent out a special appeal letter to let you know that we need to replace the truck we use to haul our Hunger Challenge supplies and equipment.

Earlier today, we tallied up the funds given so far toward that project. In that short time, our faithful partners have donated...

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December 25, 2015

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What have we been up to in 2015?

During 2015, we hosted xx Hunger Challenge events and helped xxxxx volunteers send xxxxx meals to xx different countries. Can you fill in the blanks? Read more to learn the answers to those questions - and a whole lot more!

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Stay Connected

Who doesn’t want to be informed when big things happen? That’s why we make sure our friends know what’s going on with Heaven Sent Ministries - both in the U.S. and on the other side of the world. We use social media and email newsletters to share stories, photos, and the occasional video.

We'd love to add you to our list of email friends. Give us your info, and you can expect to get an email newsletter from us about once a month.

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E-news FAQs

What is E-news?

Heaven Sent Ministries wants to keep our partners and supporters informed of how God is working and how we can help the church reach the world for Christ. Subscribe to HSM’s E-news to receive periodic HTML emails about ministry events such as Hunger Challenges, mission trip information such as when and to what country trips will take place next. We may send out exciting news when God moves in a powerful way. You will also receive HSM’s quarterly newsletter.

Will my email address be shared with anyone else?

No. Heaven Sent Ministries does not sell, share, or rent email addresses and other personal information with third parties. Your information is completely secure. Check out our Privacy Policy for more.

What are email lists?

When you complete one of our subscription forms, your information is only added to the email list connected to that form. For example: If you complete a subscription form to receive one of our missionary’s newsletters then you will only receive emails from that missionary. If you subscribe to the HSM E-news list then you will only receive emails from the ministry as a whole. If you want to receive updates from the ministry and from one or more of our missionaries, you will have to subscribe to each “email list” individually. Our E-news are permission-based so we will only send you information relevant to what you signed up for. Check out our Privacy Policy for more.

My email program doesn't accept HTML emails, just text. Can I still receive E-news?

Yes. We use an email distribution program that checks your account for special requirements. We can automatically send E-news in text format if your account does not accept HTML.

Can I share E-news with others?

Absolutely! Our Send to a Friend feature makes it easy to forward any E-news message to up to 20 of your friends at a time, with no risk to your privacy or theirs. Just click on the “Send to a Friend” link at the bottom of each email you receive from us. Your sharing doses not add your friends to our email list.

What if I want to stop receiving E-news?

Simply click on the “Manage Your Subscription” link at the bottom of each email you receive from us. From there you can instantly and securely unsubscribe to one list or to all of our email lists. You can also update your information or have us send E-news to a different email address.

If you have a question we haven’t answered here, feel free to send us an email and we’ll do our best to answer quickly.

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