As we turn the page from 2016 to 2017, it’s a good time to take a look back and remember the great things God did in 2016. On several occasions, God asked the Israelites to set up a memorial to remember the great things He had done for them. This was important in helping them not forget the benefits and gifts He gave them.
2016 was a great year of growth for Feed the Hunger. More volunteers helped us pack more meals than in any previous year. We thank God for your partnership through praying and giving, which God used in special ways. God opened some new doors to FtH in 2016 that led to unprecedented outreach through the ministry.
Of course, as many of you have heard by now, our year ended with heartbreak as the founder of Feed the Hunger, Dr. J.L. Williams, passed away on December 28th. J.L. started this ministry as The New Directions (later, New Directions International) in 1968, and his fingerprints are still plainly evident in our passion for helping meet spiritual and physical needs in people around the world. You will certainly hear more in 2017 about J.L.’s legacy at Feed the Hunger as we give tribute to the pioneering work he did in the kingdom of God for almost 50 years.
As I look back on 2016, here are three special things God has done through your partnership with FtH to help feed spiritual and physical hunger in needy people around the world:
1) We had a greater role in helping with disaster relief in the US. Between helping with flooding in Charleston, WV; Baton Rouge, LA; and Hurricane Matthew flooding in eastern NC and SC; we distributed over 165,000 hot rice and bean meals to displaced victims. We were led at the start of 2016 to increase our food supplies for times of need in the US without knowing that there would be so many opportunities to help feed people devastated by natural disasters.
2) In the remote regions of Brazil, along the Amazon River, God used our meal packets to open doors to share Christ with native communities who had never heard the Gospel before. These people were hungry because their crops had washed away, so local missionaries shared our food packets with several communities, earning the trust of their leaders who let them share more about why they cared so much. FtH also got to supply many of these communities with Bibles in their own language as they openly received the message of Christ!
3) We successfully executed the largest single Packathon to date: 625,680 meals in Katy, TX. More than 2,500 people were involved in packing these meals over three days. This event was a nice logistical challenge for us, as it was hosted simultaneously in three different church buildings in the community.
These were accomplishments that only God could achieve. So thank you once again for being available through your praying, packing, and giving to proclaim Christ in new places and to help people who were hurting. We look forward to 2017!
Scott Hahn | Packathon Director
