About Karen and Her Ministry

About Karen - A Brief Testimony

I am a firm believer in God's words in Jeremiah 29:10-13 - "For I know the plans I have for you." declare the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart."

Everything is in God's plan. It was in His plan that I would be born into a Christian home, hear the message of the Gospel at a young age and trust in Christ alone for my salvation. It was also in God's plan that I would have early and regular exposure to missions and missionaries. (A special thank you to all the Brookdale missionaries reading this blog. Your lives have inspired me!) God planned to call me to the mission field and confirm a particular call to the poor three times: in Hungary, Lebanon and Bolivia. It was also in God's plan to equip me with the temperament to make me sensitive to work among the poor. I was and still am, the girl with many, many questions. Since a young age I have been concerned with issues of justice and fairness and have questioned the immense suffering in the world.

Yet God did not leave me with questions only. Rather he used those questions to drive me to Him; to "call out to Him and to seek Him and find Him by seeking after him with all my heart." Not only have those questions driven me to God they have driven me to action. It is my immense privilege to see this action come to fruition in Rwanda. In 2008 I will join Food for the Hungry's team in Kigali, Rwanda working to meet Rwandans' physical and spiritual hungers.

About Food for the Hungry

Food for the Hungry is a Christian relief and development organization committed to the ministry of reconciliation found in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, "All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

As a Food for the Hungry missionary I will be an ambassador of Christ's message of reconciliation to Rwandans working to see them reconciled in their relationships with God, themeselves, their neighbors and creation. Surely, the nation of Rwanda is in need of this message of reconciliation.

Armed with the message of reconciliation, "Food for the Hungry is an organization that answers God’s call to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the poor in more than 26 countries. Founded in 1971 by Dr. Larry Ward, Food for the Hungry exists to help individuals reach their God-given potential. In developing countries on nearly every continent, Food for the Hungry works with churches, leaders and families to provide the resources they need to help their communities become self-sustaining. When disasters strike, Food for the Hungry is often one of the first organizations on the ground to provide and facilitate emergency relief assistance to those in urgent need of food, shelter, and medical care.

Our ministry staff members are also immersed in hundreds of developing communities around the world, implementing long-term development programs such as agriculture training, clean water and food security programs, church development, child development, nutrition education and HIV/AIDS care and prevention. "

It is my privilege to be joining Food for the Hungry in bringing the message of reconciliation and hope to Rwanda.

What Will Karen be Doing in Rwanda?

In many countries Food for the Hungry sets up Child Development Programs that seek to meet the spiritual, educational, health and emotional needs of children from needy communities. Rwanda has a thriving Child Development Program (CDP). I will be working for CDP to design curriculum that encourages Rwandan children to develop a Biblical worldview. I also will be working to train Christian Education workers in Rwanda.

I am so excited about what I will be doing! I really enjoyed working to help with curriculum and program design at my home church and am looking forward to the challenge of doing this on a much larger scale with a lot less resources! Honestly, I can't think of a more strategic place to be encouraging children to develop a Biblical worldview than Rwanda. Surely, we are all aware of the tragic genocide of 1994. Yet, I am excited to be part of a team that is working to present the message of reconciliation and the Gospel to future generations of this conflict torn country.

About Rwanda

Rwanda is a small, landlocked country located in the heart of central eastern Africa surrounded by Uganda in the north, Tanzania in the east, Burundi in the south, and Zaire to its west and northwest. The most densely populated country in Africa, it is the size of Maryland with a population of 8 million.

Rwanda is a poor country. More than 90% of the population are subsistence farmers, 84% of which exist on less than $2 a day. Poverty increased after the genocide rising 23% after 1994. Child mortality is high in such a poor country: one in five children dies before his or her third birthday. Life expectancy is also low: 45 for both men and women.

Despite its poverty Rwanda is a land of astounding beauty. Called "The Land of A Thousand Hills" it is filled with lush forests, great natural diversity and mountain gorillas, made famous by the movie, "Gorillas in the Mist."

Rwanda was also made famous by another movie, "Hotel Rwanda," chronicling the 100 darkest days in Rwanda's history. Hotel Rwanda tells part of the story of the 1994 genocide where 800,000 Rwandans were killed in 100 days.

Yet not all is darkness and despair. God is doing amazing things in Rwanda. Churches, NGO's and the Rwandan government are working hard to bring hope, reconciliation and resources to this country. The government is committed to reintegrating ex-combatants into their communities. They are assisted by churches who encourage victims and perpetrators to be reconciled as well as reintegrated. The government of Rwanda has also seen the necessity to develop its people in order to improve the quality of life within the nation. According to BBC news since 1994, the numbers of students attending secondary education has increased five-fold - to 200,000. Before the genocide, girls were not encouraged to go to school but today more girls than boys receive an education.

Truly, I cannot wait to become a part of what God is doing in Rwanda.