“As a pastor, he (Joshua) understands the spiritual side. But he also wants to marry that with community, leadership, and business.  They go hand in hand.”  Russ Cline, Extreme Response

A New Partnership for Lasting Change

We are truly excited about our upcoming Philippines Entrepreneur Project, where we will be working with Joshua Benavidez and Russ Cline of Extreme Response. Joshua leads a strong group of community-changers in Manila, Philippines. Through your generosity, this 2021 pilot will begin by training over 15 business mentors and 25 underserved entrepreneurs to start their own low-cost, self-sustaining business.

And that’s not all...The bigger goal for this project coming out of COVID-19 is to create an ongoing supportive community that helps families thrive. 

Here’s why this initiative holds such great promise. As Russ shares above and in the video, this is about caring for the whole person. To simply provide for the spiritual needs of a family while neglecting the external needs, misses God’s heart and fails to move people toward the flourishing He intends.

James, a leader in the first century Church says,

For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved 16 and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? 17 Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?  (James 2:15-17 The Message)

This is why we must have both a thoughtful and compassionate approach to alleviating poverty in all its forms.  God is calling us to move beyond mere words, and to be honest, beyond the “cup of soup” to empowering others toward their full potential as Jesus modeled and mandated. That’s the heart of God and the heart of the Hope community. Thank you for your continuing love and support!