{"id":1305,"date":"2020-03-18T20:05:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T20:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=1305"},"modified":"2020-03-19T15:27:26","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T15:27:26","slug":"oghs-together-we-become-the-household-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2020\/03\/18\/oghs-together-we-become-the-household-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"OGHS: Together, We Become the Household of God"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facing drought in Somalia<\/span><\/h4>\n

Before a hunger emergency struck Somalia, Hawo Abdi and her husband were\u00a0 successful herders near their country\u2019s border with Kenya.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, two years of intensive drought parched the land to the point that they could no longer raise the camels, cattle, sheep and goats that supported them. As her family faced economic ruin, Abdi\u2019s husband died. She was two months pregnant with the couple\u2019s fifth child.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Catherine Wanjiku (DBG) distributes rice in the IDP-camp Al-Hidaaya. 125 refugee families are living in the refugee camp Al-Hidaaya. The Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe with his Somali partner organisation Daryeel Bulsho Guud (DBG) distributes water, food, drugs and sheets for shelters in the refugee camps near by Mogadishu.<\/p><\/div>\n

Desperate to feed her children, Abdi felt she had no choice but to make the two-day journey to a camp for internally displaced persons to ensure the safety of her four young children and unborn child. Against the background of Somalia\u2019s civil war, the journey was fraught with danger, including the possibility of attack from armed groups and assault. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had nothing to take with us, and we had to beg for water,\u201d she says. <\/span><\/p>\n

Abdi\u2019s mission to bring her children to a safe refuge was successful. Now she and her children receive a monthly allocation of rice, beans, cooking oil and sugar that One Great Hour of Sharing gifts help provide. <\/span><\/p>\n

While their day-to-day life remains difficult, Abdi and her children, including her new baby, are safe and nourished. \u201cThe food aid has improved the living conditions of my family,\u201d she says. \u201cI was able to feed my starving children.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fighting hunger around the world<\/h4>\n

Sadly, Abdi\u2019s story is not unique. According to the United Nations Office for the\u00a0 Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 5.4 million people in Somalia are food insecure, and another 2.6 million people are displaced. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)\u00a0 partners with Kaalmo Relief and Development to provide food aid to people in the camp. \u201cWe are very grateful for your contribution,\u201d says Mohamed Ahmed Iriri,\u00a0 <\/span>Kaalmo\u2019s director. \u201cIt will help us a lot in fighting the hunger and poverty affecting our people in Somalia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One Great Hour of Sharing gifts are helping to address famine and extreme\u00a0 hunger through PC(USA) partners in other countries, including Northern Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen. These partners help with emergency food assistance and address the underlying causes of hunger and homelessness for the millions of people struggling to maintain their very existence.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Isaiah 58, the prophet calls us to be \u201crepairers of the breach, restorers of streets to live in,\u201d to care for the hungry, the weak and the vulnerable. Through One Great Hour of Sharing, we extend shelter to those who have no place to stay, food to those who are hungry and compassion to those who have pain\u2014be it physical, emotional or spiritual. Together, we become the household of God; and all are welcome. Won\u2019t you join us with a gift to One Great Hour of Sharing? Because when we all do a little, it adds up\u00a0 to a lot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let us pray<\/span><\/h4>\n

God of refuge, gather us\u00a0 into your household. Under your roof, let us meet together at your table of grace to be fed with good food. Grant us the dream of your world where all are fed, all are housed and all have the dignity you granted from the beginning. May our gifts begin to build\u00a0 this dream. Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Join us<\/h4>\n

For more information and resources related to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, visit pcusa.org\/oghs<\/a>.
\nThis post is based on the minute for mission script which can be found on our website<\/a> as a script<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please give generously to the Offering:<\/p>\n