WINTER 2018 WHAT GRATITUDE FEATURES Giving Thanks in The States 3 LOOKS LIKE This is What Gratitude Looks Like 4 TURNING GRATITUDE INTO GENEROSITY Let’s Talk Impact 6 DEPARTMENTS Director’s Corner 2 Farmers in Tanzania are encouraged by successful harvests. Trees Give Shade, Shade Gives Trees 7 ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS DIRECTOR’S CORNER SAVINGS GROUPS IN THE DOMINICAN ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS REPUBLIC ARE TITHING THEIR GROUP PROFITS TO THEIR CHURCHES OR TO THOSE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. THE SOWER ISSUE #119 Plant With Purpose, a Christian nonprofit organization, reverses deforestation I used to enjoy hearing Increasingly though, we are getting reports of the and poverty around the world by stories of farmers ex- ways people are expressing their gratitude by pay- transforming the lives of the rural poor. pressing gratitude to ing forward what they have received. Many sav- Plant With Purpose for ings groups are tithing their group profits to their the changes in their lives. churches or to those in their own communities Nothing made me feel whom they perceive as even poorer. happier than a report of participants saying, “Thanks to Plant With In the Dominican Republic, new savings groups Purpose, we are now able to send our kids to have sprung up spontaneously, equipped with school” or something similar. boxes and materials paid for by neighbors who are already Plant With Purpose participants. However, one of the first changes I noticed when In Haiti, pastors are working together to mobi- we switched from offering microcredit servic- lize their congregations to build houses for the SPIRITUAL es to starting savings groups was that people homeless within their own communities. In RENEWAL stopped saying thank you to us. The savings- Mexico, participants have formed a dynamic led approach requires no outside capital from volunteer group to help churches with environ- us, but is based on the mobilized savings of the mental stewardship. group members. Each member commits to sav- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: ing small amounts every week, and, after appro- One of the most remarkable stories of giving Scott Sabin priate training, the group lends the pool of mon- back came from the Democratic Republic of the [email protected] ey out to their own members at interest. Congo. This summer, a large group of refugees made their way into the Kakumba region, fol- DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING DIRECTOR: Not only has this proven to be a very effective lowing ethnic conflict up on the plateau. Twelve Christi Renaud way of providing small-scale financial services of the local pastors responded by helping them [email protected] at very low cost in remote rural communities, it get set up in the local school and bringing them has had a profound impact on attitudes. People clothes, food, and other necessities. Together no longer tend to say “thanks” because they no with our Spiritual Renewal Coordinator, these STAY CONNECTED: longer feel dependent on us. They are aware pastors spent a day praying with the refugees, 4747 Morena Blvd. Suite 100 that the money they are investing is money they comforting them, and seeing to their needs. San Diego, CA 92117 have generated themselves from within their Birori, our local director, told me that previously Ph: 858.274.3718 own community. People feel empowered by this one of them might have asked the government newly discovered capacity, rather than grateful for help, but none of the pastors would have tak- Email: [email protected] for the largesse of an outside benefactor. en ownership of the problem, nor would they Web: plantwithpurpose.org have collaborated to resolve it. Tw : @PlantWPurpose Although I missed the thanks directed our way, I quickly realized that the partnering farm- Kakumba is a region that has made amazing Fb: facebook.com/PlantWithPurpose ers’ sense of self-confidence was far better and strides. However, as of our last evaluation, the more sustainable. I remember a woman in the population still averages less than two meals Email [email protected] Dominican Republic telling me, “Our whole idea per day. Nonetheless, they were moved by com- to learn how you can: of who we are as a community has changed! passion and gratitude to give of the little they The only thing we feel bad about is that we have had to those still less fortunate. That is what grat- • Share your Plant With Purpose story had these resources all along and never knew it.” itude looks like. • Host an event • Become a Purpose Partner However, people still express gratitude, often in remarkable ways. First, instead of thanking us, Leave a legacy. Please consider they much more appropriately give thanks to including Plant With Purpose in your God for the blessings that they are experienc- wills and bequests. Contact Doug ing. I hear that all the time. Satre: [email protected]. Scott Sabin copyright © 2018 Plant With Purpose Executive Director 2 faces. Over cocktail hour, staff, board mem- bers, local church representatives, students, corporate partners, and valuable supporters had the opportunity to mingle over OneHope GIVING THANKS IN wine and locally-inspired hors d’oeuvres. One of the greatest parts of the gala is that it gives us an opportunity to feature our part- BY KIRSTIE HIBBARD nerships. James Bishop, one of our artist am- OUTREACH COORDINATOR bassadors, played us a song from his most recent album that celebrates and promotes THE STATES creation care. Sundance Organics provided fruit to round out our decor and inspired the event design. We are incredibly grateful for the donors, committee members, and volun- teers who make the gala possible. We raised approximately $313,000 through all portions of the evening, which significantly exceeded our expectations. The gala is a true manifesta- tion of collaboration and community. Our U.S. programs team recently facilitated the launch of our newest and eighth country program in Ethiopia. Following the approval of our registration in May, Director of Pro- grams John Mitchell, Executive Director Scott Sabin, and Programs and Technical Specialist Corey Chin visited Ethiopia to meet with local JOHN MARK MCMILLAN ON officials and interview for a Pilot Project Man- TOUR IN OKLAHOMA. ager. On September 15, Getnet Tareke official- ly started as our new Pilot Project Manager. A few weeks later, he visited our Tanzania office to learn from the staff members of a more mature program. This October, John Mitchell returned to help Getnet secure regional au- With shorter days and crisper air, we find our- sions align and conversations just flow? Over thorizations, establish necessary accounts, selves in the season of giving thanks—reflect- the past months, God has provided several and start recruitment for staff. A key goal of ing on God’s provision, and celebrating among new and exciting opportunities for our team to the next few months is to establish relation- family and friends. At Plant With Purpose, we get out and meet really good people—the kind ships with local authorities, church leaders, contemplate the impact of our programs, the of people who want to support you and join and willing participants. “What we do best success of our partners, and the health and you in doing God’s work. and Ethiopia’s needs are well matched,” says growth of our organization. We praise God for all of these things, but something feels different this year. Momentum is building and our circle of friends is widening. GOD IS OPENING NEW DOORS. WE GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS, FOR EACH OF You know that life-giving feeling when you spend time with good people? When your pas- In September and October, Plant With Pur- THESE OPPORTUNITIES. pose had the opportunity to partner with Mi- cah Challenge in sponsoring John Mark Mc- Millan’s “Body & Ghost” tour. McMillan is a John Mitchell. “We will be working shoulder Christian singer-songwriter and an advocate to shoulder with participants.” Our U.S. fun- THE 2018 PLANTING HOPE GALA for the environment. Joining Micah Chal- draising team secured a three-year grant as RAISED OVER $300,000 TO SUPPORT lenge and McMillan on the tour gave us the well as other support to fund the launch and PLANT WITH PURPOSE PROGRAMS opportunity to expose hundreds of people at activities of our new program. With almost each of the 19 concerts to Plant With Purpose. $700,000 raised, Plant With Purpose Ethiopia The most exciting part of the concert tour has is well underway. While these funds and ef- been the new friends and followers we have forts are being implemented overseas, our gained. We are hopeful that the tour will have U.S. team celebrates Ethiopia’s launch as one a lasting impact on both attendees and global of our greatest successes this year. leaders, and that our new friends will stay connected. We give thanks to God for his faithfulness, for each of these opportunities, and for the The Planting Hope Gala on October 6 was growing excitement toward Plant With Pur- particularly unique. We are blessed to have a pose’s mission. We know that everything committed group of supporters who join us good comes through Him, with Him, and in consistently at our annual fundraiser, but this Him. We look forward to where He will lead year’s guest list was diverse with a lot of new us next. PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG 3 THIS IS WHAT GRATITUDE BY: PHILIPPE LAZARO, LOOKS LIKE MARKETING SPECIALIST At the end of each year, many of us try to turn Jee’s community had to prove they could our focus towards gratitude. We reflect on manage their forest, unify themselves to what really matters in our lives.