Help One Now is not just about international work. It’s also about a community of people here in the United States joining together for a greater purpose. That’s what Mike and Natalie Gebhart discovered, and here’s their story:
Being intentional about loving and serving others has always been at the heart of our family. It’s often too easy to get distracted with the daily routine and over scheduled extracurricular activities, and we lose sight of a greater purpose for our lives.
About six years ago, without a specific plan or focus, we stumbled across the work of Help One Now through a blog on the topic of adoption. We had just finalized the adoption of our two oldest kids through the California foster system, and honestly had no clue of what we were doing. All we knew, was that God had called us to adopt, and we were crazy enough to go through with it.
As God “placed the lonely” into our family, He also began to break our hearts for the millions of orphans worldwide in need of food, safety and love. As a first step in connecting with Help One Now, we engaged in the Musha Wevana child sponsorship program in Zimbabwe. We had a connection with the country already through a college mission trip, and it felt like the right place to start.
For several years, we continued our support somewhat passively, but also couldn’t help but notice the grassroots efforts taking shape through the various Help One Now communities across the country. Thanks to the simplicity of campaigns like Garage Sale 4 Orphans and Help One Classroom, as well as Chris’ book Doing Good Is Simple, our family was able to clearly see how we could help, on a small scale, do good around the world.
The Help One Now team pulled us into a beautiful story of struggle and progress that was much bigger than us. After our first garage sale and donut stand attempt, we were hooked!
Last year, Natalie had the privilege of visiting Musha on a visioning trip to Zimbabwe in the summer, and we joined up with some new friends in Northwest Arkansas later that winter. It was an incredible opportunity to see first-hand the impact that John and Orpah, and other high capacity local leaders, are having on the families and communities they serve.
Through these shared experiences, community and human connection was created. We know that we are now part of an international family that believes in building a better world together, and we want to do more.
As we celebrate Help One Now’s 10-year anniversary this year, we are so thankful to be part of the incredible story that is weaving its way through time and space. After a decade of learning, Help One Now is once again providing clarity and focus on how ordinary people like us can do simple things to have a lasting impact around the world.
Family Empowerment is already generating stories of tremendous hope. Breaking the cycle of extreme poverty while keeping families together and providing a safe and sustainable learning environment for the next generation of leaders.
For us, this is the greater purpose we have been looking for. A vision worthy of pursuing and bringing others along with us.
Through a simple act of hosting a dinner party with some good friends, we can share our hearts, invite them into the story and help change the world together by doing good. When we share, we create community and human connection. We want to encourage others, and you, to do the same.
Our hope for everyone in the Help One Now community is that you too can find the great purpose you have been looking for by joining in this work together. One way you can do this is by inviting others into the story by hosting a dinner, much like Michael and Natalie. Follow the link below to learn more.