“If you can’t feed 100 people, then feed just one.” This is a statement by Mother Teresa. She spent her life dedicated to caring for India’s forgotten people. Mother Teresa was not shy about seeking funding from those that had wealth, and ever vigilant to the opportunities to share that wealth with those that needed it.
There have been a series of articles entitled “The power of one” that have shown examples of how much one person can achieve. In each case, a person with an idea of helping others accomplished their mission despite some formidable obstacles. A link to these articles is attached to this article. A brief summary of each person’s story will help you realize the power that one person has to help others.
Reverend Ray Ogburn is a minister in a tiny church in Mineral, OH. He averages fewer than 20 people for his services. Despite this small base, Rev. Ray helps feed over 300 families each month. He had a spiritual dream and he was told to start Feed My Sheep to feed people in Southeast Ohio. Within days, a local resident that had stored a large amount of food for the year 2000 disaster that never happened gave Rev. Ray all of this food. This was the beginning of the food bank. He has also established a thrift shop and a children’s park. Another church is now collecting funds to build a much larger building for the Feed My Sheep food bank operation.
Cindy Nofziger was a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone. After she completed her commitment there, Cindy returned to Seattle. She decided to visit some colleagues in Sierra Leone. While she was there, she was asked to help build a school in this war torn nation. She has continued her mission and she has helped establish an organization that has built many schools and libraries in Sierra Leone to help the children there develop into responsible adults. She continues to raise funds in support of this life mission.
Mary Jenkins was a widow and mother of three teenage sons when she learned that she had stage III breast cancer. Mary went through major surgery and then radiation and chemotherapy. In the midst of this therapy her employer suggested that she go on medical leave. The employer stopped paying Mary and her church agreed to pay her bills while she was in treatment. Mary was grateful for her church’s support, but she realized that many others were in a similar situation. Mary started Christians Overcoming Cancer in 2006 and it has continued to grow and expand its operations across the US and outside the country.
The spirit of doing what they could do as individuals has led to many others getting involved and contributing to the success of these programs. If you see a need, work to fill it. If you see an opportunity to help others, do it. The rewards for these services are shown in the faces of those you help. You will be blessed through these efforts, and you will know that you are powerful as one person doing good things.
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