Haunted by Hunger / Hand-Signed and Numbered Limited Edition / 11 x 14 unframed
A wonderful opportunity opened up for me to partner with World Vision*.
When I was in California recently, I attended a bible/book study where we read, “The Hole in Our Gospel” by Richard Sterns, President of World Vision. The book was very good and extremely thought provoking. However, we all felt overwhelmed as we read about how the greater percentage of people living on planet Earth are perishing daily, due to lack of food, medicine and access to clean water.
We all wondered, “What can I do – I’m just one person…”!? It turns out that Chris and I have been long time supporters of World Vision by “adopting” two children. Letty lives in Costa Rica, while Vazgen lives in Armenia. We’ve sponsored these children for a number of years and I felt pretty good about it. But, the nagging question remained, “Can I do more”? In the end, my take-away from the book study was this: Each of us should do what each of us can do. For one, that may mean sponsoring a child and for another a commitment to pray regularly for the ministry and in my case; I could do all those things and one more…
Then the epiphany came to me! I can paint! I can paint captivating images such as the one above, entitled Haunted By Hunger. I can paint the paintings and they, (World Vision) can sell the prints while allowing for all the proceeds to go to the ministry!
I contacted the senior editor of their quarterly magazine and proposed my idea. Apparently, this set off a firestorm of excitement among the WV staffers. They loved the idea, and were very appreciative of the offer.
They featured me and the painting in the Winter 2011 issue of the magazine in order to place the painting up for auction. The original piece auctioned off for $2000. 100% of the proceeds went to World Vision!
You may want to contact them and get on their mailing list. Who knows, maybe you might like to sponsor a child? There are so many beautiful children out there that are thrilled to receive food, water, clothes, shelter and education. All of these benefits, because someone was willing to give $30 a month to care for a child in need. The letters of gratitude we’ve received from “our kids” and their families are both heartwarming and humbling.
So that’s the story behind the haunting image of the little girl from Kenya.
Thank you Lord for the gift of art. May it be given to many in return and may You receive all the glory, honor and praise You’re due!!!
* World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, World Vision serves alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of God’s unconditional love for all people. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.
