Shalom. The Hebrew word for "peace." But it doesn't stop there. Shalom stands for harmony, for completeness, for safety.
Breakaway Ministries is on the home stretch of the Shalom Project of 2017 and has already raised over $77,000, but we're not done yet. Our goal is to raise $119,000. There is still about two weeks left to give to help people across the globe that are in the midst of some of the worst humanitarian crises of all time. Students have come together to raise money through things like worship nights, garage sales, and selling various items. All coming together for one cause. The students of Texas A&M are changing the world.
So what is it exactly that all of this money is going to? Well, it is contributing to the well-known Syrian refugee crisis. Currently, there are over 4.8 million refugees in Syria striving simply for just basic needs: shelter, food, and health. With our goal of $119,000, we would be able to help 70 refugee families get back on their feet.
The other crisis that Shalom Project is raising money for is not as well-known but is just as serious. Breakaway Ministries wants to bring this darkness to light. There is support going to the conflict in South Sudan. There are millions of families starving and living in an Internally Displaced People Camp. Our goal is to provide seventy families with nutritious food for six months. In these camps, according to the UN, an adolescent girl in South Sudan is three times more likely to die in childbirth than complete primary school. Read that again... yes, primary school. With the goal of $119,000, World Relief will provide 70 girls with care for her and her baby.
These are the goals of the Shalom Project, but it is much more than that. It is revolutionary. It is the "selfish millennials" coming together for a cause much bigger than we could ever imagine. It is a large public university of college students working extremely hard to raise money that they willingly give back to others. It is selflessness. It is a time that we are helping others but growing on our own in return. It is a movement. It is beautiful. It is unity.
No matter how small we think we are, we are able to make a difference in this world and I think that is so easily forgotten. I want to ask you to consider donating to this project. Any financial amount will make a difference, even if it is $1. Come up with a way with a group of friends to fundraise. This is a time that we can unite for the common good.
Most importantly, I ask that you for mighty prayer. Pray for the refugees in Syria and the conflict in South Sudan. Pray that goals are met. Pray for God to move in those places and those people. Pray that He stirs people's hearts to give to this unbelievable cause. There is insane power in prayer.
If you would like to learn more about the Shalom Project, check out http://breakawayministries.org/Shalom and learn how to give.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
