Changing the world on a budget

By Rich Halvorson

Maybe it’s the familiar warmth of the holidays. Or perhaps it is the anticipation of the new year ahead. During the last days of December, we remember what life is about – that what really matters is the impact our lives can have for others.

Deep down, we have a sense that our life is better when it’s lived in service to others. In the words of author Erwin McManus, “The story of your life is written on the hearts of those around you.”  

More than any other time, it is these last days of the year when many of us set our sights beyond immediate family and friends and extend our pocketbooks to bless others. In fact, for most charities, the last week of the year is often the most important.

One charity told me that they count on donations during the last week of the year for more than fifty percent of their annual budget.

Yet after a year of financial crisis, can we really be expected to muster serious generosity in the face of steep losses?

It’s simply a fact that with less income we have less to give. Despite our best intentions, the money we would have gladly donated last year may look quite different this year – perhaps fending off creditors, supplementing an unemployment check, or stretching to cover our mortgage.

But what if there were a way to give without increasing our budget? What if we could literally save lives without spending any more? Instead of more spending, perhaps charity can be about deepening our compassion for others through a little personal sacrifice.

Global Fast is a young movement that does this exactly – saving lives through fasting and charity.

If I’m willing to fast one lunch each week – a sub sandwich or personal pizza – the money saved from that one lunch can feed a rescued victim of human trafficking for a whole month, or provide five years of clean water – literally saving a child’s life.

Does it sound a little uncomfortable or inconvenient to fast a meal? Most of us do it accidentally – we wake up late and skip breakfast, or get too busy and we forget to eat lunch.

Physically speaking, Global Fast is no different – fasters skip just one meal each week and donate what they would have spent. The real difference is that it’s done with a purpose and a prayer – a purpose to save lives, and a prayer to create lasting change and deepen our own compassion for the suffering of others.

What is the power of sacrificing just a little for others?

In 2007, Global Fast partnered with Florida-based Food for the Poor to rally a few thousand fasters for a one-day event on Ash Wednesday. Enough money was raised from this effort to build a sustainable fishing project in a coastal Haitian village – giving new boats, fishing gear and equipment – that provide a new food and income source for the entire village.

Now one year since the launch of this project, the boats and fishing gear have provided food and income for this village for 365 days – all due to just one day of fasting. And that one day sacrifice will continue to give food and income for many years to come.

The same compassionate fasting has provided enough during 2008 to build a second fishing village project in a neglected coastal area. Hundreds of families will have food and income instead of malnutrition and despair.

Global Fast proves that real charity can be a matter of growing our compassion for others, rather than swelling our spending.

What’s the power of sacrifice for others? Truly, it is the soul force that can change the world.

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Rich Halvorson is the founder of Global Fast. www.globalfast.org