When I began drawing a regular paycheck from my first full-time job, I was faced with the question of how to manage my charitable giving. What organizations should I support, how frequently, and at what amounts? As I researched and prayed to answer these questions, I found it helpful to think about the parallels between giving and investing.
Diversifying one’s portfolio is a core principle of investing; diversification reduces risk and increases the likelihood of attaining one’s long-term goals. It is much the same with giving.
As Christians, giving is an investment in the advancement of God’s kingdom, through both proclamation and demonstration of the Good News of Christ. This purpose encompasses a wide range of causes, such as making disciples, ensuring that unreached people have access to the Gospel, alleviating poverty, ending human trafficking, empowering the marginalized, caring for the sick, and so on.
Like shrewd investors, we as Christians should be concerned that our charitable investments make their intended impact for the kingdom of God, which includes meeting the various objectives that Christ’s love compels us to pursue.
A popular way to diversify one’s eternal impact is to support multiple Christian organizations that specialize in addressing different issues. This aim can also be achieved by supporting organizations whose missions effectively address a variety of issues. Harvest Bridge is one such organization.
When you support Harvest Bridge, your “giving portfolio” diversifies and its impact deepens.
We equip locally-led Christian ministries to serve their communities and reach their nations for Christ in the most effective ways possible; our core approach is to come alongside those who have already accomplished much with little. Our Asian partners aim to advance the Gospel in all that they do, but this takes different forms depending on the country, people groups being served, local needs, and our partners’ areas of expertise.
We are an agile organization where every dollar goes far; our work advances God’s kingdom in difficult and dangerous contexts through discipleship and disaster relief, pastor training and economic development, children’s education and persecution response, and more.
Examples of the deep impact your support makes are far too many to list, but space permits me to highlight a few.
Your support is an investment in children’s health, education and wellbeing. Children like Rajesh* in India.
Rajesh comes from a broken family; his father is an alcoholic and lives with another woman. Rajesh lives part-time with his mother, who works as a cook and struggles to support her family. He has a congenital eyesight problem, which hinders his ability to see and walk.
But thanks to monthly sponsorship and the care provided at a children’s home run by HB’s local missionaries, Rajesh is thriving. With physical therapy and corrective shoes, he is able to walk and play normally with other children. He excels in school, receives a healthy diet, loves the Lord, and shares his faith with his classmates.
Without your support, Rajesh would likely be out of school, on the streets doing whatever he could to help his mother earn money. Thanks to your partnership, he is on track to utilize his talents and pursue his dreams, bringing a transformative impact for God’s kingdom in his city and nation.
Your support is an investment in the economic empowerment of extremely poor women and their families.
Women like Myia*, a Christian woman in Myanmar (Burma). Myia has four children, and struggled to meet her family’s needs while running a small-scale garment business, but a grant from Harvest Bridge changed that.
The grant enabled her to invest in two weaving looms and supplies; her business grew significantly as a result, with her monthly income tripling within just six months. Her children now eat a healthy diet, and she uses her business to invite non-Christian women into her home, training them in sewing and weaving and sharing the love of Christ. Myia asks us to pray that these women, three of whom are interested in learning more about Christianity, would come to faith.
Through your support, Myia’s family has climbed out of extreme poverty, and their neighbors are both hearing the Good News and seeing it in action.
Your support is an investment in transforming entire communities with the light of the Gospel. Communities like Gopalpur* in rural Bangladesh.
Gopalpur’s residents were primarily animist; their religious traditions centered on appeasing evil spirits. Through the labors of three local HB-supported missionaries, nearly the entire community – over 200 people – have seen in the Gospel both the fulfillment of their deepest longings and the opportunity to follow a God whose power is infinitely greater than the spirits they previously lived in fear of.
Gopalpur’s new believers suffered persecution for their faith, including being prohibited from using the nearest clean water well. However, they were discipled well by HB’s local partners before being baptized. They knew what they were getting into, and they knew Jesus was worth it.
We convey our deepest thanks to you, our partners, for your investment in making stories like Rajesh’s, Myia’s, and the people of Gopalpur’s possible.
If you seek to diversify your giving portfolio, supporting Harvest Bridge will accomplish your goal by equipping resourceful South Asian Christians to advance the Gospel through the diverse ministries God has called them to.
Now is a better time than ever to give, as donations tend to decrease in the summer months. Having lived in South Asia and spent extensive time on the ground with our partners, I can confidently say your investment will yield an excellent return.
Thank you and God bless.
Andrew David,
Director of International Partnerships
*Names changed for security