Story number 2 for 1 Dec 2000

Next, the United Nations says the humanitarian crisis in Congo is one of the worst in the world. At least 16 million people are facing human rights violations, dire financial hardship along with frequent food shortages. Food for the Hungry’s Beth Allen says their work has been effected by the war. “We had been working in a population area that was meeting the needs of approximately 100-thousand people; and, our staff has been forced to evacuate. We are, at this point, trying to evaluate, trying to get information about what is truly going on, and trying to find out what the security situation is so that we can assess whether it’s possible for our staff to return or not.” Allen says the hope of the Gospel shines through compassion for the people. “It’s very difficult for them to believe that God is a just and a loving God. What our staff has done is just to show them that someone does love them, just by our presence there. They think that the world doesn’t care and when a group like Food for the Hungry goes in there, it says, “God cares about you.””