07 October 2026

A Harvest of Hope

Written by Penny Ure

Through boats, baked goods, songs, crafts and acts of service, Canadian children discovered that they have an important part in God's mission.

Every year, the Canada West District sets a fundraising goal of $5,000 to support an adult project and $5,000 to support a children's project. Year after year, however, the fundraising for the children's project exceeded the goal. This year, the Canada West District NMI Council, in faith, set the goal to $10,000 for the children's project. The project chosen was A Harvest of Hope in Mindoro, a boat project in the Philippines.

This project was about much more than raising money. Fishing boats will help sustain local families by providing daily food, financial income through fishing, and evangelism. They will enable local leaders to travel across bodies of water, to reach remote shores, and to share the gospel with people who have not yet heard the good news of Jesus.

The project was announced at our district convention and assembly, with a Filipino
themed dinner and a skit explaining the purpose of A Harvest of Hope in Mindoro.
Children collected bottles, while others raised funds through Vacation Bible School. Some churches offered matching grants for money raised by the children, and because of this, our goal was exceeded! Children learned they are not too young to participate in God's mission.

The Canada West District family camp held at Camp Harmattan became another powerful place of discipleship. Weeks before camp, families received a letter encouraging children to prepare ways to raise funds. When camp arrived, cabin leaders became boat
representatives, with their faces displayed on boats representing the red, green, and blue teams. Children could cheer for their favorite leaders while working together toward a mission bigger than themselves.

During the evening program, children learned how to make wooden boats and race them downriver. Tables were set up with baked goods, painted rocks and handmade crafts to sell. Children went around camp singing songs or rapping portions of the Bible for money, while others offered to take out garbage and bring firewood to campsites throughout the week.

Adults asked, “What is your project this year?” Repeatedly, the children told about A Harvest of Hope. Learning the story more deeply for themselves, the children were reminded that there are still people who have not heard the gospel and that followers of Jesus are called to help share the good news of Jesus.

The children were not simply raising money; they were being discipled. By telling the story repeatedly, they learned that missions is about caring for people's physical needs while also sharing the hope of Jesus.

By engaging children and youth, we expose them to the possibility that one day God may call them to serve as missionaries themselves. We cannot expect the next generation to answer a call they have never had the opportunity to see, hear, or experience. Perhaps through telling the story of a boat that carries the gospel to an unreached people group, a child may begin to imagine where God might one day call him or her to go.

Click here to access Kids Kaleidoscope, a monthly addition to NMI Central to awaken and nurture a spirit of missions in everyone.

The work of the Church of the Nazarene began in Canada in 1902 with a single congregation in Oxford, Nova Scotia. It began as a member of the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America but merged with the Church of the Nazarene and Holiness Church of Christ in 1907. Since then, it has spread across the country, with almost 200 churches and missions throughout Canada. Currently, four missionaries from Canada are serving with the Church of the Nazarene.

give.nazarene.org/category/global-missions-projects

give.nazarene.org/donate/154252

NMI Central is available in a curated PDF archive. To read previous editions, click here.