You've probably heard the old saying, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." The same basic principle applies to missions work. Too many churches and other missions organizations over-emphasize Relief Aid-no-strings-attached, handouts of vital supplies given in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. While necessary and lifesaving, Relief Aid is only a temporary fix. Once the funds dry up and the ground team leaves, the impoverished community is often no better off than they were before. In "Teach a Man to Fish," the authors illustrate the benefits of "wholistic transformational development," where-through engagement with the local church-the community is empowered to identify and carry out long-term sustainable solutions to meet its own needs. A few of the steps that "wholistic transformational development" includes are: - Give dignity to "the least of these" - Address the root causes of poverty to provide solutions for the affected - Help the vulnerable to become empowered in their own communities Filled with real-life stories from the authors' own experiences, "Teach a Man to Fish" provides churches and missions organizations with a blueprint for helping people help themselves in order to create lasting change and long-term sustainability and independence

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