This Faith in Finance podcast is underwritten in part by Cross International. Millions around the world are stuck in generational poverty. From the young child suffering from preventable disease, to the hardworking single mom unable to provide enough food for her kids, to the empty seat in a classroom representing a lost opportunity for a child. The results are tragic. Hopelessness abounds.
There are no simple solutions, but the body of Christ is working together to break this cycle. FaithPhi is joining with Cross International and you this month to lift 100 kids in Malawi, Uganda, and Zambia out of poverty and introduce them to the love of Jesus. Cross International partners with local, in-country ministries to open doors for children by transforming communities, equipping them with vital physical resources and spiritual support anchored in Jesus Christ. Give hope to a child today at faithphy.com/slash cross. That's faithfi.com/slash cross.
In rural Malawi, many children wake each day unsure if they'll eat and relying on water that can make them sick. Hi, I'm Rob West. That reality shapes daily life for families living in deep poverty. Today, Aaron Griggs joins us to share how Cross International is helping lift children out of poverty, provide clean water, and point families to Christ. And then we'll take your calls at 800-525-7000.
That's 800-525-7000. This is Faith in Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey.
Well, our guest today is Aaron Griggs with Cross International, a Christian humanitarian and development ministry and a valued partner of this program. Aaron, great to have you back with us. Hey, thanks, Rob. Always great to be here. Aaron, we are so thrilled here at Faithfi to be able to shine a light this quarter through the end of March on the incredible work you're doing at Cross International.
And we're talking specifically today about Malawi. I'd love for you to help our listeners get their hands around what daily life looks like for families in this rural part of Malawi, particularly in a village like Tanganika. Yeah, Rob.
Well, Tanganika is a very remote village, so very few resources in that area. And daily life for people living there is really about basic survival. Often families don't know where their next meal will come from. kids frequently go to bed on empty stomachs. The only water available in these villages is from open sources like dug pits.
And so it's filled with bacteria. This frequently causes illness. and it robs already malnourished children of nutrients that their bodies desperately need. As far as housing in these areas, families live in flimsy shelters that are really unsafe. Sickness is widespread and there is very little access to medical care.
For the average family, school is unaffordable. And so that prevents kids from getting the education, which could actually be what lifts them out of poverty. And it's an area that relies heavily on agriculture. And Malawi has experienced historic droughts the last couple of years, which have decimated crop production and further worsened the crisis, especially in these rural areas. And yet, amid all of these struggles, we also see resilience.
These are hardworking people. They're doing their best, they're just trying to get by, and they're clinging to that faint hope that someday their lives and their kids' lives might improve. Yeah, I can imagine. You mentioned the water situation. I want to talk about that for a moment.
What does it really mean for a child's health, this contaminated water, and how that relates to their ability to stay in school and even build a future? Yeah, well, on a practical level, as we mentioned, drinking unclean water often leads to repeated illnesses. And kids, especially girls, often will help women with the gathering of water.
So they walk long distances multiple times a day to collect water. All of these hours spent collecting water each day is valuable time lost, not only for those kids, but it prevents women from being able to earn additional income, which could help their families. And so then school fees wind up being unaffordable. All of these different factors contribute ultimately to keeping kids out of the classroom. And then, even for some of the kids that are able to go to school, they're not healthy.
And that has a huge impact on their development, their ability to be able to learn and to focus.
So, their education is hindered in both the short and the long term as they just keep falling further and further behind. That is heartbreaking. But Cross International doesn't just respond in the moment. You really take a thoughtful long-term approach, don't you? Yeah, and key to that, Rob, is partnership.
If I could just share a brief clip from our President and CEO, Zach Olis, and he explains what our approach looks like. We prioritize working with local ministries to break poverty cycles. Because we're not a ministry that will parachute ideas from the outside. We want to have sustained, long-lasting change. We want to make sure that it's the ideas.
of the local community. to lift themselves out of poverty. Cross International just celebrated our 25th anniversary a couple of months ago, and more than 70% of our current local ministry partners have actually been with us for at least 10 years now.
So, we've had the privilege of being able to witness God working in communities to bring transformation over the long term in many different ways. And it's our partnership with people like you here in the U.S. that has allowed this work to continue. Cross International acts kind of like a bridge. and you are the ones who enable our ministry partners around the globe to do what they do.
Well, we're so honored to partner with you to provide food, clean water, and education and restore dignity and point hearts toward Jesus through this partnership. Folks, if you'd like to help us reach our goal of 250 children reached with the gospel and food and clean water, you can go to faithfi.com/slash cross. That's faithfi.com/slash cross. More with Aaron Griggs right around the corner. Stay with us.
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Take the first step toward peace and financial freedom today. Visit ChristianCreditCounselors.org. That's ChristianCreditCounselors.org. In rural Malawi, many children wake up each day unsure if they'll eat and relying on water that can make them sick. Today, we're talking about the work of Cross International and the partnership with Faith Phi this quarter to reach 250 children, not only with clean water and food, but with the gospel of Jesus Christ, but done in a way that leads to long-term transformation.
With us today, our friend Aaron Griggs with Cross International. By the way, if you'd like to help reach one of these children with life-saving food and the gospel and pulling them out of poverty, you can do that when you partner with us, faithfi.com/slash cross. Aaron, we were talking about this village in Tanganika, that's in rural Malawi. And we were talking about really the approach you take at Cross International that leads to long-term transformation. How does that lasting change begin?
again. Yes, so in Tanganika Village, there in Malawi, we partner with Ambuya Development Center, where we offer an after school program that has been growing a lot over the past number of years and now hosts several hundred children each day. And I'd like to introduce you to one of those kids. She's a young girl named Bree. She's six years old.
Middle of three children. and long before she began attending the program her dad passed away. That left her mom to raise Bree and her siblings alone. And then, to make matters worse, relatives on Bree's father's side rejected them. And they actually took away all of her family's property.
Left with nowhere else to go, Bree's mom, who, by the way, her name is Aness. She moved the family into a two-room thatched house, just very basic. That a woman that Anesse worked for let them stay in on a temporary basis. That house had no ventilation, the roof would leak anytime it rained. And too much rain could cause the house to collapse, so it really wasn't a safe place to be, especially for kids.
Bree often would go to bed without having eaten all day. She was frequently sick from drinking unclean water. Her mom, meanwhile, could only find seasonal work that didn't pay nearly enough. and school was completely out of the question. But everything changed when Bree was invited to Cross International's after-school program.
her school fees were paid for, allowing her to return to the classroom. Like all of the other kids attending the program, she receives a nutritious hot meal daily. She gets help with her schoolwork, enjoys fun games and activities. Gets to spend time just being a kid, hanging out with her friends, and she's taught Bible lessons and praise while she's there. Bree has a giving heart.
She loves to help others. And she tells us when she grows up, she wants to be on an airplane. She wants to be an airline hostess. She also shared with us that her favorite Bible story is that of Zacchaeus. Bree likes that he was so determined to see Jesus that he climbed all the way up a tree.
And then Jesus responded by going and actually eating with him at his house. Bree understands now that Jesus loves her too, and he is always with her.
So we can see seeds of faith being planted in her heart at a very young age. That is incredible. And that spiritual foundation, Erin, really sits at the center of everything that you do at Cross International, doesn't it? It certainly does. One of our local leaders there in Malawi, Dr.
Victor Madzia Kapita, who is the director of Ambuya, speaks powerfully about that. He says that children need to learn the gospel while they are young, to know the Word of God early in life. Because when they grow without it, it becomes difficult later on in life. They can be able to survive, they can be able to know that my life. The provider is gone.
All of us are just servants, and it's God Himself who is caring for them, and they will understand where to cry to, who to pray to, in order for them to improve their lives and improve their livelihood. But also, we have an admin goal that we want as many people as possible to enter the kingdom of God. Wow, that's powerful. Serving practical needs while pointing people to Christ. Erin, how have you seen this after school program impact families and even the broader community there?
Yeah, Rob.
Well, going back to Bree's family, Bree's mom, Anesse, who we talked about, not only does she no longer have to worry about whether she can afford to send her kids to school. But Cross International has helped Anes launch her own small business.
so that she can provide for her family in a way that's sustainable. and in this way restoring dignity and bringing hope for a brighter future. The center has become kind of like a second home for this family and other families. In S frequently stops by the center where she participates in prayer sessions. and received support and encouragement both as a single mom and in her walk with the Lord.
To paint a little picture for you, the after-school program itself takes place in a large fellowship hall that Cross funded construction of several years ago. And that building has turned into a community hub of sorts. It's used not only for that after-school program, but also on the weekends for worship services. And then it's opened up for other community events as well. Also in the community, Cross has been able to provide clean water and housing.
And so, as we meet all of these practical needs - food, education, clean water, housing. It opens the door then to share the love of Christ with families throughout the village. And all of this is possible because of the generosity of faithful Christ followers, including many FaithFi listeners who have partnered with us. Yeah.
Well, we're so excited about that. And this work isn't finished yet. I know there's still more children hoping for the same opportunity, isn't there? Yeah, Robin, we love telling stories of impact, but uh the sad reality is that in an area that is this impoverished, there are many more kids that are waiting to get into the program. And oftentimes, we have to say no to many struggling families because there's simply not enough funding.
That includes. Families with single moms. It includes grandparents who are raising their grandkids because those kids' parents passed away.
So the need is great, but so is the opportunity. Mm. And that's why we're here asking for you to join us to change the life of a child like Bree, or perhaps five or ten kids. impacting entire families and communities in the process. I'm reminded of The account in the Gospels where A young boy gave his five loaves of bread and two fish to Jesus.
And you know the rest of the story. Jesus took that humble offering and he multiplied it to feed the hungry crowd of 5,000 men and probably closer to 10 or even 20,000 people when you count women and children.
Now, of course, the size of the offering really wasn't important. Jesus could have performed the same miracle with three loaves and one fish or with any amount. But what matters is that the boy willingly gave all he had to Jesus. You see, God doesn't ask us to change the whole world, He simply calls us to be faithful. With our time, with our talents, with our resources, and trust Him to do the rest.
There is no limit to what God can do. And as we follow Christ together, What a difference we can all make. There's no doubt about that. And that's why we are so excited here at Faith Phi to partner with Cross International this month. We're trying to lift 250 children out of poverty in places like rural Malawi that you just heard Aaron describe.
And we want to say thanks to those who have already helped us make great progress toward this goal. We're not there yet. We'd love to even pass right by it. Every gift of $62 provides school fees, daily meals, clean water, and biblical teaching that points children and their families to Christ. You can give right now at faithphy.com/slash cross.
This is not a monthly amount. We're asking for one-time gifts, faithfi.com/slash cross. Aaron, thanks for being with us today. Thanks, Rob. I appreciate it.
That's Aaron Griggs with Cross International. Again, folks, if you want to help lift one of these children out of poverty, faithfy.com/slash cross. That's faithfi.com/slash cross. We'll be back with your questions after this break.
So call right now, 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. Or if you'd prefer to email your question, send it to us at askrob at faithfield.com. I'm Rob West, and this is Faith and Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey. We'll be right back.
Faith I is grateful for support from One Ascent. One Ascent believes that your values inspire why you invest and how they can inspire how you invest. One Ascent's goal is to provide solutions designed for every need and invest in businesses that bless the people and places God has made. They want to help investors do well by doing good. To explore a new way of investing that aligns with your values.
More information is available at onascent.com and by clicking analyze my investments. It can be overwhelming to think about the needs around the world, but you can make a difference. FaithFi is teaming up with Cross International and you to help break the cycle of poverty in Malawi, Uganda, and Zambia. Our goal this month is to provide 100 kids with vital resources and the hope of Jesus. Change a child's life today at faith5.com slash cross.
That website again is faithfi.com slash cross. Thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance. For taking your calls and questions, we've got one line open. If you've got a financial question, call right now, 800-525-7000. Let's head to Texas.
Paul, go ahead. Yes. I know exactly how qualified charitable distributions work, and I've been exercising them through some of my fidelity. IRA accounts, I have a little bit of a very arcane question. I know that it comes to ordinary charitable distributions, There's this little thing called Uh contemporaneous.
And if you don't have that receipt in your hot little hand before you file your tax return, the IRS can consider that documentation invalid. I was wondering, is there the same kind of rules that might apply to the Q C D because I know in general they're not going to audit you. you know, because you're not deducting anything per se. But should they challenge it, like, hey, wait a minute, you took 10,000 onto this account. and blah, blah, blah, you need to prove it was a QCD, which in my case I think de facto from the day one, because I'm having Fidelity mail the checks to the charitable institution.
Do you have to play the contemporaneous game of having it in your hand? And what kind of documentation should you have at your disposal if the IRS questions you? Yeah, it's a great question. You know, I mean, when we look at charitable contributions, and this would apply to any gift, a charitable gift of $250 or more, you know, what you generally want is the charity's legal name, the date of the contribution, the amount received. And then a statement that no goods or services were provided in exchange for this gift.
And that can be a letter, or it can be an official donation receipt.
So, I think those are really the key ideas. And in terms of contemporaneous written agreement, yes, absolutely. And so, basically, you need to receive it, that written documentation that I just described, by the time you file your return or the due date, including extensions. It doesn't have to say QCD, and the IRA custodian doesn't have to report it as a QCD. The IRS relies on your records at the end of the day.
So, as long as you have that donation receipt, or letter, or email acknowledgement, and the written statement that no goods or services were provided, then I think that's really the key idea.
Okay.
Well, thank you. Maybe for the benefit of other listeners. You might want to tell them what that is because I was listening to you one day and I go, What? What are you telling me? I mean, now I have this magic age and I can shuffle free money out of the IRA.
So, anyway, thanks a lot.
Well, I appreciate that. And I will, Paul, because it's a great point. In fact, I got a call from a listener the other day who said, and she was literally laughing. I mean, it was the ultimate picture of that, you know, being a God-loving, a cheerful giver that we read about in the New Testament in this caller's voice. And she said, Rob, I'm giving to my church, to the building fund.
I'm giving more than I ever have before. I'm doing it out of my IRA as a qualified charitable distribution, and I'm having so much fun. And here's what Paul is talking about. Listen, folks, when you get money into an IRA, whether you put it into a 401k and then rolled it out or it went straight into a traditional IRA, remember, you got a tax deduction.
So the amount that went into your 401k or the amount that you put in that traditional IRA was excluded from your taxable income in the year of that contribution. All right, we're on the same page there. And then it grows. Tax deferred, meaning there's an umbrella over it. If the rain is the taxes, it hits the umbrella and goes off the side.
It doesn't touch the 401k or the IRA, which means the full amount of the money in those accounts, those pre-tax retirement accounts, is growing in the investments that you select. And then typically, when you hit retirement over 59 and a half, you roll that 401k after you separate from your employer over to an IRA, and then you start withdrawing it out. And you might take 4% a year and use it to supplement your Social Security. And every time you take a withdrawal, the total of all those distributions for the year get added to your taxable income, and then you pay tax on it.
Well, there's one exception where you can get that money that remember was not taxed going in. You can get it out without it ever hitting any kind of tax. In one case, if it goes straight to charity. doesn't come to you first and then it's given away it goes straight from your ira to a 501c3 charity which could be your church or faith fi or any ministry that's doing the work of jesus and and helping people and when you do that you don't ever pay tax on it it's incredible uh and so a hundred percent of that money that comes out of your ira going to that charity gets to work and advance god's kingdom without ever paying any tax on it. It's amazing.
Now, there is one rule. You have to be 70 and a half in order to do this. But if you're 70 and a half, you've got money in an IRA, you can send it straight to a charity. You just call your custodian, whoever sends you your statements from your IRA, and say, I want to do a qualified charitable distribution. In Paul's case, that's Fidelity.
He calls Fidelity. They mail a check to charity, his church or whoever else, he never pays tax on it. And now that money is advancing God's kingdom. And by the way, this year, you can do. I believe it's maybe 111,000.
We'll double-check that. But over $100,000 is the amount you can send out of your IRA. And here's the thing, and I'll get off my soapbox here, but so many people say, Rob, I'm gonna die in many cases with millions in my 401k that I never used. And I could get it to work right now. You remember Ron Blue said in the book, Splitting Airs, if you've read it, do your giving while you're living so you're knowing where it's going?
I love that. And maybe that's you today with money in your IRA that could be in God's kingdom now. Think about using the qualified charitable distribution. All right, I went on and on there. Let's go to Antoinette in Illinois.
You'll be our final caller. Go ahead. Yes, quickly. What's the difference between a rough IRA and a regular IRA? And the second question is for one K, can an individual open without being an employee?
And what's the max for all three? Yeah, great question.
So, the difference between a Roth and a traditional is just in the tax treatment.
So, they're both the first letter I for individual, they're both set up by an individual. And with the Roth, you put in after-tax dollars, so you make $7,000, you make a contribution of $7,000, you go ahead and pay the tax on the $7,000 you made, and then you get tax-free growth.
So as that money is invested, you don't pay any tax. On the gains with the traditional IRA, you put the $7,000 and you get a deduction.
So that's now excluded from your taxable income, and then you let it grow. And then, as you take it out, you pay the tax on it.
So that's the main difference on that. We'll have to get to that second half perhaps tomorrow. Thanks for your call, Antoinette.
Well, folks, that's going to do it for us today. Big thanks to my team today: the amazing Josh, Omar, Taylor, and Tahira, plus everybody here at Faith Fi. Listen, if you love the program, one of the things you could do to help us reach more people as a listener supported ministry is become a FaithFi partner when you support us at $35 a month or $400 a year. We'll send you great resources. Learn more at faithfy.com/slash partner.
We'll see you next time. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
