Norman B. Rohrer - One at a Time: The Life, Passion, and Ongoing Global Impact of Larry Ward

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ONE AT A TIME:

THE LIFE, PASSION, AND

ONGOING GLOBAL IMPACT

OF LARRY WARD

ISBN 978-0-692-39623-0

Copyright 2015 Food for the Hungry

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

TO THE POOR IN A RICH WORLD

CONTENTS

Wherever I am,

though far away

at the ends of the earth,

I will cry to you

for help.

PSALM 61:2

from the flyleaf of

Larry Wards Living Bible

FORETHOUGHTS

F EW MEN are as strong, need less sleep, can read as fast, have traveled as many miles, have seen as much suffering, as Lawrence Edward Ward; but the theme of this book focuses on none of the above. This is the record of a man tenanted by love, joy, and worship, a man with the courage to trust God in the paragraphs as well as in the chapters of his work.

In 1957, when I met Larry in Los Angeles I knew that a treasured friend had entered my presence. That chance meeting altered the course of my life. I hope this encounter will do the same for you.

Since that meeting, I have worked with him in various editorial positions, listened to him preach, read his reports about Gods earth-wide enterprise, laughed at his artful and diplomatic wit, felt his shoulder-bruising welcome-home hug (a leftover from college wrestling), joined his Skippers Anonymous Club (joggers never look like theyre having fun), watched him pray for the emaciated and dying, joined him in the halls of the mighty, and became a supporter of the relief and development projects of Food for the Hungry, which he founded.

Is he perfect? Following the first interview for this book Larry wrote a note incorporating Lincolns words to his portraitist: Leave the warts in. Larry is sometimes criticized by judgmental Americans for his metabolism that has turned from thickset into paunchy. He can sing off-key, detests mice, suffers from loneliness when absent from his wife and children, can be angered by the tyranny of little minds or by an associate who dismisses a problem as insoluble, and fears taking credit for godsends.

Larrys affirmations come not alone from his peers, or from a book, but rather from the impoverished of the world whom God delivered because, as did the psalmist, this man cried and God heard him and delivered many out of all their troubles.

Dietrich Bonheoffer described Jesus Christ as the man for others. I think of Larry Ward, the Lords servant, in corresponding terms.

NORMAN B. ROHRER

INTRODUCTION (2015)

T HE STORY that unfolds in the coming pages recounts the amazing life and faithfulness of Dr. Larry Ward, the founder and first president of Food for the Hungry, an organization that currently serves over 9.5 million people in over twenty countries and is still actively working to end poverty in some of the most vulnerable areas of the world. This book, originally titled, This Poor Man Cried, was written by Larry Wards friend and associate, Norman B. Rohrer, and was first published in 1984 by Tyndale House Publishers. It has been updated to reflect the incredible impact that Food for the Hungry has made on global poverty in recent times and the dire necessity of the organizations continued assignments. The mission of Food for the Hungry, including its core principles, is still very much driven by the vision, the unwavering faith in Gods provision, and the often larger-than-life (but true) stories of its founding president.

That vision can be traced back to 1970, when God began to intensify a burden for the worlds most at-risk people in the heart of Dr. Ward. Having worked at World Vision for several years in the 1960s, the former editor of Christianity Today had witnessed first-hand the dire realities and extreme plight of the poor from all around the world. One evening, he dreamed he was looking into the faces of 12,000 people all dying of starvation. Ward would express the profound calling that God had placed on his heart with moving clarity: About all I could do in my prayer was admit to God that the great overwhelming burden for a hungry worldwhich so long and so slowly had been forming in my heart and mindhad now suddenly crystallized into something specific, sharp, prodding. Larry did the only thing he could think of, which was to kneel down beside his bed and pray, Here am I, Lord, send me.

So in September 1970, Larry Ward resigned from his place at World Vision at the age forty-five to begin a new career with a single focus and the desperate mission of feeding starving people. On a trans-Pacific flight, Larry (along with his twelve-year old son Kevin), was inspired by their reading of Psalm 146:7, He upholds the cause of the oppressed and givesfood to the hungry. Less than a year later, in January 1971, the first Board of Directors was assembled, and Food for the Hungry was established in the United States.

Moved by a broken heart from seeing the reality of a hungry world and inspired to action by the Word of God, Ward hoped that Food for the Hungry could become an international body comprised of organizations reaching out to help the poor, in his words, one person at a time. Early in his ministry, he had prayed, Father, what can I do? Im just one person. God responded to Larry Ward with a clear and audible answer, But they die one at a timeso we can help them one at a time. And we must. Gods vivid answer to Larrys prayerful question would become an encouragement for the many who would come after him. Food for the Hungry would always remain grounded in the divine truth that one person can make a difference. Even after its initial decade of ministry (just several years before the first publication of This Poor Man Cried), Food for the Hungry had quickly proven Gods faithfulness to their mission by impacting the world far beyond what one person could do alone in the battle against hunger and poverty.

In 1980, the first step toward Larry Wards continued vision of an international body became a reality with the founding of Food for the Hungry International (FHI) in Geneva, Switzerland. The mission would expand exponentially to implement unified relief and development programs in locations all over the world through an international partnership of supporting national organizations or affiliates. Consequently, Japan International Food for the Hungry (JIFH) was established just a year later in 1981.

In 1984, Larry Ward decided it was time to step down as the president of the mission organization that God had planted in his heart. But, the mission that had grown from his compassion continued to flourish. Today, Food for the Hungry has served the poor of the world for over 45 years. Throughout that time, the world has changed and along with it the needs and challenges of the very people that Food for the Hungry has remained steadfastly committed to serving. After Wards departure, God continued to provide (in His own perfect timing) remarkable leaders such as Dr. Ted Yamamori, Ben Homan, and todays CEO Gary Edmonds. Each are uniquely gifted to help Food for the Hungry to effectively address the latest global challenges of the poor and oppressed. No matter the incarnation of leadership, Food for the Hungry has throughout its history, remained steadfastly grounded in the vision God imparted to its founding president, Dr. Larry Ward.

To appreciate the dramatic impact and distinctive mission of this remarkable organization, it is true that you must first understand the extraordinary life and unshakeable faith of its organizer. The current President of Food for the Hungry, Gary Edmonds, speaks in reverent terms about the eternal impact of Dr. Wards life on the poor and oppressed of our 21st century world, Larrys spirit is at the very foundation of Food for the Hungry. His maverick mentality, his unbelievable faith in God, his unwavering courage to charge into the worlds hardest (and often most dangerous) places in order to help the most vulnerable people, still drives each and every one of us who are involved in the work he began in 1971.

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