Blog Tour & Review with Giveaway: Tears Water the Seeds of Hope

Title: Tears Water the Seeds of Hope
Author: Kim Tews
Series: n/a

Summary: Tears Water the Seeds of Hope is the inspiring true story of a Midwest husband and wife that become disenchanted with the relentless pursuit of the American Dream and embark on a journey that spans six countries and redefines their values and lives. The story begins in a small town in Wisconsin and weaves its way through South and Central America as the couple gathers an army of supporters and establishes an organization to save the lives of children in the end stages of starvation in eastern Guatemala.

My Thoughts: Tears Water the Seeds of Hope by Kim Tews is a remarkable story. It is amazing to me to see what can be accomplished when someone decides to switch the focus of their life from accumulating wealth to helping those in need. The difference they are making in the lives of these Guatemalan children – and their families – is astounding. Not only are they helping these children become healthy – and stay healthy – they are also ministering to these people’s spirits. Simply by loving and giving as they do, they exemplify the love of the Heavenly Father.

While the book covers a somber subject, it is full of hope. The author acknowledges that not all stories have happy endings, but focuses on the positives. On those with good outcomes. Those that show just how awesome the work she, Randy, and others with OWH are doing. It is heartwarming to see these successes, especially when there are so many sad, seemingly hopeless, situations for many of these people.

The book reads quickly, and is written in a conversational tone. You can see just how much Kim cares for these people she’s reaching out to, and just how much of a difference her organization’s efforts are making in the lives of others.

Source: Received through Great Escapes Book Tours for review. (Click the button below for more tour stops.)

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)
Other purchase links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Tears Water the Seeds of Hope

About the Author: Kim Tews was raised in Madison, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Economics. She and husband, Randy, pursued careers in real estate before beginning mission work together in Ecuador, South America in 2001. In 2005 they established the 501 (c) 3 non-profit Outreach for World Hope to save the lives of starving children in eastern Guatemala. The couple lives in Verona, Wisconsin with their three children, traveling back and forth to Guatemala frequently to facilitate the ongoing programs of Outreach for World Hope.

Kim can be found on her website and Facebook.

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I also have a lovely guest post written by Kim. Enjoy!

A Search for Meaning
By Kim Tews

How disappointing it can be when we accomplish everything we have ever dreamed of and are still left with the feeling that something is missing. My husband, Randy, and I had been blessed with successful real estate careers, a supersized house, two SUVs and two beautiful daughters. We were living the “America Dream” yet there was a hole in our lives. We had become so busy in our careers as Realtors® that we began to feel like gerbils on a wheel, and it occurred to us that there had to be more to life than striving for success and wealth.

While on a vacation in Mexico during a casual conversation with other tourists, we were invited on a mission trip to Ecuador to provide drinking water systems in villages plagued by waterborne disease. We accepted, and through our travels in Ecuador and later Nicaragua, we fell in love with mission work and learned that making a difference in the lives of others is a source of immeasurable joy and fulfillment. We continued these trips and eventually found ourselves in drought- and famine-stricken Guatemala. The following excerpt from my new book Tears Water the Seeds of Hope is set in a Wisconsin restaurant and describes the experience that led us to establish the 501(c) 3 non-profit Outreach for World Hope to save the lives of starving children in eastern Guatemala.

Under normal circumstances, I would have enjoyed the warm breeze and the glow of the festive colored tiki lights on the outdoor deck with the sense of carefree recreation that midwestern families enjoy when school is out and the days are longer. Randy shook his head, smiling as our two daughters took turns throwing harmless jabs at one another, each laughing hysterically at her own jokes. I felt as if I were watching the scene from a distance, fighting back tears as my mind returned to the children I had seen two days earlier in a squalid hospital in drought and famine-stricken eastern Guatemala—a scene that would change me forever and wreck me once and for all for the relentless pursuit of the American Dream. I was haunted by the forlorn faces of two children whose hopeless situation had laid the framework for the rest of my life.

Elias, the severely starved two-year-old boy, was scarcely more than skin and bones. Hair was a luxury his body could not afford, as the nutrients available to him were barely enough to keep his vital organs functioning. His face was sunken and pale, the outline of his ribs and spine clearly visible through his thin layer of skin. He had been carried by his barefooted ten-year-old sister from El Volcancito, their remote mountain village several miles away, into the small town of Jocotan, in hopes that his life could be saved. The mother of the children was bedridden with a debilitating illness for which she could not afford treatment. My heart broke as much for the boy, barely hanging on and suffering miserably, as for the young girl, exhausted and saddled with the crushing responsibility of keeping her baby brother alive.

I am often asked about the meaning of the book title Tears Water the Seeds of Hope. I believe that the sadness and anger that result from situations like that described above compel us to take action to incite change. The tears we cried convicted us to plant the seeds of hope for the families of eastern Guatemala. We were forced to let go of the material wealth we had held so dear, discovering that the path to fulfillment and joy does not lie in material possessions or career success, but rather in the knowledge that one has truly mattered, making the world a better place for others through compassion and love.

Many feel overwhelmed by the tremendous need in the world, mistakenly believing that what one can do is just “a drop in the bucket.” But that should not stop us from changing the world one kind deed at a time, wherever we are and with whatever we can spare. If each of us gave only enough of our time or resources to feel the slightest pinch of sacrifice, there would be not one hungry child and every village would have safe drinking water. The truest blessing is the joy we feel as we strive to bless others. We are not all called to the same causes, but as human beings we have a responsibility to matter for the common good. The voice in our hearts can be quieted, but not silenced by distraction and apathy. The potential cumulative effect of what each individual can do is cause for hope. As one of the most ordinary and inadequate members of God’s relay team, I promise you can make a difference if you choose to identify and carry your baton.

Kim Tews
Author – Tears Water the Seeds of Hope
www.tearswatertheseedsofhope.com
Founder – Outreach for World Hope
www.ourteachforworldhope.org

Thank you, Kim!

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GIVEAWAY TIME!

I am able to offer 1 lucky reader a copy of Tears Water the Seeds of Hope! I do not require anything in order for you to enter. Simply leave a comment to on this post. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. (Central) Saturday, October 27, 2012. The winner will be chosen randomly with the help of the WordPress plugin And the Winner Is… I will send the lucky winner an e-mail notification. (It will come from proudbooknerd(at)gmail(dot)com, so make sure to add this address to your safe list or address book to ensure it doesn’t get lost in junk/bulk mail.) If I do not get a response within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. With apologies to those of you abroad, this giveaway is only open to readers in the U.S. and Canada.
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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own. Any exceptions to this are clearly noted in the appropriate posts.

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