Loaves and Fishes International, Inc.

Mike and Deena Van’t Hul founded Loaves and Fishes International (LFI), a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation, in 2004.  The work of LFI flows from the story of the loaves and fishes.  In the story, there is a little boy with only 5 loaves and 2 small fish.  The boy gave all he had to his master; just a small little lunch.  His master took what the boy gave, broke it, multiplied it, and fed more than 5 thousand hungry people.  As we read this story, our hearts were moved.  We felt that we had been given so much, but we had so little to offer in return. 

As we thought about this little boy, we realized we didn’t need to have a lot; we just needed to give all that we have.  We’ve been given an abundant life; shouldn’t we share that with others?  Everyday our cry is, “God, break our hearts for what breaks your heart.  Show us how to love the world the way You love the world.  Teach our eyes to really see those who are crying and hurting and dying.  And when we see them, give us the grace, the love and the compassion to stop and give our lives.”  We don’t have much, but we do have arms to hug and hands to help. 

Our cries are being answered every day.  We are being shown the orphans, the poor and the broken hearted everywhere we go.  We are now serving internationally in a small village called Shadi.  This village is located just outside of Fuzhou, the capital city of the Fujian Province in the Peoples Republic of China.  Fuzhou is located on the southeast coast of China with a population of approximately 2,000,000 (see map for visual location).  The goal of LFI is to help babies and children in dire situations and give them the opportunity to know the love of a mother and father.

In order to do this, we moved our family of 5 to China, bought an old worn-down kindergarten school and turned it into a home for unwanted, special needs children.
The name of our home is “Hidden Treasures”.  We have had the awesome privilege to care for many babies and children who have been abandoned, abused and neglected.  They are rare treasures; hidden behind deformities, disabilities and social prejudices.  We have never seen such beauty, such grace, and such love before.  We have found something so rare and valuable hidden in these little treasures… what a sight to behold!  We often say that one smile from the sickest baby is worth more than any paycheck we ever received from our former life.

This is a little of our story.  It continues to unfold before our eyes everyday.  There is Hope for every single child.  Our desire is for everyone to know this Hope!