Feeding Program

I would say one of the most eye opening experiences of the whole trip was the feeding program we helped with on Saturday evening. It was the first real experience we had with the kids in the community as we had just arrived the day before and during the day Saturday we attended a soccer game where mostly they all just stared at the white people and we didn't get to interact much.

We watched as close to 100 kids filed into the gates of Respire school and onto the soccer field to wait for a meal. This was our first time being exposed to how badly these kids just want affection, how much they just want us to hold their hand, pick them up, or sit on the ground while they pile into our laps. We played for a while, then shared the story of Joseph through a skit with translators. They clapped and sang all while their little tummy's rumbled from hunger. They were never impolite or pushy, they just simply waited for meal time. Then they waited in line for their hands to be sanitized. We started with the smallest and ended with the oldest. We carried plates of the rice mixture to sit with the babies of the group and help them eat. They cleared their plates. I watched in awe as they shoveled in every last bite, it didn't matter if it touched the ground first. I can't get Lydia to finish her dinner and here these kids wiped their plates clean.

The siblings took care of each other, the oldest often times helping their younger siblings to eat then packing their dinner away to take with them, not taking one bite for themselves. The selflessness of this act hit my heart so hard. I pictured Lydia walking up that mountain carrying Garrett or holding his hand. Most them walked from close by but there were a few they said that come from outside of the city to eat on Saturdays.

We never let the kids see us cry but on the way down the mountain a team member and I let it all sink in, let the reality of the situation hit us. It was hard to witness but so good to know they receive this meal every week. It's so good to know they are hearing the gospel and eating among believers who are helping them put on their shoes to walk back down the mountain and who are helping them eat so they can sleep without hungry tummy's.

It was my first experience witnessing true hunger and it's a day I won't forget, I pray I don't forget the look on their faces, the clean plates, the hands that grabbed mine...those are what will keep me in action and keep me accountable to keep traveling to meet them where they are, to raise funds and to keep telling their story! Hopefully, spurring others to do the same.