Greetings!
Can you believe it is the end of the year already? What a year! I think we all can say that God has blessed us. While we have had some challenges this year, we can say that God has kept us!
Professionally, I have the distinct opportunity to raise money for people in developing countries. I have met so many people all over the world and they are just like us. They have the same struggles and the same needs and desires as we have. But, financially, we are far more blessed.
Sorry if this gets a little long, but please read it and bear with me...
In those times when we feel a pang of hunger, we quickly go make a sandwich, go through a drive-through, or sit down in a cafe and have a meal. We know what that pang feels like and we are blessed to be able to answer it with a satisfying response. Imagine not being able to answer that response—for days and sometimes weeks.
I just learned the story of Jane, a mother in Kenya. The strain of hunger and drought-driven poverty nearly destroyed her family. The best Jane could hope for was to grow enough potatoes and peas to survive the drought and feed her four children. They were simply hungry.
Let me tell you, I've been to Kenya, walked over completely dry riverbeds, seen the dry cracked ground, and coughed up dry sand that formed in my mouth. (
Here's a photo from my personal collection
.) Baby, it's dry!
But, through one of the programs of my employer, Lutheran World Relief, Jane's family was saved. She learned to grow strawberries, which don't take much water. And, she was able to sell some of the strawberries to earn an income.
Why are you telling me this story?
Here's why... there are so many WOMEN, like Jane, who just need us to "see" them. Like Jesus, He was masterful at seeing the needs of those that He encountered. We, too, can be like Him.
During this holiday season, when we are filling our bellies on all of the delicious homemade treats and relishing in our family traditions, let's take time to look around and see someone who may be hungry or in great need. Let's make the effort to share what we have with them.
Peace & Blessings,
