"Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" -Isaiah 58:6-7
Anyone that has fasted, gone without food or water, for a day or longer understands it's a sacrifice. There is a great lack of appreciation for food until we're hungry. Similar to many aspects of life, we have a difficult time appreciating what we are blessed with until we don't have it anymore. To fast is to deliberately give up something we enjoy for a period of time. Biblically it is used as a way to seek God, as often times his presence is much more obvious in our weakness. In the case of Isaiah 58, the Israelites were fasting as a way to receive blessing from the Lord. The above passage is God's response to their fast. What is the point of giving up food if you're not going to provide those in need of food? Why would you set aside your own need if not to tend to the needs of others? Personally, I have a long ways to go when it comes to sacrificing to provide for the needs of others, but I know when we set our own personal desires aside God opens doors for us to provide for others.
Today was a tremendous blessing to be able to provide food for 30 or so people who spend their day digging through the trash dump for things to eat and recycle. Unfortunately it began pouring rain as we got to the dump, so we were unable to drive all the way down the hill to where all the kids were digging through the trash. All those still digging through the garbage as it poured rain eagerly sprinted up to us when they saw we were giving them food. I can't say I've ever seen or experienced hunger in the way these people were hungry. Rice, beans and a tortilla, a meal that most of us Americans would pass up, was treated as if we were handing out T-bone steaks and lobster. It's difficult to imagine a day to day life of digging through garbage to survive, but it's the lives of hundreds of Nicaraguans just in Matagalpa. You can see in one of the pictures below a group of about 100 scavenging birds along with several stray dogs that are feeding on the outskirts of the dump. It's a humbling experience to see human beings digging through what most have thrown away, along with stray dogs and birds, to survive.
All of the food we provided, along with the styrofoam containers and spoons, cost about $20 in total to provide for 30 people. If you would like to help in this ministry you may donate through the link below or send a check, with a specified note for this ministry, to the Laurel Church of Christ, 714 East 5th St, Laurel Montana 59044. Thank you all for reading. May God bless you and open doors for you to bless others!
Poor picture taking is enhanced in rainy conditions haha
No comments:
Post a Comment