There are so many things happening so fast in the world that it is difficult to focus. The Senate released results of its investigation into Joe Biden using his position as Vice President to enrich himself and his family through a vast network of bribery and financial espionage in Russia, Ukraine, and China—the very things, and worse, that he and his political party were accusing President Trump of doing. Additionally, Trump has announced his Supreme Court nominee, already under extreme attack by the media and Democrats. And the Presidential Debates are upcoming. We will report on all these events, but first, to kick off the week, I want to share with you about what some people are dealing with each day.
While we debate politics and corruption, there are those who are wondering when they will eat next. Over the weekend, across on the other side of the world, there are hungry children who have parents that can only try to feed them and their selves. From our church setting in the US, we were fortunate to participate in feeding a community in Ghana, West Africa. Pastor William Agbeti had arranged to feed children and their parents nutritious meals and he was able to “live feed” us through video technology. We actually were able to see and speak to some of the people he and the volunteers were feeding. Here is a report written in Agbeti’s words:
“No child should go to bed hungry. That thought kept ringing in my mind as we set up in the middle of a typical compound house in a run-down neighborhood at Osu, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. Compound houses have several single rooms, inhabited mostly by poor families who share common areas, as well as toilets and open bathrooms, without running water. Bedrooms are crammed with lots of children, becoming common sleeping places at night. It’s from such background that over 200 children and some parents came for hot meals, nutritious drinks and apples. Many of the children ate apples for the first time in their lives. One 6-year-old had quickly eaten his meal, returned to the service table with the last piece of an apple in his mouth. He wanted some more. I had to hold myself in check, else I wouldn’t be able to stop weeping!
“Originally, we planned to serve 200 children. We ended up serving 250, still counting more children and parents who could not be helped. As a rule, the extra 50 people were served from a reserve supply we always keep for eventualities. The rest we couldn’t help! It became a heavy burden on us too, as we saw many also burdened with hunger! Isaiah 58:7 says, “Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?” At least, many will go to bed for a night on full stomachs, with broad smiles on their faces, dreaming about apples!” As we watched from the US, I couldn’t help but think there are people who are hungry spiritually and physically, and we are so consumed with politics that we don’t notice.
