Between 8-10 pm on Friday, February 10, approximately 1,800 children died of malnutrition in the horn of Africa. During that time 52 members of the Great Lakes Adventist Youth Federation in Minnesota stood watching a slide presentation at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church of children in need of emergency food, and knowing that we would “Do Our Honest Part” by joining with Feed My Starving Children to be a part of one of the biggest food packing events we’ve ever seen.
Our mission was to help pack 1.5 million meals to be sent as emergency hunger relief to children in Haiti and the horn of Africa. And we did just that. The people in our group came from the Capital Fellowship Pathfinder Club, the Ebenezer Fellowship Church and the Federation TLT Committee. That evening we were joining 433 volunteers from all over the city to pack 511 boxes of Manna Rice Meals.
These boxes produced 110,376 meals, which will feed 302 children for an entire year. The speaker shared facts that brought some of us to tears, but by the end of the two hour event we all shared a sense of knowing God used us this Sabbath evening to help feed His starving children. As our tears dried and smiles began to fill the room, we knew that God was showing us that we are here to serve in action, not just in words. Mathew 25:35 says, “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
My prayer is that God will bless the meals we helped pack to go safely into the hands of the children in need. I also pray that we will continue to share our time, resources and hands in serving others.
Author Shawn Walls is Central States Conference M.A.P coordinator.
