Hunger Is Heavier Than This Food
The elderly woman stood bent over and very frail. We were at the food distribution for destitute widows in the city of Adama, several years ago. This was their monthly food distribution. 20 widows would receive a life-sustaining gift of food that day. It was enough food to sustain them for the next 30 days.
This widow was about 80 years old, one of the oldest in the group. We had helpers who would carry the sacks of food out to waiting carts. One cart would take her, and the food, home. As the helper reached for the sack of food, the woman said “No! I will carry it!” “Hunger Weighs much more than this sack of food”! She struggled as the 40 pound sack was placed on her back, then, she shuffled out of that meeting place. I wanted to force her to let us help, but I realized that she needed the independence of carrying her own food. And, what she said was so true. Hunger truly is heavier than life-sustaining food.
We arrived again in Ethiopia last night after a 21-hour series of planes and layovers. I was struck once again, by how very far it is to Africa from McKinney Texas. I collapsed in bed after almost a full day of international travel. After breakfast this morning, we headed off to the city of Kore. This is the city that serves as the dump for the capital city of Addis Ababa. Kore is a desperate city! There are 150,000 people who live around the city dump, and many of them live off of what they can scavenge from the dump. They find things to sell, and they find food to eat. They live in one of the poorest cities on the face of the year. Almost 50% of the people are lepers, and almost 50% of the people in that city are HIV-positive.
Adoption 1:27 is one of the amazing ministries that we support through Streams of Mercy. Families in America can support a family living around that dump. It only costs $40 a month to change their lives.
Today was the day for the monthly food distribution in the city of Kore! It was a very emotional day for me. It brought me back to that time several years ago with that elderly widow. As we saw destitute families receive received life-sustaining food today, we realized once again, that small gifts to the most needy in this world can transform their lives. Adoption 1:27 cares for 97 destitute families in the city
of Kore.
