Hunger

My name is Jondor and I am seven years old. My mom, dad, and sister live in our cardboard house near the garbage dump. Mommy says I will have another baby brother or sister soon. The garbage dump is where I play, sometimes eat, and help my parents search for things they can sell. It smells there, but my friends and I like to try to hit rats with a stick. My friend, Tampor, got bit on the hand by a rat the other day. His mommy says he is really sick now, so he can't go to play.

Most days mommy makes one meal with rice and fermented anchovies. But, usually I am hungry. Any other food I get comes from the trucks that dump loads everyday at the garbage area. I have all day to hunt and play at the dump. My friends and I like to go early in the morning because we can often find some really cool stuff and the food we find doesn't always stink. You want to go play "hit the rat" with me?

Reflecting through a Child's Eyes:

• Take a few moments to imagine Jondor's home and neighborhood. What sights would you see outside his cardboard box home? What are the smells? Doe the smell remind you of anything? What are some of the sounds he might hear in the middle of the night? How do you think he feels waking up in the morning in his cardboard box house?
• Think of a time when you were really, really hungry. How did that feel? What were your thoughts? What did you feel after you had eaten something?
• Try this: Don't have your afternoon soda or candy bar or morning coffee. Instead, give that money to an organization that helps to eliminate hunger in the world. Try it for a week and see how you feel. Then try it for a month.
• Spend a few moments thinking about Jondor and his family. If you could say or do one thing for them what would it be? Offer a prayer for his family and others like him throughout the world.

Reflecting through God's Word:

• Read Matthew 25:34-46. What is Jesus talking about in this passage? Who is he talking to? What does this passage have to say to the church today?
• Based on the above passage, does your lack of generosity cause other people to make unfair decisions? Let's suppose you can't afford to buy food for your children. How would you fee about that? What would you tell your children? What would you do about it if there was absolutely no way to earn money? Would you become a beggar? Would you steal? Would you give your child away for adoption? Would you go to another country to try to earn a living while leaving your children alone with your spouse?

Prayer:
Creator and Life Sustainer, we confess lives of over-consumption in a world of great need and hunger. Forgive our lifestyles of abundance. Help us to become people of simpler lifestyles so that others might have enough. We pray for children like Jondor who wake up hungry every day of their lives. We pray that every tummy is soon filled with nutritious food and clean water. Help us make that prayer a reality. In Christ's name, who is the Bread of Life, we pray. Amen.

Resources:
Printable Version — pdf / Word
Graphics
The Hunger Project —http://www.thp.org
Bread for the World— http://www.bread.org
World Vision—http://www.worldvision.org
Stop the Hunger— http://www.stopthehunger.com
Second Harvest— www.secondharvest.org
Ending Hunger in our Lifetime: Food Security and Globalization - C. Ford Funge