As I sat on the cushioned pew, my crossed leg bounced anxiously. I looked across the room and saw my friends' eyes intently focused to the front of the room, I followed their gaze and remembered what was going on. We were all the audience of a guest speaker, Laurie Kroll. She and her family had formed an organization in Uganda, called Village 2 Village. My aching stomach reminded me of why she was here, We were all fasting. Actually to be more specific we were all participating in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine.
Laurie had been talking for what seemed like the last hour about how they started the organization, and was now showing a video. She told us that they had been able to minister to 8/11 villages outside of the center of Uganda, and that the following footage was of their first trip to one of the three they hadn't worked in yet.
I watched as their van violently pulled into the bush, and stopped abruptly as it entered the village. They got out from the van and soon after, laid their eyes upon Sam and Esther. 7 year old brother and sister, each under 3' and less than 20 lbs. They laid in the dirt, on their stomachs in the middle of the small village. They both had polio and therefore, could not walk, or even speak. They had no food either and it was obvious to see that they were starving to death.
The sight hit me hard, I could barely stand to look at the screen any longer, but forced myself to watch despite my disturbance. I knew it was my duty to see these horrible things, for if I purposely didn't then I am no better than all the other people, who choose not to see our world at its worse, and ignore such heart wrenching issues. Those people are convinced that there is no hope for the poor and impoverished, and that there's nothing they can do to help.
But I know there is something I can do, something we all can do. I cannot help and save everyone, but I can help at least one person and thats enough. I cannot allow my human nature to convince me that I can do nothing, and that I am useless. For I am not, God has made me special, shaping each part of me and my passions, after his own heart. As I sit here now writing this blog I feel assured that ending poverty and hunger is my passion. Watching Sam and Esther's video, re-kindled my heart for all the hurting and hungry people, and I am trusting God to use me to help people like them.