Simple yet thought provoking

Over the last two months, I have encountered many simple yet incredibly thought provoking situations.  In now directing the Convoy of Hope Nurturing Hope nutrition programs, I have recently done a great deal of travel to many different countries.  Thoughts, images, and scenarios are simply not done justice by words, but I will attempt to try...

In Haiti...
I was returning from my short lunch break from the mission house atop the hill.  Walking past the open air school lunch area, I saw two little boys, about the age of 6, huddled in the corner.  As I looked more closely, I noticed that each boy had a small tin can in hand and was dishing the leftover soup mix from lunch into the container.  Though I didn't stop to ask, the food was either being taken home to share with brothers and sisters or was being saved for their next meal.

It's really incredible the harsh reality that these little boys face on a daily basis.  Food insecurity is not just a headline, instead it is the "norm" for many children like these little ones around the world.

In El Salvador...

Early Monday morning, I arrived at one of the Nurturing Hope schools, San Jose El Naranjo, with a team of ladies ready to begin a school rehab project.  Still feeling half asleep as I walked through the front school gates, a little girl ran up to me and gave me a great big hug.  From that moment until the last afternoon at the school, she was my constant companion.  Maria was her name.  With each day that passed, she opened up more and more, sharing with me all sorts of fun details.  However, I wasn't really prepared when she pulled on my arm Thursday afternoon and whispered in my ear, "Tengo hambre (I'm hungry)".  My heart broke.  I asked her if she had eaten lunch, to which she responded yes.  The reality was that Maria was hungry because she only ate lunch that day.  Like many children in her village, her family struggles to make ends meet and put food on the table, so school lunch is her one meal per day.

Though the words "tengo hambre" represent physical hunger, this little girl is in need of so much more.  As any other child in this world, she has a need to be nurtured into becoming a beautiful child of God with many opportunities in front of her.

Thankfully, through the Nurturing Hope Programs, children like the two little boys in Haiti and Maria are learning about Jesus and receiving nourishment physically, mentally, and socially!