Sometimes It Hits Me...Hard

We show up at Ebenezer around 9:00 am every day.  The work there has been well underway.  I immediately get out of the car and walk to the “kitchen” to tell my new friends, the school cooks, good morning.  Then I walk myself to a chair under the shade tree and watch what is happening around me.  I see preschool children in their classes learning and singing. I see a 3 year old boy skipping class so he can come say hello to the Mzungu children.  I see a 15 year old down syndrome boy smiling from ear to ear and walking my way.  All while I continue to watch my new friends cook over an open fire for about 100 students.   What are they making?  Porridge.  Around 10:00 each morning the children get porridge.  As I watched them cook it, I thought, “I am going to help them serve it today.”  I have done this before.  Every time I have been here.  For every meal I have been here.  I have always loved bringing the children their cup of porridge or bowl of rice and beans.  But today I wanted to help serve it…not just walk it to the children.  I asked Christine If I could help and with her beautiful smile and thick Ugandan accent she said, “yes.”  So I stood next to her and scooped a cup of porridge into another cup and handed it to a child.  About 5 minutes into it she looked at me and said, “These children get half.”  Half?  She meant half a cup.  So I started filling the cups halfway.  I am looking into a bucket of porridge and then up at a sweet face and thinking, “I am giving you half a cup of flour and water.”  Half a cup.  Of flour and water.  I swallowed back tears, hugged my sweet Evelyn and prayed for those children.  I filled every cup until each child had their porridge.  I then turned around to see another cook mixing flour and water over the fire…lunch.  Lunch is not porridge though.  It is Posho…a different kind of flour than porridge and thicker. 

 

 

I started to walk towards Rob and the kids and Broderick stopped me and said, “Mom, can I have a snack?  I am hungry.” I leaned down to his ear and I said, “Bud, you are not hungry.  When I feed you flour and water for breakfast and lunch everyday of your life we can talk about you being hungry.  You just want a snack.”  He had no clue what he had really just said and he certainly had no clue that it was taking every ounce of my being to not be sobbing.  I walked to Rob and explained to him the emotion going on in me.  He asked why it hit me today when I have seen the children eat this many, many times.  I didn’t and still don’t really have an answer.  I just can’t get out of my head that these children eat flour and water 2-3 times a day every single day.  Don’t get me wrong…they are eating…2-3 times a day.  And it is better than most of the children living in the village.  If those kids weren’t coming to school or living at Ebenezer they probably wouldn’t be getting anything…honestly.  I just look into their sweet, sweet eyes and think, “You deserve more.  You deserve more.”

 

From the very first time I have come here God has tugged at my heart regarding what these children eat.   So much so that after my first trip, I talked to Diana from Equip 1 about a “Supplemental Nutrition Plan” for the children living at Ebenezer.  All this means is we would send extra money each month to supplement some food…fruits, vegetables, chicken, eggs.  Healthy, good stuff.  For about a year now each month Equip 1 sends money for this.  I was talking to Sylvia today about what they are eating and she shared with me that they usually get fruit and/or vegetables a few times a week and an egg a day.  I was happy to hear that because that is better than what it was a year ago.  My prayer is that by next year they will be eating fruit or vegetables with each meal and meat at least a few times a week if not every day.  If you are interested in partnering with us and Equip 1 to feed these children please visit Equip 1 Ministries, click on the donate online button, and select Ebenezer Supplemental Nutrition fund.