Chaotic and cheerful. Those are the two words I would use to describe what I saw as I walked up to the cafeteria to check out what was going on. This week, the Minnesota team is supporting us in a sort of ‘trial run’ of what we all hope will be a future lunch program for the children at T.E.A.R.S. School. The potential blessing of this ministry is tremendous.
Chiefly, it would be of incredible benefit to the families of our school, who wrestle with the reality of skyrocketing food prices amid the clamorous cries of hungry children. This ministry would act as an important bridge in providing nutrition for those in the community. I mention the entire community because of the contagious sharing that is so much a part of the culture in Maria Auxiliadora. When one family prospers, their neighbors- in turn- prosper.
Moreover, the lunch program would send children home nourished and full of energy in the afternoon. Many young ones are only able to eat once a day, normally in the night, because of how difficult it is to support a family in the barrio. With this hard truth, the prospective lunch program promises to be an agent of positive change among some of the neediest people in the country.
As I sat and watched all the students contentedly shovel scoops of rice and beans into their mouths-relishing every bite- I could not help but drift into dreaming. What if this could become a daily act? It would certainly mean more work and patience on the part of all the staff, but it would reap such rewards that one would soon forget the sacrifice and dwell gladly on the fruit. It is our vision that, with God’s help, this dream can be realized.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 at 2:26 pm and is filed under T.E.A.R.S. School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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