called to give

There has been something on my heart lately:
A couple of months ago I was reading about the famine in the Horn of Africa and it broke. my. heart. Completely. Thinking that I live in complete abundance; I waste water and throw out spoiled food daily when there are people, babies and children dying every minute because they are starving makes me literally sick to my stomach. Since we have been blessed with Lola it really hits home. It breaks my heart when we are driving in the car and I have to listen to her cry for ten minutes because I know she is hungry and I can't feed her until we get home. I cannot imagine the heart break of mothers in Africa who have to listen to their babies cry for hours on end because they are hungry and cannot provide food. As a mother it brings me to tears. Did you know that today more than a billion people in the world live and die in desperate poverty? They attempt to survive on less than a dollar per day. Close to two billion others live on less than two dollars per day. That's nearly half the world struggling today to find food, water, and shelter with less than the amount of money I spend on my morning latte. It's disgusting. Now I know that I can't fix this. The small donation we make every month won't fix the problem. But as mother Teresa would say, "if you can't feed a hundred people, just feed one."

I got my monthly newsletter from Seattle Union Gospel Mission a few days ago.  They. are. awesome.  They have been seeking the homeless and handing out packages with blankets and inviting them into their shelter to be warm, fed and hear the gospel.  Blankets are cheap and there is a huge need and you can buy a blanket here: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/297BRLZ186IIY.

If you love Jesus, many of these people are our brothers and sisters.  We are called to give.  Jesus said, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Luke 3:11.  I think we all have an extra tunic or coat or some extra food in the cupboard we could swing by the local shelter.  If you can't feed 'em all, just feed one.