2011-08-24 22:25:11 UTC
Come to Vacation Bible School. Get a ticket to eat. It did not make any sense to me. How could anyone deprive a child of a basic need unless they went through the motions of attending a class? It seemed morally wrong, even evil. I had not yet been to Granada, Nicaragua to understand the feeding program there, but my father’s description of it was enough to make my stomach churn. My dad first told me of the feeding program upon his return from his first trip to Nicaragua. He had gone to work with a family currently residing in Granada. He returned with many heartwarming stories, but throughout the conversations I had with him, I was mired with ethical questions regarding the feeding program. For weeks to come, I worried about my impending trip to Nicaragua. I pictured myself sneaking food to children who did not attend Vacation Bible School. I did not want to go against the wishes of the missionaries in charge, but I feared that the poverty would be too severe for me to refuse food to children who desperately needed it.
Wednesday was the day of the infamous feeding program. We led Vacation Bible School on Monday and Tuesday, handing out tickets on both days that would allow the children in attendance to receive a meal. Early Wednesday morning, we walked to the home of a local woman who graciously hosts the mass lunch every week. After hours of chopping oversized squashes and stewing chicken in an oversized vat on a cinderblock stove, the children arrived. They lined up all the way down the street from the house, carrying anything that would hold the soup. Many had buckets with broken handles; others toted disposable aluminum baking pans and used Styrofoam bowls. All carried a small orange piece of paper. As the children approached the serving table, their orange stubs were collected, but not with the concentration camp- like strictness that I had expected. My worries about the day began to subside and gave way to overwhelming joy as I watched each child gratefully receive their share of soup. It was at this time that I realized the saying “no free lunch” holds entirely true not only on earth, but in heaven as well. The faithful often carry heavy burdens, but without a doubt will reap the greatest reward. As I reflected on the meaning of the mission trip, it dawned on me that the greatest gift we have to give is that of Jesus Christ’s salvation, not that of food, water, clothing, or any other earthly item. We did not deny food to anyone; we provided as Jesus would to those who receive His Message with open hearts. Milton Friedman, a famed economist, once said, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” and he was right. We were not there to give handouts; we were there to share God’s most incredible gift, which thankfully for humanity is one hundred percent gratis.
Thank you!