Caught in the Middle

It was late July, and I was stunned by the face of a starving baby that stared at me in the morning paper—a face that would continue to haunt me. As I opened up the Standard, one of Kenya’s national newspapers, I read heart-wrenching stories.

A Somali woman was trekking southward to Kenya in search for water when she went into labor. She birthed her baby, for whom she had no water to clean. The women travelling with her used the dirty clothes they were wearing to clean the baby. Trading off carrying the woman who just gave birth and the baby, they continued their search for food and water.

The situation is horrific. While I was volunteering with a non-profit organization, we received requests for food relief from communities in the Rift Valley and Meru. I knew I was in Kenya for a purpose, and all I could think was “Here I am, Lord! Send me!”

I met with some of the leaders of one area, who shared that they are looking for ways to provide the people of their community with food. Though the drought has hit northern Kenya and Somalia the hardest, many in the Rift Valley and other areas of rural Kenya are also suffering greatly.

Maasai men have left their homes with their herds of cattle and goats in search for grazing areas, leaving women and children behind—with no food or water. The river bed is dried up, and the water source they normally rely on is scarce. In a certain area near the main roads, where trucks and men with money pass through, women are selling their bodies in exchange for water for themselves and their children. HIV prevalence in that area is partnered with the desperate need for water.

And here I was…caught in the middle.

After phoning home, the news of the drought caught like wildfire in my church and many jumped at the opportunity to take action and help. Through the financial support of many, I had the extraordinary opportunity to deliver food to a small community in Meru, Kenya. “Today we are hungry, but tomorrow we will be satisfied,” said the Chief.
But the need continues. Even as we left Meru, we watched children walk along the side of the road with huge bundles of grass strapped to their backs. My Kenyan friend informed me that these children have no choice but to skip school, walk for miles carrying these fading grasses, and sell them for whatever small profit they can make. Then they buy food at the nearest location they can find.

God does not command us to save the world. That is His job. But He does expect us to take action. Mother Teresa wisely said, “If you cannot feed one hundred people, then feed just one.” And when we do, the Almighty King will say, “As you did to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

Jesus himself had compassion on those who were hungry (Matthew 15:32-39). He took what little the disciples had to offer and multiplied the food enough to satisfy thousands – with leftovers! In Meru, it cost us about one dollar to feed one person for one day.

What do you have to offer? I encourage you to give in faith…and watch God multiply.

Also find this article on the World Vision ACT:S website here.