Going on the World Race, I knew I was going to encounter many things that might break my heart. I mean, being a missionary, I often ask God to break my heart for what breaks His. Well, it is said that God will give you what you ask for, and that is exactly what is happening this year.
The other day, we were helping our pastor clean and organize a few of the sheds at the church. One of the main sheds contains clothing and food for the homeless, or people that cannot afford to buy new clothes or food. We have met quite a few people that live day by day, on what they have. (Background: Moldova is the poorest country in Europe, and very expensive to live in because the Russians raise prices on everything to show they are still in control). A week ago, God showed me poverty in the form of a 7-year-old boy, dirty and hungry, just begging for food from every passerby.
I got to kneel down and pray for him as he struggled to open the packet of crackers our pastor gave him. Looking at his anxiety, frustration, and determination to open this pack of crackers, my heart was breaking.
I praised the Lord for the compassion, and asked for the people around him to have the same compassion.
Also, we have been regularly seeing a 19-year-old girl from the church that cannot afford food. She gets most of her clothes from the church, and food on a day-to-day basis. She often goes to the dumpster to find something. When we see her, she is always smiling, and always helping others with anything they may need.
As we were organizing the room full of giveaways, we started picking up the huge mound of food that was just sitting on the floor. There were boxes of rice, pasta, bags of corn meal, flour, sugar and packets of different seasonings. Many of the bags of corn meal, flour, and sugar had holes. A few of the boxes of rice and pasta were also decorated with holes. Surrounding the food on the floor were little mice droppings, spilled rice, and sugar. I continued to organize the shelf, and not to my surprise a mouse ran right over my foot. Now this is not the first mouse I have seen in Moldova, or even at the church, but it still startled me.
(During the pick up, some of the food still left on the ground.)
(Boxes that were already opened.)
(Bags that were chewed through.)
After I got back to work, I bent over to grab the next can of fish, with corn meal and dirt dusted on top.
Then it hit me.
People actually eat this food.
The food that had already been touched by mice will be someone’s dinner. This food, that I am repulsed by at the moment, will be someone’s only meal that day. Then I continue my thoughts and think about what some of the people would do without these handouts?
The pastor tells us there are many that go into the dumpsters to eat scraps. My mind immediately went to the face of the 19 year old girl that comes to church every service to sing, who usually has to go to the dumpster to get food. Then my mind sees the little 7-year-old boys face, he does the same thing. My heart grew heavy; it was full of sadness, and anger. I always have known about the homeless, and people lacking food but here it is, the food right in front of me, the faces I have met, and it all makes sense. The only food this impoverished area has to give, and the mice had first dibs on it.
There’s some humor in all of this, when God answers your prayers, and gives you what you ask. Thank you Lord for breaking my heart for what breaks yours.
Finished shelf. (the mouse that ran over my foot, came out of underneith the "shelf" and back under
in a different point)
This was another mouse we found the smae day located in the other food pantry area. (the pastor
killed it before this picture was taken)
