We’ve all heard it before and a lot of us were probably raised with the dinner table warning: “Eat your food, there are starving kids in Africa.”
This memory came to me last month when I tried to offer a packaged cookie to 2 of the kids in Ethiopia. Without consideration, they refused the cookie and pointed at me instead and said, “No, you, you!” I thought maybe they just didn’t know how amazing an Oreo is, but it was more than that. When I finally convinced them to eat the snack or take the lotion or wear the bracelet or whatever it was that they so graciously were making sure I was taken care of first, they expressed gratitude in the purest form, sealed with a hug.
All the people we have met in Africa have this supernatural generosity and love.
I am blown away by the amount of pure joy the people in Africa radiate by giving to others. They know they are meant to love others, and they trust God to provide for them. This takes away the spirit of fear caused by scarcity, and allows them to walk in the freedom of faith, giving generously and joyfully. They see everything as a gift. And everything is a gift, isn’t it?
Although they have less than we have, they relentlessly give their time and resources to serve others.
Yes, there are many children and families that are starving for sustenance. We see this clearly in a little girl who shows up to our hosts house every few days asking for food, seeking her only meal of the day. But—apart from the physical—what has truly blown me away is their unquenchable pursuit of more; their unyielding desire for a life of learning and serving.
They are starving for opportunities. Opportunities to serve a greater number of primary students. Opportunities to further their education to get better jobs. Opportunities to further know and pursue God more intimately.
In Ethiopia we saw it in the kids sharing with each other and looking after the younger children, even though they still needed to be looked after themselves. We saw it in Worke, who traveled the 3 hours from the capital where she lives to be with missionary teams at HopEthiopia, where she cooks, cleans, worships with us, and gets to witness what God is doing in the community, with next to no pay. That woman is there to serve people and get closer to the Lord. We saw it in Megersa, who left his corporate job in the city to move out to serve as HopEthiopia’s Branch Manager. Menguista wants to be able to serve the people of Ethiopia in a greater capacity by furthering his education and receiving his Masters degree in Social Work, but in Ethiopia you can’t further your education until you’ve paid off your Bachelor’s degree. What he owes is equivalent to only $700 USD, but feels like so much more on an Ethiopian nonprofit organization worker’s income.
“It’s hard to have dreams in Ethiopia because there aren’t many jobs.” -Menguista
In Rwanda, we have seen this generosity and desire to do and learn more in our host welcoming 6 strangers into her home and providing our meals for us. We have seen it in the way Kabetesi and Josiana serve us with such determination. “So we can continue to focus on the Lord’s work,” such as washing our laundry so we can write a sermon, or preparing and cleaning up after all of our meals so we can rest. We have seen it in the way John offers to translate any and all conversations people try to start with us and rides all the way to town with us to ensure our safety and fair treatment. We have seen it in the kids, the way they worship and praise their heavenly father so earnestly with their eyes closed and hands in the air, or on their heart as soon as they are old enough to stand.
I hope I always remember the people of Africa just as they are: Starving for truth. I hope if I ever overhear a family telling their sons and daughters there are starving kids in Africa, that it reminds me of their faith in God to provide for them while they give the food off their plates and the shelter of their homes. I hope you are able to read this and think of something you can do today, this week, or habitually- something that is out of pure love and generosity with zero expectation.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.” -Mark 10:45
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart” -1 Peter 1:22
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God…” -1 Peter 2:16
