At some point in your life you have probably donated money, clothes, or food to the needy. This could look like taking a box of clothes to the Salvation Army, donating to a disaster relief fund, buying canned goods for a food drive, or making an order for food, animals, and toys to be sent to kids in another country through World Vision. Most of us have been on this side of donating: buying and sending the donation, but not actually seeing what happens to it after we drop it off. This month I am on the other side of the donation. This month my team is volunteering in what they call a ‘care point’ in a small village in Swaziland, Africa. We are staying at one of 4 care points in this area. This specific care point is a project of Adventures in Missions (the organization that the World Race is under). Between 150 and 200 children, teenagers and a few adults come to the center to get 2 meals each day. It is also a safe place for the children in the village to come and play on the playground, meet and have Bible study with volunteers, or play 
soccer. Clothes and shoes are also distributed to the children here on a need basis. It is such a wonderful place, I can feel the presence of the Lord here daily and I can see His joy in the faces of these children as we get to interact with them, love them, feed them, cheer them on, pray with them, sing with them, and share our stories with them. One of the first days I was here, I was sitting with a group of kids on the playground when little boy ran up to me jumping up and down saying “I am so happy!� I asked him why and he said, “Because my stomach is full!� It was one of those moments that I was reminded to never take my next meal for granted. I don’t know what it’s like to be unhappy because my stomach is not full but these kids do. Even though there is so much joy here and kids are getting fed and loved, there is still a huge need here for volunteers to cook the food, feed the kids and clean up each meal. Giving the food is only the first step.
In Matthew 25:35, Jesus says, “ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I 
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.� Notice, the scripture does not say ‘for I was hungry and you sent me food’ it says ‘you GAVE me something to eat.’ It does not say ‘I needed clothes and you gave them to someone else to give to me’ it says ‘YOU clothed me.� This scripture was very challenging to me because I do know how important it is to give and to take care of the needy by giving, but in this scripture, it seems to me like Jesus is saying that WE should be the ones doing it! This doesn’t mean that it is our job to pack up our bags, head over to Africa and start cooking huge pots of porridge, corn meal and beans (what we are doing this month), it could look totally different to everyone. Visit a family in need and cook them a meal, invite someone over for dinner, deliver clothes to people and actually meet them! Visit hospitals, nursing homes, there are 
hundreds of sick and lonely people who need love. The list goes on and on…. Can you imagine what this world would look like if we all really followed God’s most important commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.â€� When you love someone, you will do almost anything to make them happy and to show your love to them. This year has rocked me, and this month has opened my eyes to a whole new realm of love… that is why I want to challenge you to really show the love to others that Jesus teaches us to do. I know deep down everyone knows how they can do it, because the Holy Spirit lives in each and every one of us and is waiting to transform hearts and minds!
