Beans, Rice and Tap Water

I love beans.  I love rice.  I drink a lot of water.  This week, that's all my family is eating.  

Our church is having a world hunger emphasis this week and they are encouraging us to have only beans, rice and tap water.  We'll be donating the money that we saved on our groceries.  And we'll be praying for different countries. 

So much of the world lives on less than $2 a day.  Wow!  Aren't we blessed?  It's really lead to some great conversations with the kids as we've been planning for this week.  (They actually wanted to do 7 days instead of 5!!)  They helped plan the menu and are excited about it.  I'm looking forward to some great moments this week as we focus on certain passages from the Bible and pray together.

I was just sharing with my brother and sister-in-law the other day about a time shortly after Darrell and I were married.  We had to get a few items from the church's food pantry.  Like some mushrooms in a jar....that were a bazillion years old.  (We didn't eat them!)  Since then, I've been very careful about the foods I donate.  I really try to make sure that they are things people can use and will eat.  And it made me realize that you never know who, in your own community, may be going without a meal tonight.  

Having helped in a soup kitchen a couple of times, it reinforced that thought in my mind.  You see so many different kinds of people come through the line.  People that look like they have lived on the streets for years and people that look like they are business executives on their way to a meeting.  You just don't always know their story.  And you don't need to.  But you do need to pray for them and do what you can to help them. 

I'm so very blessed to have never missed a meal because of not having money for groceries.  We came pretty close a few times.  I'm so very blessed to have a family that is excited about this week.  I'll try to share with you every day what we've had to eat.  I will be adding a few ingredients.  But I'm really trying to keep things pretty simple.

Maybe you can't join us in eating beans and rice this week, but surely there is something that you can do.  Donate some food to a local food pantry.  Cut out sodas or coffee this week and give your savings to a local, state or worldwide charity.  

Now, I think I'll have one last glass of chocolate milk before I go to bed!