Give thanks.

My dad and I, as well as Pastor and Sandy, have been lucky enough to have several visits and conversations with our friends from previous trips as well as with pastors from all over Haiti. We have learned new things about our old friends and we the pastors have taken time out of their very busy schedules to speak with us about their churches. I want to write this post today about something weighing very heavy on my heart, my dad's heart and on the hearts of those who have been here and those who live here as well. Two days ago my dad and I were sitting with Steevenson on the front porch and my dad asked him how often he was able to eat on a normal day. This question came up because the day before when we spent time with Steevenson he seemed almost lethargic and did mention that he was not feeling well and later on we wondered if he had had anything to eat that day. Well the next day he answered our question, according to him on a good day he might eat twice, but most days he only eats one time. He said it very matter of fact and my dad and I immediately looked at each other and were speechless. What can you say to that? I thought to myself, half of the time I can barely function without some kind of food in my body before 9 am and here is my brother, spending his vacation from school studying his English notes and the Bible as well as (we found out today) spending two hours every Friday teaching a small group about the Bible. My body is trained and relies on eating three meals a day to function, to focus, etc but Steevenson carries on. Similarly almost all of the pastors we've spoken with have expressed the same problem in their communities. Many of the churches all over Haiti have schools that associate with them, many share the same building and every pastor has a story that mirrors the next: not enough food. The children come to church and come to school having not eaten in who knows how long, which, as most of you can probably imagine, doesn't create a helpful learning environment. How can the brain thrive when it doesn't have food? I admire the strength and the perseverance of the Haitian people and I hope that this touches the hearts of those reading this so that something can be done about it, however small or large. So give thanks tonight for what you have and pray for those who don't have enough.