‘Oh God, to those who have hunger, give bread, and to those who have bread, give the hunger for justice.?
This South American prayer was seen on the back many shirts earlier this month at the 30-Hour Famine at Lake Orion United Methodist Church.
After lunch on Friday, March 7, 42 youth and a few adult volunteers from Christ the Redeemer and Lake Orion United Methodist Churches began to fast.
When they arrived at the LOUMC later in the day, they were each asked to put at least 700 fingerprints on large posters throughout the room. These 10 posters each contained 2,900 fingerprints and represented the 29,000 children under the age of five who die every day from hunger and preventable illnesses.
Throughout the weekend, the group learned what it is like to be hungry and what it is like to live with disabilities that could have been prevented if only medical treatment was available.
On Saturday, they went out into the community to food banks, soup kitchens and homeless shelters to help those in need locally. They also conducted a food drive throughout Lake Orion neighborhoods for Orion/Oxford FISH.
‘Many of these students have been involved in this event for several years in a row, and because of their heightened awareness have developed a sense of purpose and resolve to make a powerful difference for children and communities around the world,? said LOUMC Associate Pastor Marge Munger.
The youth learned many facts about the suffering around the world. They learned that three million Indonesian children are currently working as child laborers; that 850 million women and children go to bed hungry each night; that in Africa, one child dies from AIDS every minute; that three billion people worldwide have no access to sanitation.
The weekend was also full of opportunities to pray for children around the world, as well as for wisdom and compassion of government leaders.
Finally, at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, the youth all sat down to a meal provided by volunteers from the two churches.
The event helps to raise money for World Vision, a Christian relief organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide by tackling the causes of poverty.
So far, the local youth have received pledges of over $4,000, which will be sent to World Vision.
To help these young people make a difference, you can write a check made payable to World Vision and send it to the Lake Orion United Methodist Church or Christ the Redeemer Church.