My Faith My Life:A Place for Episcopal Teens and Their Mentors

THIRTY HOUR FAMINE

Iona, Age 15
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Southington CT
February 10, 2008

First Sunday in Lent, Year A
Genesis 2:15-18; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11

Let us pray. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all things acknowledge him, and he shall direct your way. Amen.

As many of you know, this weekend the members of the STAR and J2A classes gave up their Friday and Saturday to fast for a program called World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. The motto? Be seen, be heard, be hungry. We were sponsored to spend 30 hours without food, raising money to combat world hunger and, in the process, understand a little more of what hunger really is.

How many of us know what it feels like to be truly hungry? I know I don’t. In fact, when Ms. Sewell asked me to give a sermon on world hunger, my first thought was, what am I going to say? How can I talk about something I can’t imagine?

I wasn’t alone. When I went to school Friday and told my friends why I wasn’t eating, they all asked the same questions. Why are you doing this? Why don’t you just eat, and find another way to get the people money? I don’t know why everyone else who participated decided to fast, but by the end of the 30 hours I knew why I did.

It’s a reminder. It’s a reminder that there are people out there who have no food, that there are people who struggle daily just to stay alive. 29,000 children die every day from preventable diseases, one of which is malnutrition. 29,000. That’s about three quarters of Southington’s population. Every day. These are kids just like the ones we have in this church, living, breathing human beings who aren’t going to get a chance at life simply because they don’t have food.

It’s a wake-up call. When I started the 30 hours, I expected to be hungry. I mean, it is called the 30 hour famine. But what I
didn’t expect was the strong desire, before I was hungry, to eat. I wanted food. And that led me to thinking. How often do I eat when I don’t need to, or even eat so much that I feel sick? People often take food for granted, especially children and teenagers who don’t have to provide for themselves yet. The 30 hour famine made me realize what a mistake that is, how much of a gift the energy and comfort of three meals a day really is.

Finally, it’s a motivation to act. We are so lucky to be here together, comfortable, full of food and warm under a roof, that often we forget about those less fortunate than ourselves. We are all children of God, no matter our age or where we live, and it is our responsibility to take care of our brothers and sisters. We have one life, one shot to leave this world a little better than it was when we came into it. Have compassion. Think of the times in your own life when all you needed was someone to help you make it through. Be someone else’s hero.

“Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” If that’s not as easy as the Bible gets, then I must be reading it wrong. It seems like pretty clear instructions to me. We have the resources and the ability to help change lives, save lives. All we need now is the willpower. Maybe it’s starting small, like helping the new kid who needs someone to sit with on the bus or the woman who could use a hand with her groceries. Maybe it’s donating your old coats to help someone stay warm this winter. Maybe it’s fasting for 30 hours to try and help even one child get food.

It’s not always easy. Sometimes it’s the frustration of giving something we have grown accustomed to. Sometimes it’s the fear of stepping out of our comfort zones. Whatever the obstacle, the results will be worth it. I’m only fifteen, but I’ve seen enough people help others to know. The glow on their faces when they see they’ve made a difference speaks more than words. Goodness rewards itself.