[1]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Twelve-year-old John spent his days helping his family struggle to survive on their small farm in Uganda. Life was hard for John, but a tragic turn of events would make it harder.
Neighboring Karamajong had a practice of raiding other tribes, stealing livestock, destroying property and injuring or killing those in their path. The night when John fled as Karamajong marauders swarmed over his tiny village, he had no idea how his world would change.
When he returned the next morning, John discovered that his parents and brother had been killed and their home and possessions destroyed. Only John and his elderly grandmother survived. They knew it was dangerous to stay at the burned-out village, so the pair set out to find help.
After walking several miles, they came to a refugee camp where they could safely rest. With no food available, many of the refugees were eating clover. Everyone was relieved when Southern Baptist missionary Jack Frost arrived with several local pastors and a truckload of corn meal and beans.
Excitement grew as hundreds of hungry families lined up to receive their ration of food. John wondered why these strangers would come to give him and the others food. His curiosity was soon answered as one of the pastors spoke of God’s love for all people. Over the weeks that followed, the truck returned with more food. The reason given was always the same: God’s love for all people.
With a growing awareness of God’s concern for him, John prayed to ask Jesus Christ into his life. His grandmother followed him in giving her life to Christ.
[2]John hopes to one day rebuild his family’s farm. Although the future in this life is uncertain, John and his grandmother now have the assurance of a future in heaven.
What was the origin of the change in their lives? It began with Christians who cared enough to give to help hungry people around the world through the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund.
The food John and his grandmother received cost about 12 cents per meal. Southern Baptists’ gifts, no matter how small, can make a life-changing difference for hungry children like John around the world, as well as in the United States. The World Hunger Fund utilizes 100 percent of all gifts in helping missionaries and volunteers share the bread that sustains life and open doors for sharing the “Bread of Life.”
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Southern Baptists observe a world hunger emphasis each October, with Oct. 13 designated as World Hunger Sunday. Information about Southern Baptist Convention world hunger ministries and year-round support for the World Hunger Fund can be accessed at www.erlc.com/Hunger/hunger.htm [3], or call the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission at (615) 244-2495. Nelson is the ERLC’s director of hunger concerns. (BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: 2002 SBC WORLD HUNGER POSTER.