How Can We?

As I walked around and greeted boys and talked to them during the Wedding Feast I noticed something….some of the boys that had eaten were now going over to the plates that were being scraped and eating the piles of scrapings.  
Scrapes of food from all these plates….

were being scraped off and put on trays like this….
so the dishes could be washed…
{cause there weren’t enough dishes}
And some of the forgotten treasures of Uganda,
 {who had already eaten their plate full} 
were crouching behind the serving table and 
eating ravenously the food off the scraps tray.
Ever been so hungry that a plate of scrapings from all kinds of people that you don’t even know looks appealing?

Ever been so hungry that you eat as fast as you can, hoping no one is watching because you are afraid that someone might try to stop you?


Me neither.  

But there are millions around the world whose 
daily existence does not

guarantee a meal any given day.   
{And being painfully honest – how many Christians don’t have the courage to fast – even one meal to see God move a mountain? Yet most of the world isn’t even guaranteed one meal?? Ouch.}
How can we ever complain again about the flavor of the food we have been served? 

Or the portion size? 

Or the item on our plates? 

Or listen to complaints from our family about leftovers?  

Or how can we sleep at night allowing our children to 
grumble and complain about what is being served??  

“I don’t like this ham sandwich.”


“I don’t feel like having meatloaf for dinner, we had that last night.” 


“I don’t really like eggs for dinner.”   

 “I want McDonalds for lunch not Wendys.”  

Seriously, how can we?
And once again, 
our hearts were smashed to smithereens 
by the things that break His.

35 thoughts on “How Can We?

  1. Oh my word. So broken. Your world can't EVER be the same after seeing and experiencing things like this…but satan sure does try to get you back to the way it used to be. I pray that my heart will continually be broken to bring HIM glory in everything, no matter how much it hurts me.

  2. When we lived in the Philippines a long time ago, small children used to come and go through our garbage cans and sometimes when the garbage truck came you would see young men eating the garbage and even starting a fire on the top of the heap to heat up the garbage and eat it. It was sobering to say the least. You never forget those images and it makes you grateful for all we have.

  3. will be sharing this with my kids tonight. . I think my kids "get it" but always good to have a visual reminder. .thanks! tears

  4. came to leave my comment & noticed that my word verification is 'hates.'
    how appropriate…
    i was coming to say how convicted i've been about how the Lord hates our arrogance, our wastefulness, our unconcern for these precious people.
    (regarding Ezekiel 16:49)….
    may i NEVER be arrogant, overfed or unconcerned. may i ALWAYS help the poor and needy.

    continue to break my heart, Lord. [thank you for being a part of it, linny.]

    ps–some of us are fasting/praying on friday….will be including prayers for your family!

  5. Wow, what an eye-opening post. Alot of times when I complain about somthing like having to sweep the floor I realize that really I should be thankful to even have a wood floor to sweep! Alot of people don't have floors or even brooms to sweep them with. This post makes me want to run over to Uganda and giving those boys all they can eat, and give them love.

    ~Laura

  6. Amazing.

    My gut reaction is that we are ALL called to do something. It's different for each of us, but so many deny the calling! We feel called to adopt a child – adoption is our "plan A" if you will.

    This calling is one we tried to ignore.

    How could God possibly ask us to adopt and not try to have our own child? Would God really call us, at 25, to complete an international adoption? Where in the world will the money come from?

    Yes…we tried to ignore it. We tried to move on from the calling. But God was persistent in our hearts and so we have started our journey to our daughter in Taiwan.

    We can all do something…support an adoptive family, go on a mission trip, pray fast, SOMETHING. The way in which you respond to Gods call is not of importance…

    It’s that YOU DO RESPOND.

    Brooke Annessa
    http://www.theannessafamily.blogspot.com

  7. The imbalance in our world in so enormous it makes me feel sick to think about. I often wonder what made me so lucky to be born into the circumstances and the place in the world that I did. I did nothing to earn the priviledges I have…nothing at all. I'm glad you're sharing these stories with us. It makes what we already know so much more real. My heart just breaks for these children…how can the grown up population of the world be letting little children suffer like we do??! I get angry thinking about it. I want the whole world to read your blog Linny! Your stories have spurred me on to do more.

  8. Wow. So convicting and each of your posts about this wedding feast have brought me to tears. God is stripping me of so many idols during my time in UG and I echos so many of your feelings.

  9. This is what slays me – my kids, all of whom are adopted from overseas in a country where many do not have enough to eat, many lie cold at night in orphanages with hungry bellies, and my children will tell me that they don't like something or other that I prepared for them. It makes me sad that I allowed them to develop this attitude. It makes me indignant that they lack appreciation for the food placed before them.

    Ouch.

  10. I know..I was just telling my 6 y/o son (who happens to also once be an orphan himself) this even before I read this..He is COMPLAINING about being made to eat Smoked pork chops, yams, mac and cheese, cabbage and a homemade strawberry smoothie….He actually had his nose turned up like he was too good to eat it…..(please don't take this the wrong way) but I seriously wanted to smack some sense into him! (I didn't) IT MADE ME SO ANGRY!!!! But anyway thanks for letting me rant!

  11. WOW! I'm reading the Radical book and I've been pondering alot about these types of things. Thanks for sharing. I'm being challenged in more ways than one.

    Love you, sweet friend!

  12. I just came through a week of eating one meal a day- rice and beans, and drinking only water. Even though I got hungry I still was not hungry enough that I would have wanted to eat scraps off of someone else's plate, much less a conglomoration of scraps from many people. I am so so so blessed.

  13. Thank you for this incredible reminder of how truly fortunate we are and how we need to teach our children that. I try to remind my children of how incredibly blessed we are to have any food to eat each night. Perhaps sharing these pictures with them will bring it to new light for them.

  14. Thank you for this incredible reminder Linny of how truly fortunate we are that we have any food on our table for each and every meal. Trying to teach my children this and will definitely be sharing these pictures with them. Thank you!

  15. Oh Linny,

    I stand in a line for 31 cent scoop night at baskin 'n Robbins waiting for my favorite flavor of ice cream realizing how truly spoiled rotten I am! My heart breaks!

    Lisa K, Whidbey island

  16. Reading your post was so difficult to accept. That fact that these children are so desperate to eat that they would do this just breaks my heart. Could you share with us how we can support the ministry to the street kids in Uganda?

  17. Thankyou for this post, I don't have words to share really as my heart contemplates what my response is going to be. But it can not be nothing.
    My children will see this when they get home this evening and I truly pray it will stir their hearts too.
    That together we will do something.

  18. Thank you for sharing all God is teaching you to help teach the rest of us! Tears fill my eyes and choke my throat as I think of all that we have and throw away and those who have not and want what we do not.
    Keep up the God work.

  19. Heart breaking.

    I think the next time I fix something my children don't like I will give them this choice, before dinner: You may fast and pray for the poor and starving of the world, or you may eat this meal joyfully with thanksgiving. It may be interesting to see what they choose. I'm betting that my older kids will occasionally choose to fast.

    Linny, thank you for sharing this. When I read your post about the wedding feast I wondered if you would post something like this. I fully expected it. But it is a good reminder to me as a mom not to let my kids lose sight of what matters, or to take for granted how incredibly blessed they are.

  20. Thank you for reminding me. Its a sobering thought, and its so easy to forget that we are so blessed to be where we are. To have what we have.
    I pray Lord continues to remind me and others not to squander out blessing on whining about them.

  21. My youngest was very hungry for the first 4 years of her life…it is painful to hear her talk about how the sun would go down and come up over and over, and still no food. It's hard to imagine the reality…but these are real children, real parents, real families that are hungry.

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