Give us each day our daily bread.“ Luke 11:3
I was going through a box of notes and clippings from Haiti that I had used back in the day and came across a story from the Lincoln Journal Star about school feeding programs in the Lincoln Public Schools and how they would be affected by new Federal regulations. This was probably in 2012, and it seems that First Lady Michelle Obama had recently unveiled changes to the national school lunch program and the ‘changes’ went virtually unnoticed at the Maxey Elementary cafeteria in Lincoln.
There, students lugged blue trays full of the sorts of changes championed by the first lady: un-breaded chicken teriyaki on brown rice; barbecue (un-breaded) beef sandwiches on whole wheat buns. There were green beans and applesauce, lettuce and orange slices, low-fat milk and the reactions to this meal varied. One fourth grader commented “Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad" and another child commented while picking at the chicken teriyaki on his tray "terrible," while yet another classmate was momentarily horrified when he thought he saw mushrooms.
Another fourth grader is not a fan of the whole wheat buns, which ended up in the trash, untouched along with the meat and a few seats down the table a boy had eaten every bite of his sandwich along with ranch-drenched lettuce. North America; we take so much for granted; our children don’t understand how truly blessed they are to have a blue tray of food on their table at school with a large variety of food; every day.
This bowl of rice and beans is the choice of the day at a Christian school in Haiti; most every day at schools that have Trinity HOPE feeding programs. It reminds me of the children of Israel receiving manna from Heaven each day while wandering through the desert. While the Israelites grumbled after having to eat manna again and again, the kids in Trinity HOPE feeding programs love the food that their cooks make each day. Thank you for helping to make this possible for over 42,500 children attending Christian schools in Haiti; your support is making a huge difference in their lives. I close with the words to the hymn ‘Our Heavenly Father, hear’ which was written by James Montgomery in 1835.
“Our heav'nly Father, hear the prayer we offer now. Thy name be hallowed far and near; to Thee all nations bow. Thy kingdom come; Thy will on earth be done in love as saints and seraphim fulfill Thy holy will above. Our daily bread supply while by Thy word we live. The guilt of our iniquity forgive as we forgive. From dark temptation's power, from Satan's wiles, defend. Deliver in the evil hour and guide us to the end. Thine shall forever be glory and power divine; the scepter, throne, and majesty of heaven and earth are Thine.”
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay