Famine

Even though I’ve started getting really excited for the 30 hour Famine this year, I find myself putting off fundraising for a more ‘convenient’ time. I convince myself that I will do it tomorrow, or later in the week, but I never get around to it. I forget and put it off, and don’t want to say anything because I don’t want to pressure anyone into giving me money, even though it’s for a good cause.
Every year is a new experience with the Famine. I would say its fun, but that’s not the right word. Not only is it not strong enough, it does not totally capture the meaning behind the Famine. No, instead, I like to say the Famine is humbling. Spending 30 hours without food is a challenge to say the least. However, our experiences do not even begin to come close to the lives of the children we participate for. We are allowed to drink juice along with water and other beverages if we choose. When you’re hyped up on sugar from apple, grape, and even orange juice, the hunger issue is not as difficult a hurdle to jump.
The first time I did the famine, I drank plenty of juice, ran around with my friends and had a great time. The second time was similar, although I went part of the first day without any juice, probably only about 8 hours. Both times weren’t all that hard, and our service project consisted of going to the food bank. We went home and slept in our own beds at night instead of staying at the church, and had our hot meal on the dot at the end of the 30 hours (it may have been late the first year. I don’t remember now).
Last year was tougher. My friend Sara and I decided to go as long as we possibly could without drinking any juice, only water. Though I started the day with a nice breakfast, going without juice got hard after school. When I got to church, it was better, because everyone felt basically the same way and we had activities planned to keep us occupied.
One of the things we did was create a shantytown in the parking lot, with boxes and duct tape.The people driving by the church probably thought we were crazy. Our plan this year was to stay the night at the church, hopefully outside in boxes.

Sara and I built a little ‘home’ for the two of us to sleep in, with barely enough room for both of us, and not quite long enough for either of our legs. We had plenty of blankets, but it was a chilly day. When the wind picked up, most of our teammates opted to sleep on the floor inside the foyer of the church. A few of the boys stayed outside, along with Sara and I, who moved our box underneath the overhang by the drive up drop off.
It was freezing before we even began to fall asleep. But the blankets and shared body heat must have been enough, because Sara and I fell asleep and slept for a while, even on the cold, hard cement. I woke up in the middle of the night to howling wind, with frozen toes, and a strong urge to use the restroom.
Sara and I went into the church after doing all we could to make sure our house didn’t blow away. Everyone else had moved inside, and was sound asleep. We used the bathroom successfully did not wake anyone up. My head hurt so badly, that I knew I wouldn’t fall back asleep easily. We opted to get a small glass of juice, knowing we needed it. It was about 3 o’clock in the morning. We had gone almost 20 hours drinking only water.
Miraculously, we slept until about 6:30, when other people started moving. Sara and I remained the only ones who stayed outside in the cold all night. Our service project that day was equally miserable, as it was misty and cloudy and we cleaned a section of the highway. We got done a little late, too, so our lunch was late, and we probably went almost 31 hours without food.
I’m not complaining though. Nothing I experienced comes close to the suffering of many around the world. I would do it over again, and I’m going to do it over again, for as long as I can. Raising money to feed starving children around the world is enough to motivate me to go 30 hours without food (though I am still debating if I want to do only water again). It’s amazing to me that one single dollar can feed one child for one day. Every day, over 11,000 children under the age of 5 die because of hunger-related causes. Knowing I can make a difference motivates me to do something.

I want to change the poverty cycle, even if its only one child at a time. Even if the difference doesn’t look like much, it’s something.
That being said, I should really start fundraising. So, if you want to help, contact me. And, as always, pleas comment! :)


(photos Courtesy of Genesis Youth Ministries Facebook page)