As I read about so many desperate situations in the world today, it is overwhelming to know how to reach out in Jesus’ name. The refugee crisis in Afghanistan and the earthquake disaster in Haiti are just two examples. When my family went with our church to visit Children’s Hope in Jacmel, Haiti about five years ago I thought I had already seen the worst in starvation and economic desperation after growing up in Zimbabwe. But it was shocking to see how in the Western Hemisphere there could be such a need. As we conducted medical clinics and gave out medicines, the inability to help Haiti, was overwhelming. That is why I wanted to recommend a trustworthy agency today. There are many good organizations sending help but one that handles your gift responsibly in the name of Jesus Christ is Send Relief. It not only sends food, but also tries to provide good drinking water by drilling wells, and gives chickens, rabbits and goats so the people can continue to raise food to provide for their families.

I appreciate trustworthy organizations after my first crazy experience in distributing food. This came when I was a high school senior in Sanyati, Zimbabwe. Another Missionary Kid, Jeff Fray, had just graduated from college and returned home to Zimbabwe. There was a drought in Zimbabwe, that was especially severe in the northwest region called Tongaland, after the tribe living there. The Tonga tribe had been living on the banks of the Zambezi and were used to fishing before the former Rhodesian government had forced them to relocate to a barren area of the country.

A grant from the Baptists of the Foreign Mission Board had bought several hundred bags of mealie meal and beans for those starving in Tongaland. Jeff and I made the first attempt for food distribution in December, 1980, in the hospital Land Rover and a 2-ton truck. But, it was cut short by the rainy season and flooding on the roads. We only got about two hours down the road when we found the roads washed out and had to turn around and unload the food at a warehouse in Gokwe. Carrying the bags of mealie meal off the truck coated us in a sticky mess and the smell of soured wet corn meal made us smell like a brewery.