Max's Thoughts on World Hunger and Poverty

The following is a note from one of our students, a young man in the 10th grade named Max. He is being challenged to really live out his faith in a meaningful way. This is exactly why we do things like the 30 Hour Famine:

So recently (as in since the 30 hour famine at my church), I've been thinking a lot about world hunger and poverty. I feel like I'm finally beginning to comprehend what's really going on everywhere in the world...except here. Because like every year when we're preparing for the 30 hour famine, we just hear over and over "kids die every day of hunger" and "other countries are divided into classes and it's so unfair" and stuff like that. But for some reason, it has really made me think a lot recently.

Like it's just so hypocritical how I can stuff myself on Thanksgiving and say I'm a Christian. Aren't we as Christians supposed to feed the hungry, not just live in our bubble to please ourselves? And I'm just satisfying myself and going beyond what I need in order to be full just because I can. And like every day, I'll look through the cupboards for something to eat, and I'm not even hungry. And whatever I see I usually turn down because "I don't feel like having it right now". If people in, I don't know, Swaziland had all the variety that I had, they would be ecstatic. I just take it all for granted.

And grocery stores. I don't think I realize that I have so much because I'm so used to it. Do I ever wonder when my next meal will come? Do I ever question if the grocery store will be out of food next time I go there?

26,000 children die each day of hunger. That's a child dying every 3 seconds 24/7. And that doesnt't include adults or teenagers. How can I not be thinking about that constantly? Why am I not weeping for those children? Why don't I do something about it?

And just watching television disgusts me. There are all these advertisements for cars and crap like that. So many people around the world couldn't afford that no matter how they tried. And I'm worried that I won't be able to use one of our two cars when I get my license.

And I never wonder how we're going to pay for all our expenses. I know that the money comes from the two and a half solid jobs that my parents have. And we have tons of money leftover for so much extra. What do we mean when we say "money will be tight this month"? We can't go out to eat for a month? So many people around the world live on an incredible amount less than us. What if we just cut some more stuff out? It's so unfair how children in Africa have to go work in the fields at the age of 5. And many girls become prostitutes at 8 or 9 just so they can make money to live. Then that just helps spread HIV.

Then I start thinking: Why was I born in America, the richest country ever? It was only by chance that I happened to be born here. Only 300 million people live here. There were like 200 other countries I could have been born into. I don't think I realize how lucky I am.

So I encourage you guys to think about and pray for the rest of the world. Because we DO live in a big, sheltered bubble. And there's so much bad stuff that we don't even know about in the rest of the world. Realize that we are very blessed indeed and that God will expect us to use the situations he's given us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and tell others about Jesus.

30 Hour Famine Report

As reported in the Oakleaf:

Two weeks ago, 45 junior high and high school students went without food for 30 hours to raise money to fight world hunger, and to fast and pray on behalf of the hungry. During the fast, students engaged in service projects, played games, worshipped through song, and even got in some ballroom dancing!

Including the individual donations collected by students, the Sunday bake sale ran by our junior highers, and the "Get Off My Lawn" fundraiser our high school students came up with, Fair Oaks students raised approximately $2000 that will go to World Vision, the foremost Christian relief agency in the world today.


Our primary service project was a trip to Love-A-Child, a shelter for homeless women and their children in Bay Point. We piled out of our van caravan and were immediately put to work. Within minutes, kids were mixing concrete, painting walls, consolidating and stacking ceramic tiles, and shoveling gravel. Students also cooked and served lunch to the ladies and their kids, all while not eating themselves.


In the latter hours of the fast, students went out into the neighborhood surrounding the church in teams to collect food donations for the Monument Crisis Center. In little over an hour, they gathered three huge boxes full of food.

Students broke the fast with a feast of marinated chicken, tortillas, beans and rice.

Special thanks are due to the many adults who supported our students through donations, prayer, and volunteering their time during our 30 Hour Famine event.

30 Hour Famine Fundraisers

30 Hour Famine is an annual event sponsored by World Vision, with the goal of raising awareness and money to fight world hunger.

Last year was the first time the Fair Oaks youth group did the famine, and I am thrilled to report that our youth have caught the vision!

We already have about 40 youth signed up to participate, and they are preparing for this weekend's 30 hour event by planning their own fundraisers.

The junior highers put together and ran their own bakesale, selling off freshly baked cookies, brownies, and pies, with all donations going to World Vision. All credit goes to Spencer, an 8th grader who came up with the idea, then organized everyone involved! (I found out later that this may have been the very 1st bakesale in Fair Oaks Church history!)





The high schoolers came up with their own creative idea: taking over people's lawns! For donations, you can send a group of fun-loving teenagers to hang out on your friend's lawn! Or, for a donation, you can purchase insurance to keep said teenagers OFF your lawn!

I had no idea what the response would be to this idea, but our whole church has really gotten a kick out of it, and much has been raised towards our cause.



I look forward to reporting back next week how much our group has raised!

30 Hour Famine Report

"30 Hour Famine was amazing. I never knew that fasting for 30hrs would be that easy. I felt kinda bad the first night but then I felt really good the rest of the time but I was still tired. I had sooo much fun praising the Lord and hanging with Bryan, Josh, Carol, and the one girl who's name slips my mind. We got so much done and the dinner was soo rewarding. I'm never going to forget this."

This past weekend, G-Dub and I gathered at the church for a 30 hour fast with about 45 of our students. As part of World Vision's 30 Hour Famine program, we spent approximately 24 hours together, worshipping, playing games, and serving in our community, all while fasting and praying for world hunger.


Highlights of the event included:

-Powerful student-led worship and prayer times.
-Crazy JH games! Nuff said.
-Watching students pour into their various jobs at the Love-A-Child mission.
-HS students making a banner with their hand prints - each hand print represented 100 children that die every day due to hunger and hunger related diseases. The banner was so long it stretched allllll the way way across the front of the church.
-Great conversations with lots of different kids.
-Movie night watching Invisible Children.
-Last but not least, a phenomenal 'break the fast' meal of slow roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. Mmmmmmm...


Our weekend was not without it's unexpected twists, but God provided and everything ran smoothly. It was such a joy to see students fasting for the first time, to see their hearts touched for the poor and oppressed, and to see them so excited about making a real difference in other kids' lives with the money they raised. I am thrilled to report that at this time, our students have raised at least $3,600 , which is enough to provide for ten children for an entire year! Praise God!


This is the press release we sent out prior to the event:

Wars and natural disasters all over the world dominate the daily headlines. Behind the scenes and far from the spotlight, though, hunger and preventable diseases claim the lives of 29,000 of the world's children each day.

Right now, more than 850 million people around the world don't have enough to eat. Annually, more than 10 million children under the age of five die from disease and malnutrition as a result of hunger. But world hunger is 100% preventable and teens from Fair Oaks are ready to be a part of the solution.

This weekend, students from our junior high and high school groups will be participating in the 30 Hour Famine, an international campaign to fight world hunger. Our students will go without food for 30 hours to get a taste of what the world's poorest children and families face everyday, and to seek God's help on their behalf.

Prior to the event weekend, students have sought donations with the knowledge that every $30 they raise can help feed and care for a child for a month. Funds raised by 30 Hour Famine participants help feed and care for children in poverty-afflicted countries around the globe. 30 Hour Famine funds contribute to World Vision's response in areas where famine, conflict, and other crises make children vulnerable to hunger and preventable disease. Since 1992, 30 Hour Famine has raised more than $100 million, representing countless saved lives. World Vision works in 100 countries, helping approximately 100 million people every year.

During our event weekend, we will worship and pray together, play games, and learn about God's heart for the poor and hungry.

Students will also serve at the Love-a-Child Mission in Bay Point, a shelter for homeless women and their children. We'll be helping this incredible ministry in any way we can: preparing and serving a meal, minor construction projects, and relational ministry with the ladies who live there.

The 30-hour fast begins after lunch on Friday, so participating students shouldn't eat again after that. Junior highers will gather at the church at 6:30pm, and high school students at 9:30pm. We'll spend the night together at the church, and the event will culminate in a "Breaking the Fast" celebration meal at 6:30pm on Saturday night.