Beautiful Burundi

"Breathtaking" is the only way to describe the beauty of this nation and its people. In reality, it simply cannot be described, it has to be experienced. From the lush green mountain landscapes to bustling Bujumbura on the shores of Lake Tanganyaki, it's hard to take it all in. Add to the mix the unique, sophisticated, resilient, progressive Hutu and Tutsi peoples... and the precious Twa (known as 'pygmies' in colonial times) and you have an African nation like no other. Known as the heart of Africa for its location in the center of the continent and cardiac shaped boundary, Burundi will one day be the apple of the world's eye... it just has to happen.

Feed The Hungry's first container of 270,864 fortified rice meals provided by Feed My Starving Children arrived in 'Buj' about two weeks ago. On Monday the pilot school-lunch program for vulnerable kids started up in one school in Gitega and one in Rutana. ARM, an outreach of Pastor Edomond Kivuye and Eglise Vivante, oversees the project on the ground. Teams of parents and community volunteers take turns prepping and cooking the rice meals each day during the school week, which is no small task considering there are 1,900 children at both of these schools. Education has become a priority for this formerly war torn nation-- it is one of the very few countries in Africa where parents and caregivers do not have to pay tuition for public education. Peace has returned in measure since 2005, yet there is one rebel group that still lurks in the shadows, having rejected the negotiating table. The last violent outbreak was in April 2008 when rebels launched mortar attacks on the capital city.

Photos from this week's visit to Burundi can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/sradelich/BackInBurundiNov2008

South Sudan, Full of Hope and Victory

Back in Yei, pronounced Y-A-Y! And it's an onomonopeia for sure... google the definition if need be.

It's the end of the rainy season in Yei; the market is brimming with home grown fruits & veggies, honey is in abundance, and the town and people always seem to look better & bigger & brighter every time I come back. Just to be fair & balanced, the mozzies are plentiful too, as are the grasshoppers (though we haven't seen the fresh-roasted variety in the market stalls yet).

New Generation Primary School is brimming with eager young students too. Pastor Stanley and Lady Vicki & staff are raising up a New Generation of faith-filled movers & shakers to be; and the vision of school numbers two and three is on track... now if we only had the resources to buy the bricks & get construction going right now...

Keep Stanley & Vicki and all the staff and kids in your prayers... life isn't always easy, but God is always good and he just has a way of doing more than we can ask or think.

You can see a few more of today's pics at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46775&l=6554a&id=702935874

FTH 'POD' Set Up in Galveston County, TX

Pastor Walter Hallam and the fantastic people of Abundant Life Christian Center in La Marque, TX are doing a fantastic job of getting resources into the hands of people & families who've lost homes and possessions because of Hurricane Ike. Feed The Hungry's POD (Point of Distribution) has been up and running since Wednesday. So far two tractor-trailer loads of supplies are being distributed at ALCC's gymnasium. Two more trailers full of supplies will arrive on Saturday to keep the POD going.

Everyone who comes by has a story to tell. In addition to putting family care bags into each car, ALCC volunteers lend a listening ear and an encouraging prayer. Let's keep praying for God's hand to bring restoration to those who have lost so much.

By the way ALCC's sanctuary was severely damaged by Ike, about 1200 sf of roof ripped off and rain waters poured in... many of the volunteers who are helping have had damage to their homes, clothes, and possessions as well... yet they've chosen to reach out and serve others even in their time of need. Isn't that just like Jesus.

A FEW IKE PHOTOS ARE POSTED HERE: http://picasaweb.google.com/sradelich/HurricanIkeRelief2008#

More on the way...

Seeing Ike's Aftermath Firsthand

Here are a few photos snapped today from Bayou Vista. As usual, photos & video cannot capture what you see as an eyewitness. Have you ever seen food shelves at a Super Wal-Mart laid bare?? We stopped by two Super W-M's today to see if they'd donate grocery bags so volunteers can break down the two tractor-trailerloads into family sacks... both stores donated lots of sacks! At each Wal-Mart, police manned the entrance, only allowing 30 customers into the gigantic stores at a time (because staff numbers are so low)... and in each Super Wal-Mart, several shelves had no food left on them.

Feed The Hungry's first truck arrives in La Marque, TX at 8:00 am Wednesday; the second truck had brake line problems and will arrive Wednesday night or first thing Thursday morning.

It's 1:00 AM and we're packed and ready to roll @ noon Monday. Our team of three will head to LaMarque, TX to set up a distribution center at Abundant Life Christian Center. ALCC is a partner church of about 2500 members located right off of Interstate 45 a few miles from Galveston Island. LaMarque is 23’ above sea level so the storm surge just missed it. They did have a lot of wind damage & rain water damage though—the church lost about 1,000 square feet of roof. We believe the location is ideal to serve a large number of communities as the area opens up after the flood waters recede & returnees start arriving in the next few days (or next week). FTH will have two trailers of food & water supplies arriving at 6:00 am Wednesday morning, a third trailer of food supplies will arrive on Thursday morning. Please pray according to what's posted @ FTH's site http://www.feedthehungry.org/2008HurricaneResponse.cfm THANKS!

Feed The Hungry @ World Pulse Festival

Wow... what a great day!! Have to honestly say this was the BEST World Pulse Fest i've ever seen in 13 years. Fantastic weather, huge crowd (50,000+), awesome music & worship. You can catch a repeat at worldpulsefestival.com

This year we promoted 64100.org--what's that??? Simply put $6 for 100 meals... for every $6 we recieve, Feed The Hungry can send 100 meals to hungry kids in Africa and Asia; kids that we get to bless, encourage, and see grow in Christ through the Every Child Every Day program.

If you'd like to find out a little bit more about 64100.org just go there and check out the website. We hope to get an online store up and running pretty soon so the World Pulse Fest-goers are'nt the only folks who get to wear the cool t-shirts we had for sale that day (which say "my shirt fed 100 kids" on the back).

Back in Africa

Man, do I love this continent!! This past week we've had the opportunity to revisit a few FTH Every Child Every Day sites as well as some new outreaches where children are receiving a hot & nutritious meal courtesy of the friends and partners of Feed The Hungry.

Brian Bush, LeSEA's Middle East Correspondent and Meg Gorecki from Doug Shaw & Associates traveled to Kibera, Kenya (the world's second largest slum); Bulenga and Banda, Uganda; and even up into Yei, Sudan to chronicle how a simple daily school lunch program is making a huge difference in the lives of children that are hungry... for education. At New Generation School in Yei about 90% of the children have lost either one or both parents to AIDS or the war. Pastor Stanley has brought these precious ones under the shadow of God's loving arms and is creating a expectation of promise and hope by allowing them to dream again.

FTH President Pete Sumrall, Lamar Austin, Dr. Todd Coontz, and I followed behind Brian and Meg, touching base with our operational partners in each place. This has been Dr. Todd's first trip to Africa and he's travelled like an old pro and has learned the true meaning of the phrase 'T-I-A'... This Is Africa! If anyone needs an unforgettable lesson in the power of patience, just come to Africa with us sometime... you'll be glad you did.

Hope to post some photos shortly either here or on at feedthehungry.org; the expressions of the children are priceless and thier joy is nothing short of contagious!