Beans and Rice
This week, we're eating beans, rice and water. All week long, for every meal. It's a project our church is doing together as part of our current sermon and activity series.
We've been having a lot of messages about loving God and others, and passages like the Good Samaritan. Last week we heard a message about the passage where Jesus said that when we give a cup of cold water or help someone in need in His name, we do it for Him. This week the entire church is being asked to participate, at whatever level is appropriate for their abilities, age, health issues, etc. in a beans, rice and water fast.
The rice and beans project is to help us learn about, empathize with and pray for those who live in poverty around the world, appreciate what we have and be willing to share in our blessings. The best part is that we're all taking the money we save on groceries and sending it to Forward Edge International to dig a well (hopefully two wells) in a desperately needy village in Nicaragua.
The kids and I are doing a slightly modified version, allowing ourselves a few vegetables along with the beans and rice. DH and NLASS are sticking to just beans and rice, although seasonings are allowed. So far, it's going well.
The kids aren't a big fan of beans, but they're learning to appreciate some dishes they otherwise would have been hesitant to try.
We've spent quite a bit of time talking, learning about and praying for the people who get very little to eat, and who would be thankful to have such a quantity and variety of beans and rice as we're getting. The girls were very touched by reading and seeing videos about the kids living in the dump in Managua (note: Some of the videos touch on some topics that may be sensitive for children--you may want to prewatch it and note any places where you'll want to mute the video).
We joined this project to contribute to blessing others. But we're getting blessed through it ourselves as we learn about the people and projects in Nicaragua, take our eyes off ourselves, and gain a greater appreciation for God's blessing in our lives.
We've been having a lot of messages about loving God and others, and passages like the Good Samaritan. Last week we heard a message about the passage where Jesus said that when we give a cup of cold water or help someone in need in His name, we do it for Him. This week the entire church is being asked to participate, at whatever level is appropriate for their abilities, age, health issues, etc. in a beans, rice and water fast.
The rice and beans project is to help us learn about, empathize with and pray for those who live in poverty around the world, appreciate what we have and be willing to share in our blessings. The best part is that we're all taking the money we save on groceries and sending it to Forward Edge International to dig a well (hopefully two wells) in a desperately needy village in Nicaragua.
The kids and I are doing a slightly modified version, allowing ourselves a few vegetables along with the beans and rice. DH and NLASS are sticking to just beans and rice, although seasonings are allowed. So far, it's going well.
The kids aren't a big fan of beans, but they're learning to appreciate some dishes they otherwise would have been hesitant to try.
We've spent quite a bit of time talking, learning about and praying for the people who get very little to eat, and who would be thankful to have such a quantity and variety of beans and rice as we're getting. The girls were very touched by reading and seeing videos about the kids living in the dump in Managua (note: Some of the videos touch on some topics that may be sensitive for children--you may want to prewatch it and note any places where you'll want to mute the video).
We joined this project to contribute to blessing others. But we're getting blessed through it ourselves as we learn about the people and projects in Nicaragua, take our eyes off ourselves, and gain a greater appreciation for God's blessing in our lives.
Labels: faith and spirituality, kid stuff, learning, political and social issues
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 2:27 PM[Permanent link]
2 Comments:
I'm so impressed you're doing this. May try something similar in the Spring.
That's a great idea. Sort of like the "Third World Thanksgiving" celebrations, but for a longer period of time. Maybe you can post about the girls' reactions to the experiment and going back to your regular meals.
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