Block E

Recently, we (13 of us) piled into a teammates vehicle and went to deliver 320 PB&J sandwiches to kids in Block E. Rehoboth is divided into sections, and Block E is the most impoverished as well as the most dangerous. Many of the residents speak Nama, so even the tiny bit of Afrikaans we know isn’t always helpful. However, holding out food to a hungry child easily erases language barriers.

As soon as we began to hand out food, we were mobbed by hungry kids. Most of them are dirty and barefoot, and they think we’re rich because we’re white. And to them, we really are. Because of the amount of need, we only give food to children, and it is very difficult to turn away a hungry person just because they are an adult. It is a tough choice to make.

Some of the kids got creative, and would go home to change clothes to get a second sandwich. They also ran around the block to come at us from a different direction, trying to confuse us about who had already been fed.

Overall though, most of the kids are so unselfish. Although they usually aren’t getting the nutrition they need, they were often more concerned about sharing with family and friends than about themselves. If there is anyone in whom I would understand greed, it would be them, but they were models of what Jesus would want, even though most don’t know him yet.

“In the poor, we meet Jesus in His most distressing disguises” - Mother Theresa