Jenny Fogel works in our Development Department and she also serves the community as one of our lawyers at the LAW Center here at Central Dallas Ministries.
What follows is a part of her journal reflections from Monday's experience of going without meals as a part of our Hunger Awareness Day.
I am hoping that many readers here joined us yesterday or, if not, will decide to engage in a day without food during one day this week and then donate what is saved to our Blog Campaign (see upper right corner here--for each $1,000 raised from this appeal, we will paint another house green--details can be found by clicking on the thumbnails).
You can also read more about our hunger awareness day by returning to my post on Monday, September 25.
Please consider joining us. We need your help.
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7:53 a.m. Just arrived at work and am already starving! I’m a breakfast person, and this is going to be tough! I’m just trying to imagine all the little kids in our city today who went to bed hungry last night, will wake up hungry this morning, and will still be hungry tomorrow, long after I’ve filled my stomach again.
9:24 a.m. Okay. This is tougher than I thought. My stomach is already growling, and it’s not even 10:00. I just drank some juice to get energy. People who truly have nothing don’t even have juice!
10:40 a.m. The juice helped. For about half an hour. Back to feeling very, very hungry.
11:45 a.m. This is when I would ordinarily be eating lunch. It’s amazing—I would pay $20 for a Subway sandwich right now. It’s incredibly hard to focus when you’re this hungry. I can’t even imagine trying to function well in school or at a job with nothing to fuel your brain. It’s amazing how many people are forced to do that every day.
1:18 p.m. My stomach actually hurts right now. Not just the empty, growling feeling, but it actually hurts to not have any food. So hard to concentrate!
2:50 p.m. I wish the entire country would do this for a day. I won’t soon forget this feeling. It makes me want to drive up and down the streets of Dallas to give food to every single hunger adult and child. Nobody should have to feel this way.
3:26 p.m. I’m feeling pretty lightheaded. My stomach no longer hurts, but it’s just generally kind of an empty, exhausted feeling. And it hasn’t even been a full day yet.
4:50 p.m. I broke down and had some applesauce. My rationalization is that since I didn’t really have to chew it, it doesn’t count as food. But I know that it does. I can’t imagine what it must feel like not to have the option of even a little bit of applesauce. I keep envisioning parents feeling physically poor themselves and having to combine that with the anguish that comes from watching their beautiful children go through the stages of hunger that I’ve experienced today.
5:23 p.m. Okay. I have a new term. “Hangry.” It’s a combination of “hungry” and “angry.” I’m hungry from lack of food, I’m angry from my own lack of food and from the fact that hunger exists like this every day for thousands of people right here in Dallas, Texas. I think we should do this every year. I don’t think it’s that people don’t care about those around them. I think it’s just that they don’t really get it. When you remove hunger from the theoretical realm and place it into your own reality, it really opens your eyes. And makes them sting with tears.
5 comments:
Wow, thanks for sharing Larry. I identified with much of what she said from times that I have fasted.
How did it go for you and yours yesterday?
Oh, and can you e-mail me when you get a chance?
I can't fast right now because of pregnancy, but I clearly recall how it felt when I did fast for one day about 7 months ago. I was going to fast for three days with my husband, but I only made it 24 hours because I became physically ill after that amount of time without food. I was nauseated and had a headache. For the first time my heart was awakened to the feeling of hunger. My thoughts crossed a wide range that day, but mostly I felt a deep sense of shame at the fact that hunger exists here around me and a great sense of gratitude for all God has provided me. Also, a deep call to share that provision. Growing up, I never could figure out how fasting would draw me closer to God or affect my life- I just didn't get it. But that day was an amazing revelation about who God is, what He expects from me, how I can be His servant, how dependent I am on Him, etc. It will be a while before I am able to fast again, but it's something I actually look forward to doing again because it reminds me about what is really important.
Chris and Becky, thank you for your posts!
Chris, I can't participate this week due to some medical exams I am having, but will do my day next week. I'll let you know! I recall a 40 hour fast that Edd Eason led us on many years ago as a fundraiser for world hunger along with an intensive educational retreat for teens and others from our church. Life changing!
Becky, thanks for your personal reflections about your experience and the benefit of fasting.
Larry--
The Lord put you on my mind today. Now reading your blog I know why. I said a big prayer of thanks for you, for your influence, for your service and ministry to hurting people today. You inspire me. I even mentioned you today on my blog--before even reading yours. Blessings, friend.
Brandon Scott, thanks for your words and your prayers! Keep them up!
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