Bread of Life

    *Disclaimer: I have had a case of writer's block the past fews days so this is nothing grand but I just can't seem to get my thoughts on paper.*

     I went to visit our friend Nelokee and her family at their local bread shop today. She actually makes and sells solar cookers, which come in mighty handy for a country that has sun shiny days 95% of the year. In her handy dandy solar cookers, you can cook anything your heart desires. So far I have seen chicken, stew, vegetables, pies, or my favorite, homemade bread. You can buy a roll sized piece of bread for one Namibian dollar, or a loaf for six, which together add up to a whopping one U.S. dollar. Nelokee makes the majority of her living off a bread sells and obviously that is not very much. We have decided to buy all our bread from her (which is far yummier anyway) instead of the local Spar or ShopRite because we want to help support our friend in any way we can. We are able to minister to her and her family simply by buying a one U.S. dollar loaf of bread. But the reality of "is that enough?" hit me today (this reality seems to hit me quite often). Can we buy our bread and call it quits? Of course not, poverty is so rampant here and there is so much physical need everywhere, but it is both and not either or. If we take and take of actual bread but never feed them the Bread of Life, our efforts are in vain.

     It is the same scenario with HIV and AIDS in Namibia. The government will only claim that 40% of pregnant mothers carry the disease because in reality the true numbers are astronomical. And that watered down 40% is only taken from mothers that actually have their babies in a hospital, so needless to say, many would estimate a percentage closer to 80%. Many people simply do not know the simple precautions they could take to at least help in the prevention of such a deadly disease. For instance, many witchcraft rituals involve cutting in some way or another and a witchdoctor will use a single knife to complete this practice on all twelve year old girls in the entire village. Lives are at stake because of ignorance. They simply need to be educated. Proper hygiene education would literally make a world of a difference. But is providing education enough? Can we just teach them how to physically save their lives and move on with ours? By no means. We must assess both the urgent physical and spiritual need that lurks on every corner. In reality, life with AIDS and with Christ is still eternally greater than no AIDS and no Christ. 


     One other thought: We rant and rave over Nelokee's bread, every time we take a bite we make some joyous comment on it's deliciousness. We tell everyone we can about it and how they too, should get bread from Nelokee. Do we do the same with the Bread of Life? Do we burst with joy and praise every time we feast on the Word of God? Do we tell everyone we come in contact with about the Word that is "sweeter than honey, much pure honey"? Do we offer others the gospel because we want them to experience what we, as believers, have found? Let us live with such a passion!


What do I enjoy even more than the bread when I go to visit Nelokee? Her precious niece and nephew that I get to laugh and play with!