30 hour famine

Today was 30 hour famine. We first came in and they had are "tents" set up.  They were made of cardboard boxes.  It was to symbolize how the people in Haiti lived. We first did a game where we had to stack these cups on top of each other and the team with the highest stack after 5 mins won.  I had me kayla matt and hot guy tim.  We won by alot haha.  Then we sat down and talked for a while with each other.  Me n kayla just chilled.  I talked to mrs. Stephanie and I asked her why she missed revolve since we went together last year.  She said she was in the hospital and when I asked why she said "she did something dumb" so I said a little prayer.  The next activity wasn't really one.  We got a number on are hand and then we had to find the hidden card with it on it. I was 16 and had a little guy from Haiti that grew up in the higher class places of the city.  On the back it talked about where they where when the earthquake hit.  He was playing on a soccer Field.  After it hit he didn't have any place to go since all the buildings around him collapse and he had no idea where his family was let alone if they were safe. I read my card to my tribe.  Which was assigned from the card.  In my group was katerina, joey, matt, and faith. Once we had another break I talked to katerina. She had a limp.  I don't now how but she started talking about it.  Apparently something happened when she was a baby and she had to have surgery on her knees. So now she can't ever walk normally again.  She seemed down so I reassured her that God does everything for a reason. The break was over and we all sat in a circle and sang bible songs. Everyone was caring about what other would think if they sang but I didn't care and I sang loud n proud. I don't get why we all care so much about what people think.  Later near the second to last song paster rich stopped everyone and told us about all jesus gave for us an how if others are trying hard to worship not to get in there way. He was referring to some girls in the back who were talking the whole time. But that talk set up the rest of 30 hour famine.  We all took what we were learning to heart.  After the last song we all prayed.  Then we had a break. I talked to joey cause I hadn't scene him in so long. I missed him. After that we were told to get are p jas on and calm down as we were gonna do serious things now. We entered this room lit with over 200 candles in the shape of a cross.  There where 6 in the center and one in the middle of those 6. We sat down in silence.  And are youth leader started talking about how every 3 seconds and kid dies from hunger. Then we each had to blow a candle out... every 3 sec.  But we kept the center ones going..after 5 mins of praying to areself.  One of the youth leaders said how last year we saved 6 kids from the famine and the one light in the dead center was jesus and how his love and light never go out.  With the lights out we all sat crying.  I prayed for everyone I could think of all the kids.  Joey who I knew has Tryed to kill himself many times.  Matt and kateriana who are handicap for my friend kayla to help find the lord for the "table girls" to find the lord and step out and lastly faith.  Who i've known from last famine and I knew she's been cutting.... then paster rich started talking.  He just said "the world failed these children" he was right we have all these blessings yet where to selfish to share.  Isn't that are purpose here? He then continued and said " but jesus never did" I couldn't help but cry.  We were all thinking and praying.  I bowed my head and prayed as hard as I could that faith would talk to someone and get help.  I look up and I see her taking off her bracelets.  She was crying I looked around I was the only one that was noticing this.  I know that's the first step. I know she was feeling shame knowing she did this to herself.  I don know what her reason for cutting was but it most have been bad enough to have hate engraved in your arm.  I smiled.  I knew she was feeling gods love in that moment.  I had that moment at revolve. Again after 10 minutes or so paster rich was telling us about his story in africa.  A woman approached him and gave him her baby and said bring her to a hospital. He looked down at this innocent baby of god hardly moving.  He bent down to hear it's breath. He felt its wrist.  There was none.  He gave the baby back to his mother and said sorry your baby has past away. The baby died from ammonia.  As a baby in had ammonia if I was in Africa i know I wouldn't be here right now.  This was an eye opener to me.  We sat silent for awhile again. Then are other youth leader said at this time you may leave as you want and stay if you want and if anyone needed to talk they where hear for us. I told god to tell me when he wanted to leave. I sat praying for faith and all the kids.  One by one someone would leave. Soon it was just me faith kateriana.  Then paster rich left. That was my sign to leave.  My friend followed. Minutes past and kateriana left and faith was left alone. Success in there for another hour.... I knew she told(: after faith came back it was time for bed.  Kayla and I slept on the ground it was around 12:30. I prayed for a while. Last year I couldn't sleep and I left early this time I told myself I wouldn't. I asked God to keep me here as long as he wanted that I may learn more about him. I tossed and turned.  I knew I was the last one up. It was around 2 when I was at my breaking point. I was in pain from not eating in swear I was about to go in that kitchen and steal that food. Then I realized how this is how those kids in Africa are feeling right now but they never knew when they would be able to eat like I could.  That gives me the strength through all my doubts. At 3 I finally feel asleep.  Ishh.  I woke up at 7 although I could have slept till 8. We first got dressed for the mission week were gonna go on.  Then after everyone was set we sat in a circle and had a bible lesson. Paster rich was read Isaiah 40. He was explaining his life and how when he was young he got into drugs and stuff and was being really selfish.  Then he started to pray and got his life together. He went to Africa for over 2 years and is a paster now.  After the lesson we were off to are mission project. When we got there it was this small house on a hill almost straight up with windows and weeds everywhere are project was to clean this. I have to say I wasn't excited.  This was gonna be my first mission project(: the no food thing was getting to me here.  I had a horrible headache and my allergies where getting bad from the pollen. Luckly one of are youth group leaders offered us to go to a nursing home. So half of us stayed and half went. Kayla got the front so I got stuck in the back. The drive was sorta long but it went by quick cause we were rocking out to some music. Before we went in mr. Sam(the guys who's house we were helping)  told us when we went in to smile alot and try to cheer them up. We got greeted by this one lady who didn't speak english. She had a huge smile on her face when we said hello. Later i find out that she was from Portugal and she was thinking she was speaking English but she was talking the language she knew when she was a child. We all decide to split into 3 groups. My team was mrs. Stephanie kayla katerina and i. We had the left side of the hall. We knocked on the first door and walked in. There was two Lady's in there separated by a curtain. Mrs. Stephanie told her how we were from a church and stopping by to say hey. We asked her name.  She said alice.  After a couple mins of small talk she asked us to pray for her kids who were in the floods. I was so excited cause I remember seeing Britt Nicole praying with strangers and I always knew I was gonna do that. This was my first time. We all bowed are heads and prayed with her.  She was the sweetest lady i've ever meet(: she told us to go talk to her friend on the other side.  We gladly accepted. This lady was wearing a neck brace. She asked that we'd pray for her to heal. We then repeated what we did and then said are goodbyes. We saw a lady sitting in the hall we approached her and said hello. She says blank not looking at us. This was so strange i've never experienced people that I was meeting. We left her alone. The next couple rooms were what we called "sleepers" haha. Then we went in a room with again 2 ladys. We greeted them. One had a huge smile on her face.  The other was disabled. The one with the smile pointed at a picture on her wall.  I saw a little girl.  She started crying telling us how they were getting abused. That really hit home as some of my friends I know are getting abused to. We sat and prayed to her. Now we finished the first floor. On the next floor we saw two ladys in the hall. We told them we were from a church.  One said his and rolled away the other stayed and told us about her church and how she was going with her children on sunday. Once we finished talking to her we went toward the cafeteria. By now we all were one large group. One girl from the famine was talking to a man but he couldn't hear so he kept telling her to speak up. Once we were done we went off to bingo. Some were annoyed we were ruining there game but others were happy to see us. One is remember looked right at me so I smiled and waved. She smiled back. I knew I made her day although I never got to speak to her. I walked outside the room and heard a lady crying I walked into her room with mr. Sam. She was trying to get up. He told her no and he went to get a nurse. I was alone. She wasn't speaking English. With her pain in her eyes she looked at me crying. She then started slapping herself. This killed me inside. Then mr. Sam came in and I left. This is where I just broke down and cryed. I don't know why I was crying. But I felt very blessed seeing this. Later i meet another lady who couldn't hear. I shock her hand and smiled. This trip really changed me.  I know now I want to help people in my life. We went back to mr. Sam 's house. I helped with the clean up then we headed back to the church. There we did games with are tribes. We only won the one with madlibs. The food smelt so good. But I didn't really feel hungry anymore. The last thing before we ate was a presentation with paster rich about his trip to africa. I Tryed to get my mom to send me there on a mission to this summer but she was to scared. This was just reminding me what I was missing. One of the last things he said was to remember the toilet. He showed us a picture of this beautiful toilet with around 6 kids playing on the foundation around it. The toilet prob. Cost around 4000$.he was saying how this people didn't need this fancy toilet they need food and places where there kids could play. He said that in order to know what people need you need to be friends with them. I find this so true. But now that this was over it was time to "mongeeeee" (eat). We first did communion Omg that was the best bread i've ever tasted! I'm sure it had nothing to do with my not eating for 30 hours. Then we got in line for the food they had salad ,lasagna ,cake ,meatballs, and spaghetti. I knew if I ate to much I would throw up. I told kayla this but would she listen to me... no! She had 2 full plates I hardly could finish one. She went to the bathroom then a couple of seconds later she txted me I think I'm gonna puke. I'm sorry but I laughed I told her.  My dad finally showed up i huged my new friends and left. And wrote this. I hope I remember this for the rest of my life. Hinch why I wrote this(: oh and i wrote this on my phone and my phone changes my words so bear with me(: