Delivering Food—A Simple Act with a Big Impact!

Many of the churches using our Answers VBS program choose to help raise money for a wonderful ministry called Children’s Hunger Fund, through the mission’s moment portion of the program and our partnership with CHF. And we like to keep you updated on what God is doing through CHF to encourage you to continue in your good work of supporting this ministry through your VBS.

They recently shared about an outreach in El Salvador that is bearing fruit for the gospel. This story highlights how CHF does their work—and why we chose that specific ministry to partner with. We love their gospel focus! We hope you are encouraged by this story:

A Food Pak delivery is more than just bringing food to someone in need. It is an opportunity for a human connection with a person who may be isolated from society. As Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) looks at how Jesus interacted with the poor and rejected person in society, we see that his ministry was a relational ministry. He took time to meet with people who were marginalized, and cast aside from main stream society. On a recent trip to El Salvador, the CHF Latin American ministry development team trained pastors and leaders in the community on the topic of Preaching like Christ: the Gospel to the poor.

The CHF team made a visit to a community in El Salvador where people are isolated with HIV/AIDS. Pastor Mario and Juan came with Food Paks in hand, ready to share the love of Christ with anyone who might receive them. As the men entered the house, a woman named Norma was standing off to the side, with her eyes shifted downward to avoid eye contact. Pastor Jeb introduced Pastor Mario and Juan to Norma, reassuring her that she can “trust” these men. Once Norma realized that there was a level of trust between Pastor Mario, Juan and her local pastor, she understood that she was safe, and she lifted her head and made eye contact with them. Norma began to share her story about how she had been homeless as a result of her disease. She and her husband have two children and were homeless until she came to the community she is living in today.

The level of relational ministry and trust that is cultivated over time with the CHF Mercy Network pastors and a Food Pak recipient is a result of a relationship that goes beyond the delivery of food. These Food Pak recipients are grateful for the food they receive, but are even more thankful for the personal connection that is made. CHF’s Mercy Network pastors spend time listening and praying with each person they deliver food to. They embrace each visit with care, and take time to share the love of the Gospel of Jesus. This then, becomes a delivery of hope.

This Food Pak visit became much more than just a delivery of food. Norma shared about her family and how she has been struggling with her twelve year old son. He had become disrespectful, rebellious, and had many problems in school. As Pastor Mario and Juan began to counsel Norma and pray with her, an amazing thing happened. Norma’s son returned home and through many tears, her son asked for forgiveness, and there was a reconciliation between mother and son. It is God’s redemptive work through the simple act of delivering a Food Pak to a woman in need that has changed an entire family.

This video shows a pastor in the Dominican Republic delivering a Food Pak to a needy family:

Learn more about CHF at ChildrensHungerFund.org. And explore our 2019 VBS, The Incredible Race: One Race, One Family, One Savior, at AnswersVBS.com.