30 Hour Famine 2010

I am sure you noticed there were a significant number of youths at our services and outside our church with pots collecting money. They spent yesterday in the 30 hour Famine. This is an annual event and this year it was bigger than ever. There were over 100 participants. They spent the day learning about poverty, hunger, and illness throughout Tucson and around the world. They worked all weekend making sandwiches, refugee welcome baskets, hygiene bags and greeting cards. They served over 150 people dinner and collected food for the Interfaith community Services. The heard from people working for Just Coffee, Tucson Refugee Ministry, One Step Beyond and the Giving Tree. The want to thank our congregation for so faithfully praying a coming along side us every year for the 30 Hour Famine.

Their goal over the weekend was to raise awareness and to raise funds. This year they were focusing on the growing concern of malaria in the world, Zambia in particular. Malaria is a hideous disease that kills over 2000 children a DAY. That right; every day children die due to the bite of a mosquito. But malaria can be prevented... easily. We are working through World Vision to help eradicate malaria. If 80% of the population of an affected region sleep under bed nets, the mosquito will have nothing to feast on and will not survive.

We don't have to know the entire solution to hunger or malaria in order to act. We may wonder what can any one of us do to make a difference for problems that are so huge, but with God all things are possible. God has the solutions. We are asked to THINK, to PRAY and to ACT.

They have committed to raise $7,500 to purchase bed nets. Additional money raised will be used for mission activities right here in our community. St. Andrew's youth collected money after all four services today to fight malaria. The goal is to raise $7,500 and they appreciate any support that you were able to give.

Photos by Lynn Guyot, Madeline Coates and Craig Littlefield