Cơm Từ Thiện / Charity Lunch 5/17/09
Sunday afternoon is when street vendors and less fortunate people would come to the Phu Nhuan Seventh-day Adventist Church in Saigon, Vietnam to have their lunch. This church organized a provision for the poor people, which is supported by the church members itself and other donors.
Served by the church with smiles, they give healthy, delectable lunch to these poor people. Each committee has its own role. They go to the market early in the morning, choosing the best, healthiest food they could serve for the day. Other deaconesses, including youth in the church would help in cooking. (Food is really delicious, I could say.) Menu is planned a week before to see to it that everything would go on organized. Everybody is busy -- washing the dishes, wiping them dry, serving again and again. Others are having a chat with the people who are already finished eating. These people are so enthusiastic, instilled in their minds that serving these people could help them to know our Heavenly Father.
Seeing these street vendors, homeless and beggars being fed in this church would move our hearts. As you see them eating, feeling at home, enjoying the palatable food, smiling, laughing having a chat with the ones sitting next to them, you could see that they built another family in that place. And that they would see each other again the next week.
This is one thing we should strive to work on more. These people do not need just our provision but also someone to be by their side, someone to talk to. They need to know that we are always there for them and that we are the children of God. They need our presence, our smile, our attention ~~ our help. Just by being there, helping in many ways we can, is more than enough to make these people well fed, not just by the bread that we can give, but as well as by the Words that come from above.
By Monalisa
