Feeding the Poor

On Wednesday Oct 7th we flew to DaNang. We were headed there to help give out some food to the people affected by the recent typhoon. On our way from DaNang to a smaller city we saw quite a bit of damage. Roofs blown off, signs broken in half and trees blown down. The area had also flooded so there was lots of mud and muddy roads. Our first night in the small city we were introduced to a gentlemen and his wife who were in their late eighties and he had been instrumental in starting many of the home groups in different villages and was also a teacher and he spoke English. He went with us to several of the villages and had stories to tell about many of the people that came for support. We were able to go to three villages, the fourth we only got so far and then they had to send the motor bike brigade to us to take the food back as the road was too muddy to make it in with our van. With the supplies we had we were able to feed seventy families for a week. One lady we met was blind in one eye and only had two fingers on one of her hands. The elderly gentlemen told us that her son was rich but left her in a small hut to fend for herself. It broke our hearts. Another story we heard from our new neighbor, was about her village, one of the ladies who owned a duck farm was drown trying to save her ducks. That was her livelihood and she needed them to survive. In each village we took the bags of food into a home and the people came there to pick it up, we did not have enough to feed whole villages and we did not want to start any trouble. Our last stop we took the bags into a couple's shoe store. We ended up waiting there for our friends who had gone to see someone further out. While waiting I decided to try on some shoes, what do you know they fit. I ended up with three pairs. The owner gave me one pair as a gift and as I paid for the other two you would have thought she had won the lottery. She gave me a big hug. I only paid $18.00 for the two pairs, what a deal. I felt so blessed to be able to help them out. The reward so out weighs the little things we go through to help. We are privileged.