Our Daily Bread
An outreach of Community Hope Ministries
When we had just arrived in Namibia...
... I felt lonely, dismayed and was beginning to wonder how I could live here without a friend or someone to relate to. When I turned in my reading to Romans 12:21, the verses I know so well came to the rescue. “Don’t be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
In my mind, evil meant poverty, ignorance, and broken families. That week was the beginning of a new chapter in my life.
My new friend, Anne, had a large warehouse not far from our plot. She was all ears when I asked her if I could use the warehouse for a youth center. Together we brought van loads of kids there every week for a class we named Peanut Butter and Jesus. At the start, many of the kids weren’t reading anywhere near their grade level. As the program grew, the kids began to read the Bible. Most of them gave their hearts to Jesus. Today the program is still going strong. For many children, this meal is the only meal they receive all day.
The food draws them to us, and through this program, we have drawn numerous families to Christ. Peanut butter and Jesus is not only helping families to survive, but many of the kids who come are finishing high school and going on to higher education. Over the twenty-four years of operation, Community Hope has served the kids of Katutura well over a million healthy meals!
Kids In The Kitchen
Today, at the Lighthouse, Tinga Pachawo, shops, cooks, and makes menus for the Light House kitchen. Since the parents can’t afford to buy veggies she includes them in every dish.
A typical family in this neighborhood purchases all their food on payday at the end of the month. By mid-month their money is gone and the pantries are bare. We give food packs to families on the second Thursday of the month. This sustains them through the lean times. Tinga purchases a variety of veggies along with mealie-meal, (cornmeal) rice, and pasta all neatly tucked into the food packs.
The kids learn teamwork in the kitchen, kindness, and respect are encouraged and expected. Those who help with dishes are sometimes given an extra plate of food. Shouts of joy can be heard. There is no greater reward than a very full tummy!
Monthly birthday celebrations are regarded as special moments because they don’t happen at home. The gathering of everyone singing, words of encouragement, prayers, and cake with a present makes the child feel loved and cherished. The Light House is their home.