30 Hour Famine

When I returned from Malawi last summer I had a peace that I couldn’t explain.

When I think about it, it returns.

A settledness.

A contentment.

An ok-ness.

A not needing muchness.

There was a song on my spotify playlist that said it well.

“And I have a peace that I don’t understand

when I know where I stand with you.

And I already have everything I need

And You’re all that I have to lose.”

Matt Hammitt – You Are My Treasure

Come to think of it, there’s a verse in the Bible that tells us what God does…

11 God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace. (Psalm 29:11 MSG)

We visited villages in the Mutendere area. I saw with my own eyes all that God was able to do with simple levels of obedience and love expressed through faith and action. Each night, as we returned to our hotel, I could feel it. My heart was becoming more and more peaceful.

Worries were replaced with gratitude. Fear replaced with courage. First world pride replaced with third world presence. I was starting to become even more me, because I was getting closer to the One who made me.

For one short week I wasn’t in charge of a youth group or in charge of anyone really. Everything was out of my control. And in that inability I grew a renewed sense of trust. When I returned home this experience shifted my focus even further in the direction of missional living empowered by peaceful trust.

Offering teenagers a weekend to give over their choice to eat whenever they want, to become a part of a program where they don’t make the rules or choose the teams, to exercise their faith and ask for help when we are used to not needing any help… all of these things seem so much more vital after having experienced the side effects yourself.

The side effect of seeing what the funds from the 30 Hour Famine do for people around the world are incurable and they have motivated me to put “out of control, out of comfort zone” opportunities into the environments where teenagers gather in our church more often.

- I want them to have this same peace that I have felt.

- To be able to sit in a crowd knowing that they are OK.

- I want them to be able to understand the fullness of their own creation.

- To be able to say out loud, I believe God created me for a purpose.

- I want them to be able to see what little acts of love can do.

- To be able to offer love without hesitation or fear of abandonment or judgement.

- I want them to be able to melt their own condescending attitudes at the refiners fire.

- To be able to grasp how much God loves all people.

I breath in deep, remembering that peace; how it causes me to slow.

It reminds me of some families who are singing songs and dancing around the world over full storehouses and pass down cows. They don’t really care what time it is or if you have time to dance. They dance because they are grateful and so thankful.

If only I could bottle that stuff up and drink it in everyday.

Maybe we can?

Maybe we do when we remember and reorient our lives around that remembrance.

Christ did promise food and drink that would satisfy. Living water. Ah. Can you taste it?

Maybe it’s time to do that–right now, where we live.

Let’s sing songs and dance because we’re thankful to be right where we are, in the beautiful pouring out of God’s grace.

Travis Hill, Middle School Pastor at Springcreek Church in Garland, Texas

Confession: I’m a huge Middle Earth and Tolkien nerd.

However, one question I had upon my first reading of the Lord of the Rings was this: if the entire fate of Middle Earth rested on the destruction of the One Ring, why didn’t Gandalf, who had the ability to communicate with the Eagles, call up Gwaihir and ride him all the way to Mount Doom? Why did he go through the trouble of giving the ring to an unknown hobbit from the Shire and wish for the best? Obviously, it would have made for a less epic tale, one that I’m grateful Tolkien never wrote.

Sometimes I think doing an event in student ministry feels like going on an epic journey. There is the planning, the meetings, the phone calls, sign-ups, email lists, dissemination of roles and jobs, cajoling parents to provide food or rides, and on and on and on. And who is the leader of our fellowship? Us. You. The student pastor. You are the leader. And it can (and does) easily overwhelm us. But if we do everything, aside from simply burning out, we will also steal away an awesome experience for our students, an experience that they can learn from and share with others.

My challenge to you is to give your Famine away. Create space for your students to lead and learn. In fact, the more hands-off you can be with Famine, the better the experience will be. Is it messy? Of course. Will some of the students who express interest and take charge of certain roles fail? Definitely. Does Famine have the potential of being “not as good” as years past? Not at all. From my experience, the more a student is in charge, taking leadership, the more the other students will buy into it.

It’s really interesting to see how students grow by having them:
- On-stage speaking
- Writing devotional material
- Configuring and designing games
- Gathering supplies
- Running check-in

I’m constantly amazed by the middle schoolers who can lead just as well as high schoolers, and even better than me. It shouldn’t be a question of age and wisdom, but rather of heart and desire. One of our best Famine experiences was when we gave the speaking and organizing role over to one of our seniors and let him direct the entire weekend. Was it tough? Yes. Was it worth it? Incredibly. Too often we feel we have the “best solutions” and forget that it’s not about us; it’s about the students.

Imagine: would Frodo have grown if Gandalf took the ring to Mordor instead? Would Frodo have come back wiser, acknowledged as an elf-friend, garnering respect? Would Sam have added on his loyalty and leadership traits to eventually become Mayor of the Shire? Sure it was grim, but worth it. What would it look like to relinquish control and give your Famine away to a group of students? This time around, let them make the decisions. Help them and guide them, of course. Give them the room to breathe and rise and fail. But always be there to carry them home on the backs of eagles.

Ross Carper, Director of Junior High & College Ministries, First Presbyterian Church of Spokane

We often think of the 30 Hour Famine as a thing. It’s something we do. For youth leaders, it’s this thing: an important part of our yearly calendar that teaches faith in action. For students, it’s this thing: a season of growth and creative service toward an exciting goal. For parents, it’s this thing: lots of questions (You’re asking our students to do what? Why? Where does all this money go?)—all of which slowly give way to engagement and steadfast support.

For these groups and others, the 30 Hour Famine is a very good thing. But at its heart, the Famine is not a thing. The 30 Hour Famine is people—people who are worlds apart, being empowered to change their communities. This struck me last year when I had the honor of traveling to Malawi with a small group of youth leaders whose students are (like mine) deeply committed to the Famine. I’ll never think of the Famine the way I did before my journey. During the brief week in the friendly southeastern African nation known as “the warm heart of Africa,” I met several Malawian people whose stories I’ll never forget.

One of these people is Essau Mwendo Phiri, a large, grinning man who is most accurately described as jolly. Essau is from a rural part of Malawi; he serves as the chief of his home village during frequent visits home from his more modern life in Lilongwe, the capital city. As World Vision’s National Food Security Manager, he is an expert in food security issues who has spoken at conferences all over the world. We were privileged to have him travel with us for three days.

In the field, Essau wears a tan safari-style vest with the words “Farmers First” printed on the back. He was as quick to explain his main goal as he was to dance joyfully with rural villagers. “My focus is to help rural farmers gain a more businesslike mindset.” He referred to the large majority of Malawi’s population who are subsistence farmers—those who grow their own food. “We can change the hardware we give farmers—better seeds, tools, and the like—but to be most effective we must change the software,” he said, pressing a finger to his temple to emphasize the point.

Basically, Essau wants to convince Malawian farmers to seek out new training and techniques from World Vision and others, and create plans to expand the variety and yields of products their farms sell. This creates new income for Malawi’s families to feed and educate their children, and often sparks new hope that leads to spiritual transformation as well. A deeply committed Christian, Essau sees spiritual renewal as a mission that goes hand in hand with meeting physical needs.

Watching him put his mission into practice was a joy. When we visited a village that uses old cornstalks to grow and sell delicious mushrooms through a new World Vision project, he entertained everyone with his infectious laughter and belly-shaking dance moves. But he is no mere cheerleader; he’s an expert motivator. Essau has that rare ability to turn a moment with well-placed wisdom. When he becomes quieter, people sit up straight, lean in close, and listen. At one such moment, the group fell silent, nodding in agreement as he challenged them to quickly expand their enterprise—to not just be happy with the progress the mushroom business has achieved. He then explained a strategy that could result in a new commercial market for their product. Strategy, reinvestment, growth. Such wisdom is not a handout, but the empowerment of a growing business led mostly by the strong women of the village.

This is the 30 Hour Famine: Essau and countless others helping people in their own country have the best tools and the right mindset to rise above hunger and live the full lives they were created for. As I remember that specific village now from my kitchen table, I find myself praying for swift growth in the mushroom project, and for this blessing to continue to help feed and educate the children we met there.

Think of it: at this very moment, across the globe, your Famine funds are doing amazing things. Small mud and thatch huts are being turned into hot houses for growing mushrooms. A low spot on a family farm becomes a pond for fish farming. Between the fishponds, new citrus trees are planted. A village works together on a new method of composting, which greatly increases their harvest. A family’s dairy cow is the difference between their children eating once a day and eating two or three times. In a thick forest, honeybees swarm around several structures, making highly profitable honey for their owners. Our group visited village after village, seeing how these businesses are making communities and families stronger. We heard specific stories of how these opportunities are causing malnutrition rates to go down and education ages to go up. This is how we fight hunger. Stories like this happen because of the Famine funding you work hard to raise.

So keep doing your thing, and be encouraged to do it with even more energy than before. I know I am. But remember, the 30 Hour Famine isn’t a thing. It’s big Essau grinning as he dances to the song a woman named Dorica is singing—a song about how World Vision and her fish pond have transformed her family’s life. It’s Tabitha, a girl of twelve from the same area, having food and education because of the proceeds from that fish pond. It’s a community of students going beyond just an event by learning to live a sacrificial life. A life that loves God and loves our neighbors—near and far. That’s the 30 Hour Famine.

Leah Swindon, National Director, 30 Hour Famine

You know the saying that your greatest strength can also be your greatest weakness? That’s how I feel about the word “why.”  I love it and I truly dislike it at the same time. I tend to ask myself “why” repeatedly until there’s nowhere left to go.

I believe that as youth workers “why” is one of the most important questions we ask ourselves.  As an example, when I have my youth leader hat on, I’ll ask myself: “Why are we doing this service project?” Is it because there’s a need or because we need to be doing it?  Can both answers be correct?  Absolutely. But ultimately, one will trump the other.

So under that context, what is your motivation for working with students?  Why do you do what you do?

I was prompted to dig into this question when I was reading Andrew Root’s book series on theology and youth ministry.  He poses the question: “What is the purpose of youth ministry?”  I found that when I put my youth group under this lens there are times I came out lacking.

As the full time Director of the 30 Hour Famine program and the volunteer youth leader at my church, I can cross the line of making sure I “get things done” just because I lack the time. And that is the wrong approach entirely.

As if that wrestling weren’t enough we decided that to look at this question as the 30 Hour Famine team.  Why are we so passionate about reaching young people through the Famine? Our team wrestled with this question and we all came from different places.

We love connecting with youth workers and providing an experience that helps to empower our students through action and a little discomfort to do the work that Christ has called us to do. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” How awesome is it for our students to feel themselves being a part of that calling?

But why are we doing it?

If I were to get right down to it, there is nothing more powerful, more beautiful, and more Christ-like than students helping fellow kids.  Playing a part in that, even in a small way, is a part of who we are called to be as Christians.  I often turn to the book of Mark when I think of our role in teaching students about the importance of serving:   “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Mark 5:6 NIV)

When you get right down to it. That’s my “why.”

What’s yours?

World Vision’s own Scott Erickson has produced several works of art for you or your group to use this holy week. Follow the links below to download it all for free.

DOWNLOADS

Good Friday – Stations of the Cross – Artwork
http://www.worldvisionyouth.org/resources/stations-of-the-cross-scriptures

Holy Week – Artwork
http://www.worldvisionyouth.org/resources/holy-week-artwork

Easter Artwork
http://www.worldvisionyouth.org/resources/easter-art

STORE

Buy these images in a print
http://society6.com/wvyouth/prints

With so many groups participating in the 3o Hour Famine around the country, we love seeing local news agencies jump on board in telling the story about students making a difference to end world hunger.

Here are three stories of the dozens we’ve seen, a little series we’re calling 30 Hour Famine in the News:

Students Raise Awareness, Money with 30 Hour Famine

March 1st, 2013 - Fox 13 News Salt Lake City

“By fasting for 30 hours they’ll understand what these kids go through every day,” says famine coordinator Patsy Simons. “It kind of gives them ownership of it because they get to feel what the other kids are feeling.”

Watch the video here

Woodbury Teens Fast for World Hunger

March 15th, 2013 – South Jersey Times

Youth group members from Kemble United Methodist Church will fast for 30 hours this weekend in hopes of raising $9,000 for, and calling attention to, world hunger.

–

Kathryn Snow, an 18-year-old member of the church’s youth group, has been participating in the fast for six years. She stated taking part in the 30-hour famine has made her more aware of the problems of starvation around the world.

“There are situations out there that I would have never known about if I hadn’t have learned about the 30 Hour Famine,” said Snow. “The Famine has taught me that there are many people out there who need our help. Not just a little help but there are people out there who desperately need us.”

In the 11 years the church has taken part in the fast, the youth group has raised approximately $70,000.

Read the Rest

Student Participates in Thirty Hour Fast

March 12th, 2013 – The Racquette

On Feb 22 and 23, members of the Potsdam Harry Potter Alliance had a chance to participate with World Vision and students from Massena Central School in a 30-hour famine.  The experiences that I had during the hours in which I stayed would be very eye opening and make me forever grateful for what I have.

–

The hardest thing was going to bed hungry.  As a kid, I never questioned what I had, nor did I give a thought to what others had, or did not.  To me, it was just the way of the world.  As I grew older, I thought more of others, and while I knew of the less fortunate, I could never even come close to understanding how they get by.

Read the Rest

Was your group featured in the news in your town? Let us know!

Mark Oestreicher, Partner at The Youth Cartel

I spent the last couple days in the World Vision offices in the Seattle area, working with the 30 Hour Famine team on some strategy stuff as well as creating some media for all of you who will be doing the Famine on the next national date in April.

And while this blog will normally focus on the needs of hungry children, the teenagers who participate in Famine, and the amazing youth workers who lead Famine events, I want to tell you all something:

The 30 Hour Famine team – Leah, Nikki, Hilary, David and Dan – are an absolutely stunning group of people.

Not one of them are merely there for a job. They breathe and bleed this stuff. They are passionate about Jesus, committed to youth leaders and teenagers, and urgent about helping hungry children around the world. They are creative and personable, focused and protective.

And they’re fun. Really: I’d take the whole lot of ‘em as volunteers in my church’s youth ministry. In a heartbeat.

They’re going to be embarrassed and uncomfortable that I’m posting this on the Famine blog. But I think you should know this. I think you should know that there’s a group of people who are thinking about you and praying for you and your teenagers every single day.

Allstate? Whatever. You’re in good hands with the 30 Hour Famine team!

Rocky Supinger, Associate Pastor, Claremont Presbyterian Church

This year’s 30 Hour Famine will be my fourth as a youth leader, and I expect the crowd that ambles into the church hall on Friday night dragging sleeping bags and furtive glances to be as unknown to me as the past few have been. They will be less unknown by the time they leave on Saturday night, but not much less. And when they go, I’m not likely to see them much again.

This is the way I have chosen to employ the 30 Hour Famine in my youth ministry, and I expect that my approach to the Famine will be different than how many other youth workers use it. It’s an event for the youth of our community, only some of whom are in relationship with our church. It serves its own critical purpose of educating young people about hunger and mobilizing them to solve it, but it doesn’t attempt to retain those participants for the rest of our church’s youth programs. Sure, I’d be more than happy to see some of the Famine participants show up in our youth group; but I’m not going to cajole or coerce or manipulate them into doing so. I’m not using Famine as a “recruitment tool.”

If I’m honest, I don’t have a full plate of confidence about this approach. But I’m rarely confident that any of our youth ministry initiatives are going the way they should! This one, though, is shaped after a particular student. Maggie was in 11th grade when I first recruited her to help me plan the 30 Hour Famine. She was not a member of our church, though her mom regularly attended, and she had never once attended youth group. But Maggie is passionate about justice, so after recklessly little forethought, I invited her to take on the Famine with me.

As could have been expected, she dove into it with passion and gusto, especially with respect to recruitment. At 6:00 that first February Friday night in 2011, a stream of about 15 students came through our door who were complete strangers to me. They were all friends of Maggie. She had talked them into coming. These were Student Council officers, soccer team captains, and Honors Society presidents. They were eager to join their friend in something that was this important to her. When the event ended they left, and that’s the last I saw of most of them. I’m fine with that.

Media Critic Jeff Jarvis writes in his book What Would Google Do? that Google’s success as a social utility is not the result of creating programs. Rather, Google creates platforms upon which communities of developers can do the work they’re eager to do. So Google Maps is not made up of Google code, but the platform is all green, yellow, red, and blue.

I decided to employ the 30 Hour Famine as a platform upon which young people in our community could do some good. Our church doesn’t write the program, World Vision does. But the program belongs to the students who come, our users.  To be honest, we’re pretty shameless about tweaking the platform to suit the needs of our users– we’ve drawn in other materials and amped up the social and fun aspects of the weekend.

Our planning team met last weekend to prepare for our April 19-20th Famine, and of the 10 students who want to lead it, only two have done the Famine before. So the event we produce together will be of, by, and for these students and their friends.

As with recent Famines, there’s no telling what will happen with this one. And I’m okay with that.

Shawn Kiger, Children’s, Youth, and Young Adult Minister at Lane Memorial United Methodist Church in Altavista, Virginia

First, I must admit I have never participated in the 30 Hour Famine.

I have been in youth ministry a long time and have heard of it.  And I have friends in youth ministry that love it.

But, there are so many options in youth ministry and so many good causes to support that I just never thought much about it. I also don’t enjoy fundraising. Not to mention you can’t eat for 30 hours! Having said all of that there are two things that have changed my thinking and are the reason I will be doing the famine this year with my students

1. A youth minister friend of mine has been doing the 30 Hour Famine for many years (10+). He has mentioned to me several times that I should consider doing the Famine one year. I would always say maybe we will– but never did. Last year when he mentioned it I started asking more questions about it. He told me how it impacted not only his students, his entire church. He told me about the tribe games and the fun they had. He described the educational piece of the program and how his students are much more aware of hunger in the world. That caught my attention. Missions, that focus on hunger, and poverty education have always been an interest to me. Our youth ministry puts a lot of time and effort into hunger awareness and missions.

2. That same friend was invited by World Vision to go Zimbabwe to see where money his group raised was going.  Because of his recommendation, they invited me to go along as well.  On that trip I got to see first hand that the money that was raised really was having a positive impact on the local Zimbabwe communities. I asked lots of questions about where the money went and how it was being used. If I was going to do this at my church, I needed to know that the funds we were raising were being used in a way that had long-term effects. I saw without a doubt that they were. Lives are being changed for the better and all of it is being done in God’s name. The impact was impressive to see. Money that teenagers are raising is being spent, in a country far away, to literally save peoples lives. Not just for today but for many generations to come.

I am sure it sounds like it takes a lot for me to try something new. Maybe that is the case? But, I like to be sure that if I am going to lead my students through something and ask them to raise money that it is a worthwhile ministry. There is no doubt in my mind now that it is.  We will be aligning with the work that God is already doing through World Vision. My students and leaders will get to experience the feeling of hunger while learning about hunger around the world. The money they will raise will go towards long term life saving programs.

That was enough to convince me.

I’m still not looking forward to not eating for 30 hours. But I’ve been convinced that it will be worth it!