break your fast
how to do it tastefullydo your stomach a favor
Now is not the time for a cheese-fest or burger-eating contest. Keep it simple by sticking to easy-to-digest foods like rice, pasta, and fruit. Your body will thank you.
keep the focus on Christ
Consider starting your meal with communion. You might even want to bake your own bread and invite students’ parents and the church to join in!
Your students have been through a lot in the last 30 hours. Some may want to dedicate (or rededicate) themselves to following Christ. Some may want to serve God in new ways.
Invite students to share these declarations before communion and pray with them afterward. Every year we hear from ecstatic leaders about students making a first-time commitment to follow Christ through the Famine!
four fast-breaking ideas
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recipe for solidarity: emergency therapeutic foods
World Vision emergency feeding centers use therapeutic super-foods like corn-soy blend (CSB) and Plumpy’nut™ to treat severely malnourished kids. Plumpy’nut is especially valuable in drought-prone areas because it doesn’t require any water. Whether or not they taste yummy isn’t the point — these two recipes are meant to literally save the lives of starving children.
make-your-own “CSB”
Ingredients
• 2 cups cornmeal • 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour • 4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil • 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
Combine cornmeal, flour, vegetable oil, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, then add water and stir well. Bring to a boil and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
make-your-own “Plumpy’nut”
Allergy alert: contains peanuts!
Ingredients
• 4 cups peanut butter • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 4 cups powdered (dry) milk • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mix well with an electric hand blender.
a Matthew 20:16 meal: trading places
Combine a community service activity with breaking your fast by serving at a shelter or recue mission. It’s especially hard-hitting if your hungry students serve others before their own meal, giving them a real-life example of Jesus’ words “the first will be last.”
ticket to eat: write something to eat something
Ask students to write something — two sentences or two pages — about the past 30 hours. Their words are their ticket to eat. It could be a prayer, a symbolic note to the kids they’re helping, or a reflection on their feelings. Have volunteers read their “tickets” aloud during your meal or in front of the congregation.
the friendly feast: one big, happy family
Have church members bring tummy-friendly food, potluck style, to break your fast. It’s a great way for them to support what you’re doing. Fundraising twist: Host the feast yourself, then invite the whole church and anyone from your community that has supported your cause. Suggest a “cover charge” at the door to raise more funds.
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