SoCM - 3

School of Christian Mission - Day 3

The most amazing thing about this day was the World Hunger Meal. I had a heads up as to what the meal would entail and so I volunteered to be part of the masses, the 60% of the world that has little or no food to eat. I also volunteered my three roommates. We got to the dining hall and saw a table set with linens and a candelabra and about 20 place settings. This was the wealthy 15% of the world population. They got to eat crusted pork loin, mixed vegetables, salad, glazed sweet potatoes, hot buttered rolls, and chocolate cake. There were also about 40 settings, very casual settings, for the 25% of the middle class population. The were served hot dogs, macaroni, and green beans. The remaining of us sat on the floor in the middle of the room and received black beans and rice with water to drink. It was a really interesting contrast. I have always been in the upper middle class and have never known what it was like to live on the edge, the margins of life. How easily it would be to slip from the lower middle class/poor into poverty. What an experience!

After the meal we enjoyed an evening with the Bear Mountain Dancers from the Monacan Indian Reservation.

Tomorrow is the concluding day and then we head home. This has been an eye-opening week. I hope that I take back at least a little of what I learned and can share it/teach it to another.