I received a letter a few days ago from Desir.  Desir Francois lives in Haiti with his mother and siblings.  His father died a couple of years ago after a lingering illness.  Desir likes basketball and soccer,and his chores include gathering firewood and going to the market for the family.  I have been sponsoring Desir through Compassion International for about 7 years.

He and I write back and forth about family, holidays, the weather, what we’ve been doing.  I’m careful about what I say, not wanting to make issue of the plenty that I have and the little that he has.  Then I got this letter that broke my heart a bit….

“Today I feel happy to write to you and I seize the opportunity to greet you in the name of the Living God.  My family and I are fine.  As for school and church, they are going well.  How is your family?…It was a great Easter…What is Easter like in your country?  Now, life is hard here, food product prices are soaring.  Has your country ever faced such a problem as food shortage?…I hope that God blesses you even more every day.”

No, Desir.  I don’t have to worry about food.  I eat too much of it, in fact.  In our country, children suffer diseases related to eating too much food, rather than the diseases of malnourishment and unclean water in places like Haiti. 

The letter got my attention in a powerful way, and that question about food shortage, in as much as it points to my excess, has been on my mind since I read it.  That question is calling me to some action, some level of giving out of that excess, in my world and my community.  How can I give?  How can you?