I am writing this just after receiving an e-mail from someone who I haven’t heard from in three years. The e-mail from a pastor in Mombasa, Kenya, informed me that people in his area are starving.

What stood out to me in his letter was not that many lives have been lost, although that is tragic, or that there are no jobs in the area and that the president of Kenya has declared famine. What caught my eye and wrenched my heart was this quote from his letter, “... not far from where I live a couple decided to eat their child last year due to hunger. The act cannot be justified but they did that.”

I met this pastor, his wife and children in 2003 on a missions trip to Mombasa, an area that is 50 percent Muslim. We visited many schools, and I thought the children were very lovely. One of them reminded me of my youngest child but with darker skin. At one school, the little children wore green uniforms and at another, blue, but at both schools the little girls wore the traditional Muslim head scarves. Children being children, some forgot to wear their head scarves. I thought what a burden it must be for the little girls to have to keep their scarves with them, keep them clean and on their heads on those hot Kenyan days.

Where are these little children now? My friend told me that some schools have closed indefinitely due to the famine. He said because of the lack of rain, the land is devastated and cannot produce food for the people. Although food is being shipped in from other parts of the country, he said the food is very expensive and most people cannot afford to buy it.

In his message, my pastor friend said that churches and businesses are stepping in and have fed three hard-hit districts of the Coastal province. He is appealing for help for Kwale, where his family lives, and Kilifi, a region where 1.5 million people live who have been hard hit by the famine.

If there was ever a time for church missions groups to step in and help, it is now.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matthew 25:35). Those are the Lord’s words to those who hear them. And, he tells us to feed those who cannot pay us back.

If your heart is moved to help the hungry, please consider helping this pastor. He doesn’t request money but prayers and people to come help.

If you choose to help feeding programs here in the area because of this column, I thank you for your kindness and generosity. I also caution you to please check into the salaries of those who run the feeding programs. And, please consider helping those in Mombasa, Kenya, who are hungry today.

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