Give us this day our daily bread

Give us this day our daily bread. I've never prayed this prayer and wondered if God was going to provide me with enough to eat today. I doubt any of us have. But across East Africa that prayer often reflects a very real need. While spending time at Amazing Grace Children's Home in Uganda, I heard a very similar prayer offered up by one of the kids. As she prayed in the passionate style that I have only experienced in East Africa, she reminded God of their sparse and simple meals and asked Him to provide them with a balanced diet. Coming from a culture of stocked pantries and rich desserts, the raw reality of her prayer struck a deep chord. That is why I'm excited that this coming March, we all have the chance to respond in a meaningful way to help answer the prayers of these kids. Lahash is inviting everyone (me, you, your family, your friends...) to join us in eating Rice and Beans for a whole month. Our goal with this event is to Simplify our diets and stand in Solidarity with our brothers and sisters, in order to Share more of our resources. At the end of the month, the money that you saved by eating this inexpensive, nutritious diet will be given to the kids living in our East African partnerships to improve their diets!

This is a big challenge to consider, and it is easy to say, "Great idea! You go for it, but I could never do that! I mean seriously... rice and beans? a whole month?" But if we are honest with ourselves, we could do it, we're really just saying we wouldn't do it. For every person, the way you take on this challenge will look a little different. In our family, I'm planning to eat rice and beans for 3 meals every day. Abbe (my wife and a nursing mother), and Asher (my sometimes picky two-year-old son) will eat it for dinner most nights, but not breakfast and lunch. I'm sure Lucy (my new-born daughter) would do it, but she's not eating solid food yet. So we really want to encourage you to join us for the month in whatever way you can. Please don't miss out by saying, "Well, I just couldn't do that." Invite a friend to join you, share recipes, eat rice and beans, and tell us your story! For more information, videos and recipes, go to www.EatRiceAndBeans.com

- Casey Schilperoort

Portland, OR