Earlier this week the United Nations officially declared the food crisis in southern Somalia
If your congregation is looking for ways to remember the famine victims inSomalia and other regions of Eastern Africa , here’s a litany you might use. I wrote it for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a non-profit partnership of 1 5 Somalia
If your congregation is looking for ways to remember the famine victims in
When did we ever see You…?
(based on Matthew 2 5 1 -4 6 )
One: When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit on his glorious throne,
with all the nations will be gathered before him.
And he will separate the people
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
And he will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father,
inherit the Kingdom prepared for you
from the creation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you fed me.
I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.
I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
I was naked, and you gave me clothing.
I was sick, and you cared for me.
I was in prison, and you visited me.’
And the righteous will reply,
‘Lord, when did we ever see you…?’
Two: Today, across East Africa , more than 1 2 million people
are in desperate need of emergency food aid
as the area suffers from the worst hunger emergency in a generation.
In Somalia
have already died as a result of the most severe drought there
in nearly half a century.
One: Lord, when did we ever see you?
Two: It’s estimated that nearly half of the people in Somali –
3.7 million – are in crisis right now.
In some areas,
more than half of the children are already acutely malnourished.
Many Somalis have fled to Dadaab, a refugee complex in Kenya
It’s a perilous journey,
walking on foot for days through dangerous terrain without food or water,
at the mercy of local bandits.
Many do not survive the trip, especially children.
Those who make it are often severely malnourished.
One: Lord, when did we ever see you?
Two: Dadaab is now the largest refugee camp in the world,
housing close to 4 00,000 people – more than three times its capacity.
It is so full that it is no longer able to accept new admissions,
so tens of thousands of new refugees (mostly women and children)
are left to set up whatever kind of shelter they can
in the no-mans land that surrounds the camp itself.
There is nowhere else for them to go.
One: Lord, when did we ever see you?
Two: Food, water, shelter, medical care—there’s simply not enough to go around.
Officials warn that unless emergency aid arrives very soon,
thousands more will die in the coming weeks.
One: Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?
Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
Or a stranger and show you hospitality?
Or naked and give you clothing?
When did we ever see you sick or in Dadaab and visit you?’
And he will answer,
‘I tell you the truth,
when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,
you were doing it to me.’
— Christine Longhurst/CFGB
