This is my first time posting on this blog.  I was asked by Wilmer Froese to take part in Hunger Awareness week by eating only from a box I was given by the Rosthern Food Bank for a period of six days.  I started today by eating oatmeal and an apple for breakfast and Mr. Noodles and a spam sandwich for lunch.  I am hoping that I will still have something to eat by Wednesday/Thursday!

I am Mark Wurtz and have been the Director of the Youth Farm Bible Camp for the last 13 years.  A group of 17 staff of our camp (mixture of high school students and adults) just came back from a Mexico Mission Trip where we built a house for a family in need.  Following this adventure with eating from a food bank for six days is an interesting experience.  For five days, we lived in poverty - no running water, no hot water, no electricity, no toilets (we used outhouses), and sleeping in tents, while spending the days building a home for a family of four.  You can read about this experience at http://mexicoyfbc.blogspot.ca and check out pictures at www.facebook.com/youthfarmbiblecamp.

Although during those five days, we were fed by Mexicans and could eat as much tortillas, beans, salsa, tacos, etc. as we wanted.  As well, we stopped at a local grocery store and could purchase items to bring home (vanilla!) and anything else to supplement our current diet.  So now I am going to experience what it is like to have very limited options for food after experiencing what it was like to have very limited options for shelter/washrooms.

In life, we can take many things for granted.  I do not think I took living in a nice house for granted, however, I definitely took having a long warm shower for granted.  Just like, I don't think I take the food I am provided with for granted.  However, I am now realizing that I take for granted that I have choice with what I want to eat.  For the next six days, I am limited to only the items in a small cardboard box!

How many times can we catch ourselves saying there is nothing to eat here when we are looking at a fully stocked pantry supplemented by a full fridge of food and more food in the deep freeze.  So then we decided to go to a restaurant for a meal.  It must be because we live in a culture of instant gratification.  For me it almost seems easier to pick from a very limited supply instead of from an almost unlimited amount of options.  The only problem is that the supply will run out rather fast!

Mark