Jennie Patterson - The Christian Science Journal, Dec. 2006
Normally I spend Christmas at my dad’s house in Virginia, or at my mom’s in New York. But last Christmas was different. And it was the most special one I’ve had.
My mother’s friend Bonnie invited my mom, my brother, my sister, my aunt, and me, to spend my December school break in Ecuador, volunteering in a little village called Azama, located between two mountains in the Andes, just north of the capital, Quito. The area is beautiful–very green and tropical. The temperature isn’t humid, as you might think, but rather cool and refreshing.
Bonnie runs an organization called People Helping People, primarily from New York City, which helps poor, indigenous people in Equador. Bonnie’s done a lot for the people in the village, for example, building them a school. Whenever she walks into Azama, you hear all the kids shouting, “Señora Bonnie!” She’s well-known there.
The day before Christmas, my brother and I helped Bonnie serve a Christmas supper at the village school. We provided chicken, fries, and juice boxes for about 150 kids. The easiest way to feed everyone was in an assembly line. Twenty or so people would be let into the school at a time, and someone would give them plates and napkins. Then they’d proceed to the place where Bonnie and I were handing out fries and chicken, and then on to my brother who was handing out juice boxes, while my sister helped seat all the young kids, and my mom set up more places to sit.
Everything seemed to be going well. Then when we were feeding the last group of kids, Bonnie thought that we had enough food to feed the parents, as well, so we did. But more than 50 parents had to be fed, and Bonnie had only ordered 200 pieces of chicken. First we started running short on fries. Then we ran out of juice boxes. Bonnie was beginning to worry, and so it made me worry.
As my brother and I were piling chicken and fries on plates, he said, “Like the loaves and the fishes, right? We need Jesus.” He was talking about the story of the loaves and fishes in the Bible, which I’d learned about when I was very young. In the story, people came from miles and miles away to hear Jesus teach. When it was over, Jesus said to his disciples, “Give ye them to eat,” and they answered, “We have no more but five loaves and two fishes” (Luke 9:13). Well, that’s not much to feed 5,000 people. But Jesus blessed the little food they had and told the disciples to give some to every person. There were 12 baskets of food left over. I had never thought of it as much more than a story. And although I was still concentrating on the food, my brother’s comment made me think. Jesus trusted God to feed a mass of people . . . why couldn’t I? As I dished out the food, I prayed quietly. I knew that because God loves us, He gives us everything we humanly need. That’s what Jesus taught his disciples and it was really helpful for me to remember. Every day before school, my mother and father used to say to me, “Have a great day. God will provide you with everything you need at every moment, so don’t worry.”
Right then I decided that I wouldn’t worry. I thought to myself, “God, it’s your job from here. I believe you’ll provide us with everything.” And I began praising Him for everything that He had given me.
As I handed plates of food to the hungry grownups, they smiled at us and said, “Muchas gracias, señorita.” That made me smile. I paid no attention to the amount of food that was left, just the smiles on peoples’ faces.
Finally, I received a plate of food from Bonnie, and as I turned to give it to the next person, I realized . . . there was no one there. I checked the door. No one was waiting by it. I looked out the window. Everyone had food, and the children were playing. I looked back at the buckets that held the chicken and fries. Lots of chicken and plenty of fries. My brother looked at me and said, “Wow! There was enough!” I looked at him and smiled, “Just like the loaves and the fishes!” We took the extra chicken and gave it to the dogs that hung around near the school.This experience reminded me that God is constantly looking out for us, and it’s our job to remember that.
Bonnie’s program, People Helping People, is a human expression of God’s love for His children. It definitely made the people in the village feel loved–and happy. That’s why last Christmas was so special. After all, Christmas is about giving, not taking. To me, it’s all about spreading that family feeling–the love, the warmth, the kindness, and the spirit of giving–with others.
Jennie Patterson is a high school student in Virginia.
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