Young people fight hunger with 30-hour famine

from the Journal and Courier

By BOB SCOTT

Two dozen young people from Lafayette recently fasted 30 hours to raise money to fight world hunger.

The youth group at Sunrise Christian Reformed Church raised about $5,000 as part of its second annual World Vision 30 Hour Famine weekend. The youths raised $1,100 last year.

"Not eating for 30 hours was hard, but it was not as bad as what kids around the world face," said Paul Lyzenga, 17.

"It was pretty cool for me to come in and do something for world hunger."

The senior at Faith Christian School also helped build 1,208 6-by-8-inch wooden crosses that were installed outside the southside church.

The crosses represent the number of children age 5 and younger who die from poverty and hunger each hour worldwide, according to World Vision 30 Hour Famine.

Jean Dahnke, the children's ministry director, said last weekend's retreat was an educational experience for the group.

"I hope they realized that they can make a difference," she said. "Spiritually, I hope they grow in their Christian walk and know they can accomplish a lot of things with Jesus Christ at their side."

She said there were no complaints during the fast and overnight retreat.

"None of them complained," she said. "When you get hungry, you tend to get grouchy. I'm proud of them."

Lyzenga said when the fast ended, the group had rice and then spaghetti. The idea was to give the fasters food that would not upset their stomachs.

"I did have three plates of spaghetti," he laughed. "It tasted great."

The participants also played games that were fun and educational, Dahnke said. The focus was on Indonesia and the impoverished children there.

"One game was called 'earthquake survival,' " she said. "The kids journaled, too."

One game's question was, "How do you think it would be to be separated from your family during a crisis?"

"It made you think," Dahnke said.

Other games focused on the "mosquito menace" and malaria, which is a major killer worldwide.

"It takes $365 to feed a child for an entire year," she said.

Sisters Emily and Maggie Wetzel said it was a "great weekend." Emily, 14, and Maggie, 12, attend Lafayette Christian School.

"The best part was raising money for kids in poverty," Emily said. "We asked our families and friends at church to help."

Maggie said she enjoyed being with her friends for 30 hours.

"Having fun was the best part for me," she said. "But while we were having fun, we knew we were helping people."

The sisters were part of a church team that went to Lima, Peru, last year. They are going back again this year.

"You have no idea what poverty really is until you go down there and see it," Maggie said.