Teens' 30-hour fast is eye-opening

GREAT BRIDGE

A Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich without the pickle or a Five Guys burger with fries? Mike Taylor couldn't decide, but he salivated over the thought of both last Saturday afternoon.

The 17-year-old was one of 25 teens from Great Bridge United Methodist Church fasting from noon Jan. 19 to 6 p.m. Jan. 20, as part of World Vision's 30 Hour Famine.

Jeff Myers, youth director at church, said youth in grades 6-12 could participate in the fast if each raised $50. The money goes to World Vision, a Christian-humanitarian organization, based in Seattle, that helps communities worldwide fight hunger, poverty and injustices.

Of the 30 hours, Myers' group spent 24 together. On Friday night, to keep their minds off food, the teens went ice skating in Greenbrier and slept over at the church. But on Saturday, many were still talking about how they could smell the fried food from nearby AJ Gator's Sports Bar and Grill while out on the ice.

Davis Hutt, 13, was just four hours from completing the fast on Saturday and although craving bacon and a Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino, he said his hunger was nothing compared to what others experience.

"Some people go 30 days without eating," he said.

On Saturday, Myers, two chaperons and 25 hungry teens piled onto the Tide at the Military Highway station and rode into downtown Norfolk on a prayer tour through the city. At the Civic Plaza Station, the group got off and walked to the Norfolk Circuit Court house where they joined hands and prayed for Virginia's incarcerated men and women, the judges and police officers.

"There's a lot of reference in scripture about praying for the city, its leaders and the people who live there," Myers said. "I think, for all of us, we need reminders that we don't just pray in our sanctuaries."

At the MacArthur Station, Myers was trying to teach the teens about how cities survive on revenue from tourism and entertainment, but they were quickly distracted when protesters of Occupy Norfolk came marching down Monticello Avenue. Many of the teens, he said, have never seen a protest or ridden public transportation.

It's important, Myers said, for teens to see things on their own, "to know that famine, freedom and spiritual wellbeing are all real things."

This year was Annie Powell's fourth year participating in the 30-hour fast. If she could have had anything to eat on Saturday afternoon, besides the allotted juice and water, it would have been beef jerky. But the 14-year-old said she likes helping others and being hungry just helps her relate to those in need.

"When you experience what other people are going through, you don't take what you have for granted," she said.

For activities throughout the fast, the teens were broken into five groups of five, each representing a country affected by famine - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Zambia, Bolivia and Kenya. The goal was to learn more about each country and get to know new people, said Samantha Travis, 16.

Before the prayer tour on Saturday, Travis said the groups went to Walmart and Target. Each were asked to budget a week's worth of groceries on an income of someone at the poverty level.

Travis said her group tried to make healthy choices and pick things with a longer shelf life, like beans and rice. They spent an imaginary $150, leaving little left, she said, for rent, electricity and the rest of life's necessities.

In 2010, the Census Bureau reported 46.2 percent of Americans were living below the poverty line. For a family of four, the poverty line amounted to an annual income of $22,314, the census said.

Shopping on a limited budget was tough - and humbling - for Travis and her group. The game, she said, showed them first hand what it's like to be poor and make decisions other people make every week.

Although World Vision's national famine dates are Feb. 24-25 and April 27-28, Myers said his group chose their own dates, working around school functions, to allow as many teens in the church to participate as possible.

Great Bridge UMC has been participating in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine for more than 10 years, said Myers. Hickory United Methodist Church and Great Bridge Baptist have also participated in the famine in past years, he said.

For more information about World Vision and the 30 Hour Famine, visit www.30hourfamine.org.

Lydia Wheeler, lydiawheel@gmail.com