It Breaks My Heart | Teen Ink

It Breaks My Heart

August 4, 2009
By morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan


America. Streets paved with gold. Right? The perfect place to be. Right? Wrong. There is so much poverty in our country alone, it really does make me feel like my heart is shattered whenever I think about it. If there is this much hurt in America, this much poverty, this much pain, what must it be like in those third world countries that are much worse off than the people in our own country? Recently, through a ministry I learned what real poverty is. Clean water is available to most of us like the air we breathe. Little children in other countries walk miles to find a water source. Most of us can open our refridgerators and pantries and be faced with options. Milk, or lemonade,pretzels or chips? While in third world countries, children are scrounging through garbage and crawling along the ground, searching for ants...ANTS. These almost microscopic creatures are what some people rely on to fill their bellies. Statistics continue to shock me. "A typical American taking a 5 minute shower is using more water than someone in a third world country uses in a whole day." "Every 7 seconds, a child dies of starvation." "1/3 of the world is well fed, 1/3 is underfed, and 1/3 is starving." "There really IS enough food in the world to feed everyone," how we choose to use it is what results in problems. This article isn't to make people feel bad about eating nutritious meals. It's great that we have these resources, and we should continue to use them and be thankful for them! You can't send your dinner overseas, so be thankful you have it. It's great that we have clothes to wear and a house and food to eat. This isn't to make you feel guilty for owning nice things and having things available for you. It's to open eyes. My eyes were opened when I saw examples of things that people in Haiti eat. Flour mixed with mud to make cakes. This shows me that when your hungry, you will eat anything. Think of how our stomachs grumble when we haven't eaten anything for awhile. They hurt. I can't even begin to imagine how my stomach would hurt if I was emaciated and malnourished and hadn't eaten in a week. My eyes were also opened when I ate a meal that people in third world countries would eat if they were lucky. Ministries bring rice and beans to third world countries to share with the starving. There are so many people. A van belonging to this ministry drpve to a pavilion in Haiti and literally 1000 people or more flocked after this van on a pursuit for this food. Since there are SO many in need, only a little bit can go to each person, and they will probably have to share with their family for a week. A little bit of rice and beans at the bottom of a bowl is what they should share with their family for 7 days. This would be a LUXURY for them. Again, it breaks my heart and truly opens my eyes to the pain and poverty not only in America, but in Haiti, and other third world countries. Again, this article honestly wasn't meant for you to go home crying and feeling guilty for eating and having a pantry full of good food. This is to open your eyes. You can sponsor children, donate money, go on mission trips. There are several ways to help, but you don't have to give up your own nutrition to do so. I hope this article helped open your eyes to what real poverty is. I didn't know until this ministry taught me. It doesn't necessarily have to be anyone thousands of miles away. You can look out for underprivelged families in your community, maybe put together a meal or have your church collect for them. Just being a friend is one of the best comforts. So keep your eyes open, so you can help the people that need you the most.

The author's comments:
Loving Shepherd Ministries! Check em out! They have a website that I suggest going to if you want to help!

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This article has 14 comments.


on Aug. 8 2010 at 7:46 pm
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan

i'd appreciate if you chose to be more polite with your opinion.  i respect it, but i resent the fact that your being rude about it.  i know the united states gives a lot, and it helps, but look at how poor the world still is.  not trying to be pessimistic here, but the ammount of difference we've made is a small dot on the big canvas of problems there still are to face.  there still are startling statistics about people dying in third world countries.

on Aug. 8 2010 at 7:40 am
Treefiddy BRONZE, Tarzana, California
1 article 0 photos 158 comments
I am sick of the Marxist claptrap about how other countries are poor because the United States is wealthy. Take a good look at the countries with the greatest degree of human suffering. Know what you find there? You find that they have a completely centralized and authoritarian government without private property rights and free trade. This country gives more charity per capita than any other country in the world, so stop it with this phony garbage of how if we weren't so greedy, then the world would be better off.

on Dec. 14 2009 at 8:06 pm
dtkane11 BRONZE, New Albany, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 9 comments
That is amazing and horid at the same time!

on Dec. 14 2009 at 5:27 pm
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan

...the same girl that lives in Haiti for ten months out of the year came up to me while i was looking at the display and said something that just made me think, Wow. I was looking at examples of the mud cakes they eat in Haiti, and she said, "I've eaten those...they're disgusting..." And it was like wow, this all seems so unreal, but these people DO eat this. It made me feel so much gratitude toward that girl for doing what she's doing and giving up everything for it.

on Dec. 14 2009 at 5:24 pm
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!! That's reallly amazing that the baby survived! It's so hard to remember that life isn't like this all over the world isn't it?

on Dec. 8 2009 at 8:22 am
dtkane11 BRONZE, New Albany, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 9 comments
I will tell the story now because I have time now. A few months ago I went to a concert at my church and they were telling a story about their trip to Haiti. The story went like this; a boy about 9 or 10 was sitting on the ground in the shade and saw a pregnant mother walk to the pit toilets. When the mother walked out thirty minutes later she was slim and not carrying a baby. After the mother had passed the boy went and inspected the pit toilet. There he saw a crying baby in the ten foot toilet. They boy went and told the missionary (the guy that is conveying this story) and he got the military to come get it out. The missionary adopted the girl and she is now healthy and strong and lives here in the USA. She still gets to visit her mother every now and then and her mother is very happy that her baby is in good hands.

on Dec. 7 2009 at 9:14 pm
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan

Well I guess you could always put it on teenink and I could check out your profile later if I want to read it(:

on Dec. 7 2009 at 9:02 pm
dtkane11 BRONZE, New Albany, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 9 comments
oops not what i meant to paste.... what I meant to put was a long story that I typed for 15 minutes...its good. if you really are interested i will type it but if you dont care them im not going to type it again .

on Dec. 7 2009 at 8:33 pm
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan

What? im greatly confused!

on Dec. 7 2009 at 8:24 pm
dtkane11 BRONZE, New Albany, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 9 comments
Jennifer Jacobs added annabell951

on Dec. 7 2009 at 7:18 pm
dtkane11 BRONZE, New Albany, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 9 comments
I understand exactly what you are feeling! I went to a Christian concert held at my church a few months ago and they told a story. While they were over in Haiti a 9 or 10 yr old boy that they knew watched as a pregnant mother walked into a pit toilet and them walked out a while later with a slim stomach. The boy went and inspected the cinderblock toilet and found a crying baby at the bottom. The boy went and got help and the baby was 100% perfect after falling 10ft onto a pile of crap . Anyways the person that was speaking adopted the baby girl and she is now 4 and so adorable. I thought that that was an amazing story.

on Dec. 7 2009 at 3:23 pm
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan

I actually didn't go...a ministry told us all about what its like. There was a whole display set up with pictures, food examples, statistics. We even watched a video showing the differences between the US and Haiti/other 3rd world countries. I learned so much. It was heart breaking and amazing at the same time. They told us about their own experiences in giving out food and described how people flocked behind the van. I even got a chance to meet a girl my age who lives in Haiti 10 months out of the year because her family ministers there. It was a truly amazing experience, and still I know that it can't compare to what it would actually be like experiencing it face to face!!!! I learned through Loving Shepherd Ministries, and you can even go to their website and make donations to help change the lives of starving children in countries such as Haiti!! There is so much more I could tell you (: but ill keep it breif

on Dec. 7 2009 at 9:36 am
dtkane11 BRONZE, New Albany, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 9 comments
If you dont mind me asking what mission team did you go with to Hati?

on Sep. 13 2009 at 2:07 pm
Annabelle7614, Nunyabusiness, Georgia
0 articles 0 photos 97 comments

Favorite Quote:
This is my favorite personal quote.

LOVE the article!

Very well thought out! Five stars!