Family Care Cambodia project manager, Ann Soldner, writes, “I've begun keeping my car glove-compartment stocked with small bags of crackers, nuts and chips. When poor children approach at a traffic light to sell flowers or beg, I give them a snack to eat. They always break into a big smile, move off of the road and eat the snack straightaway. I know it won't be "taken" by their handlers like money would be, and I'm sure they're hungry most of the time.
The truth is that my resolve to do this came from a sad failure. One day at sunset, I had no snacks in the car and no money in my wallet. At a stoplight a little boy of about 7 years, went down a line ...of 5 cars offering flowers. Each driver ahead of me shook their heads or shooed him off with a wave of their hands. When he came to my car, I looked in his eyes and shrugged sympathetically for not having anything to share. He stopped and leaned his little forehead on my side window. We just looked in each other’s eyes as the seconds passed. It was kind of spiritual in that I could somehow sense, though no words were exchanged, that he was cold, hungry, tired and worried that he might get a beating if he didn't get some donations before nightfall. I really understood this and my heart went out to him. I guess my return gaze must have shown this to him somehow. Then his eyes welled up and tears trickled down his little cheeks. As the light turned green, he stepped back on to the narrow medium strip, turned his face so people wouldn't see his tears and wiped his eyes. I promised God that so long as I had food in the house for my family, I would always take something with me to share with His hungry children wherever I might find them. Ï was profoundly moved by this lesson in life, learned from a child of the streets!
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