EL PASO, TX (ANS) -- A missionary couple’s son was born with a serious heart defect. With the help of great doctors and miraculous surgeries, he survived birth. Even though he was physically handicapped by his heart condition, this boy remained one of the most spiritually alive kids anyone could ever meet. To everyone he was a beacon of joy that loved to give.

Charlie Stewart some years ago with other missionary kids in Guatemala

Sam and Janey Stewart’s son Charlie at age 5 went to school one day proudly carrying the lunch his mom had made. When his mom went to check on him at lunchtime, she found him sitting next to his new friend, Micah. Micah was eating Charlie’s lunch and Charlie had the biggest smile on his face. Charlie had given his lunch to his new friend. And while he must have felt a little hungry watching Micah eat, Charlie’s smile told the story. He loved to give and watch the joy it brought to others.

This generous action of giving and sacrificing became the pattern of Charlie’s life throughout many years. As Charlie would accompany his dad to minister to the poor in Guatemala City and the surrounding communities, he would always come home with less than he took, giving whatever he could to a needy child.

On February 1, 1996, three weeks short of his 13th birthday, Charlie’s heart just couldn’t hold out any longer, and he went home to be with the Lord. A great gain for Charlie, but for his family, and for others he left behind, there was a tremendous sense of loss. Lunchtime was an especially painful time for Charlie’s mom because there were many special memories of lunchtime together as she had home schooled Charlie.

One day, around lunchtime, as Janey recounts of sharing her emptiness and grief with the Lord, there was a knock at the door. When she opened it, she found two little boys begging for a piece of bread. In that instant, Janey felt the Lord was telling her, "Give them Charlie’s lunch." And so she did. Instead of giving them bread, she made them a very special lunch.

Each day, for several months, these children, and more, came to the door, asking for bread. Everyday they received instead, a special lunch – a lunch good enough for their son Charlie. Although she invited the children to stay and eat, they always took the lunch with them. As it turns out these kids were in turn sharing their lunch – Charlie’s lunch – with other kids and their families.

As Jesus had used a young boy’s five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000, Sam and Janey, were confirmed in their hearts that God could use this simple act of providing lunch to the hungry, shared what God was doing with their family and multiply "Charlie’s lunch" to feed thousands of hungry children all over the world. God could turn a heart-breaking tragedy into a hope and a blessing.

Thus the conception of Charlie’s Lunch began.

Working out of El Paso Texas, Charlie’s Lunch has begun what it began as a simple sack lunch now has feeding centers in countries such as India, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Zambia and Honduras.

What are in these sack lunches you might ask?

According to Charlie’s Lunch Website, in countries like Guatemala, a meal often consists of beans, rice, tortillas, vegetables, chicken or beef, a vitamin-enriched drink called Incaparina and a piece of fruit. Normally, the children eat meat just once a week. These children consider Charlie’s Lunch a feast as they are accustomed to eating only a bowl of beans or a couple of tortillas or a small bowl of rice for an entire day. It's amazing to see the difference in these children after eating Charlie’s Lunch for a year!.
 

Charlie's Lunch Feeding Center in Guatemala

The children are always fed a balanced, nutritional meal. By working closely with nutritionists, each Charlie’s Lunch is able to serve meals targeted to the specific needs of the children. Meals are prepared to supplement meals received at home. Unfortunately, because of extreme poverty, meals from Charlie’s Lunch are often not just supplemental in nature. They are the primary source of nutrition – the only bridge from starvation in many cases.

Charlie’s Lunch also provides in some cases, formula for their infant brothers or sisters and food for the mothers of the Charlie's Lunch kids who are asked to take a turn in preparing and distributing a meal once a month.

The involvement of the mothers of children in the program has proven effective as these women who often have no husband and 5-10 children under their care for have learned about personal hygiene, parenting skills, proper cooking, nutrition and the Word of God. They are encouraged by the pastor and/or his wife and shown how important they are. In turn, they gain back dignity and worth in Christ for the first time in their life.

During distribution of Charlie's Lunch, the members tell Bible stories, songs, personal cleanliness, respect and lots and lots of love. These children are given lots of hugs and smiles with every meal. But they also have the chance to just be kids, surrounded by love and compassion in a positive setting. And most importantly, they are given the opportunity to learn about Jesus and to develop a personal, lifelong relationship with Him. They are taught that, no matter what the circumstances, God loves them, and cares for them and that God knows them by name.

What about Christmas you might ask?

In Charlie’s Lunch they have Charlie's Christmas, which is an annual event and celebration that takes place in each feeding center across the world. The celebration includes a Christmas service, prayer, a meal, and the distribution of gifts like food, canned goods, medicine, hygiene products, tools, clothing, shoes and toys! The gifts are given not only to each child enrolled in Charlie's Lunch, but to their family as well! Charlie's Christmas is an excellent way to communicate that message to the children, families, and whole community.

As Proverbs 22:9 states “A generous man will himself be blessed for he shares his food with the poor.", If you would like to partner up with Charlie’s Lunch and receive newsletters of the blessings that God has been doing through the ministry, you can donate and read more about them at www.charlieslunch.com.

Karen Gonzalez is a freelance journalist and a frequent contributor to ASSIST News Service. She resides in Southern California with her husband Raul and their one-year-old son David.