After the Famine, I wrote a log to tell you a little bit about it. It’s something you really need to see and experience for yourself – the ups and downs, the enthusiasm and the hunger, the excitement and the serious parts, and most of all the joy of being in a room full of young people who care about God and God’s people. However, I hope this log will give you a small taste. (Please note that the times are extremely approximate, and I didn’t include everything.)
First Day (Friday, March 4)
4:05 p.m. - At church getting ready. (Eagle and Dove are also using the space.)
6:00 p.m. - People start arriving… half an hour early.
7:10 p.m. - Actual start of Famine, including video from last year. (Which works fine until the computer refuses to finish the DVD.) Next is opening worship, and a pretty inspiring video. (How will you put love into action?)
8:30 p.m. - Kickoff to Tribe – participants form their own teams for a cup-stacking challenge. Then we have an “earthquake” and split up all the groups. I expected protests, but got none. What a great group!
Our last participant arrive, bringing our total number to 14! Five in Cité Soleil, five in Carrefour, and four in Pétionville (named after neighborhoods in Haiti). Not sure why the numbers worked that way, since those were not the assignments.
9:45 p.m. - We get serious about drinking juice. There is a lot of apple juice.
10:25 p.m. - Evening worship leads to pray stations in the sanctuary – quiet, solemn, and uncertain, but at times unexpectedly prayerful. Note to self: Explain better next time.
10:40 - Game time! Much interest in Ghosts in the Graveyard, but we are playing Sardines, which you can’t play in the daylight. Fun had by all. Highlights include a really impossible hiding place, and really confusing hiding place, and the final round, when everyone gave up.
Really loving having Michael and Kristina hang out with us. They are really good at this!
12:05 a.m. - Finally settled down to watch a bedtime movie.
2:10 a.m. – Movie’s over, time to turn off the sound system and go to sleep! (What’s with that buzzing sound, anyway?)
Second Day (Saturday, March 5)
7:03 a.m. - I may be the only one up, but it’s time to get moving and set up the scavenger hunt – cans all over the building. My mother is my hero – she brought me coffee! 
8:00 a.m. - Kristina and Michael have to leave, but Pat joins us. Thanks, Pat! Maybe he can figure out that smell in the kitchen.
8:10 a.m. - Attempts to get group moving are not a success. Time for the secret weapon: Veggie Tales music, played through the sound system. Next step: songs from last summer’s VBS. Nothing like really perky kids songs when you haven’t had breakfast… and aren’t going to, either!
(Editor’s Note: At this point I took a break for about two weeks. That means the times are even less reliable, if that’s possible.)
8:35 a.m. - Some people are actually awake. Activities include drinking juice, getting dressed, packing up our beds, and getting the last people up.
9:00 a.m. - Really, really short morning devotions. We are officially, but not surprisingly, behind schedule.
9:05 a.m. - First video that is actually about Haiti. Not exactly lively, but it talks about how World Vision responded after the disaster. Good stuff to learn here, if we can stay awake.
9:20 a.m. – Tribe, Part 2: Survivor Scramble. It’s a giant, church-wide scavenger hunt for the canned goods, water, and “blanket” cards I hid around the building earlier. Groups must stay together or lose time. Lots of searching, lots of fun, nearly ends in conflict. What exactly are the rules about sharing stuff with other groups? It’s technically allowed, but your opponents may object. Loudly. Broke the resulting tie with rock-paper-scissors.
10:40 a.m. - Close to being back on schedule. We assemble health kits and school kids for LWR. Pretty cool, since health kits just like these went to Haiti after the earthquake. I left it to the group to organize the assembly, and they worked very effectively and did a good job. We ran out of supplies just as we ran out of steam.
11:20 a.m. - Time for a much-deserved break. Juice, hanging out… and running around the building playing games.
11:40 a.m. - Short video/presentation on the actual statistics of hunger, poverty, and inequality in the world. Not quite as boring as it sounds.
11:48 a.m. - Tribe, Part 3: Contaminated. (A.k.a., “the water game.”) The general idea is to have a visual demonstration of what happens when you have to use one limited source for all your water needs: it gets really messy. Thanks to Pat, Ann, and others for their help with the judging and cleanup… we’re really good and really messy!
12:20 p.m. - The biggest block of free time we’re likely to get. Much silliness, much Ghosts in the Graveyard (as far as I can tell, it’s hide and seek with a lot of yelling), some Fam Cam, and some juice. Pretty soon it will just be apple juice.
1:00 p.m. - More people start to arrive! We’re looking forward to playing a game with some of our younger friends.
1:10 p.m. - The next part of Tribe is called “Lago! Lago!”, which is about a wolf chasing chickens and also the dangers to children. Lots of “running” while technically walking, which is actually pretty fun – it lets us play indoors, and evens the playing field, since even the fast ones can only walk so quickly. It’s a perfect game for younger players, and we could really use the boost of energy at this point. (I enjoyed being the wolf, but it totally wore me out!)
The only problem? It’s pretty much impossible to tell who won.
1:45 p.m. – Actually on schedule. When did that happen? Our second service project is making pillows with Lisa and Thelma. It takes perseverance and patience, which aren’t the easiest when you haven’t eaten and only barely slept. However, our group makes a big effort and does the work.
3:00 p.m. - Thanks to my assistant chef, Dane, we get to try a small taste of CSB, meant to simulate one of the foods used to help malnourished children. It’s decent, if you can ignore the salty aftertaste. (I can’t. Blech.)
3:35 p.m. - Final video, also about Haiti. A chance to discuss the need for continued help after a crisis.
3:55 p.m. - Tribe, Part 5: Phonic Frenzy. It’s a game about education – what is it likely trying to figure things out when you can’t read them? We did a similar game last year, although there have been tweaks. Some of the phrases are really tough to get!
4:22 p.m. - Tribe, Part 6: Market Mayhem. We’re playing a variant of an old camp game about communication, directions, and working on a team. It is not easy, but the tribes all do a remarkable job replicating the “product” they are trying to make. (This activity is impossible to just describe! Talk to the group, or look at the pictures!)
5:10 p.m. - Break while I figure out the results. Sometimes I think it would be easier if no one got points, and everyone won!
5:20 p.m. - Official conclusion to Tribe. Cité Soleil won by a large margin, followed by Carrefour and Pétionville. Everyone had a pretty good score.
We get to learn what happened to all of the kids who inspired the children in our tribes. Some had happy endings, some did not.
General period of cleanup, hanging out, some talking, some wrap up, more cleanup, and a lot of apple juice. At this point it is all apple juice.
6:00 p.m. - Closing worship in the chapel, lead by Pastor Christian. He brought donuts. Again. Not very nice! Still, we officially break our fast with Holy Communion, which is a special experience.
6:30 p.m. - We count down the seconds. 10…9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2…. 1! Officially 30 hours! The potluck is not quite ready for us. Aaah!
6:31 p.m. Break-the-Fast Potluck! Yay! Good food, good people, good time.