Manna from Heaven

Manna from heaven

Pockets of doughy bliss bubbled in a pan of oil as the baker kept a careful eye to ensure perfection. The bread wasn’t sweet in an artificial manner as Cinnibon might make it, covering every inch with cinnamon and sugar. Rather, the sweetness seemed to be intrinsic to the bread. Something wholesome was in the bread because it signifies something greater than itself.

Manna worked this way. I have no clue what Manna tasted like. Manna would have to be sensational to taste like the bread from the bakery we went to today. Manna could also have been the worst form of food. Its significance, though, goes beyond its taste. Manna worked to signify the faithfulness of God. The Israelites were to live in the desert relying that God would provide the daily bread. All leftover manna would rot on every day except after the sixth day to provide food for the Sabbath. The manna lying on the desert was more than food – it was proof that the love of God can break into a dreary and dry world.

Nestled into the kitchen of the local church, the bakery is run by a working group of orphans. Two orphans bake the bread while others are paid 10 shillings for every bag of bread that they sell. The profits go to the bakers, the sellers, and the group as a whole. If this were the whole story, the ability of previously stigmatized and abandoned children to work together for the glory of God is itself a fantastic witness. But the story about the bakers is, like manna, proof that the love of God can break into this dry and dreary world.

There were not always two bakers. Davis came first, joining the Giving Hope program and helping his working group to develop this bakery as their group IGA – income generating activity. As the primary baker, he was making three US Dollars a day. For an income generating activity for these kids, that is not an insignificant amount of money. The surprising thing is that he took his three dollars and cut it in half.

Before Giving Hope, Davis befriended a fellow orphan. When he got in giving hope and got his job as the group baker gaining three dollars a day, Davis gave half of his daily fee to his friend while his friend was training and learning the art of baking. Davis was earning three dollars a day and voluntarily gave away half of his salary. Once he was trained up, he went to his working group and recommended that they hire him as another baker for the group.

The bread was not merely good. The bread symbolized self-sacrifice and true discipleship. Like the bread that hung on a cross, it is a gift to all who partake. It is a bit of heaven on earth...

Boy did this manna taste good.