by Robert (Bob) Rees, Cofounder and Board Member
Photos are from Bountiful’s Cambodian and Madagascar communities
A Bold Imagination Rooted in Discipleship
The Bountiful Children’s Foundation was established nearly twenty years ago because a small group of Christians imagined that they could do something, however tentative and humble, to address children’s malnutrition in the developing world. In such imagining, they were inspired by Jesus’ invitation to his followers to imagine each malnourished child as if he or she were Jesus himself. It is a bold, astonishing call to discipleship, but it is in keeping, as the Franciscan teacher, Richrd Rohr, reminds us, with Jesus’ intention to teach all of us “how to see”—including how to see others as he does. Nowhere are our imaginations more clearly and powerfully directed beyond ourselves than in Jesus’ last great parable—that of the sheep and the goats—as found in Chapter 25 of Matthew’s gospel.
This is her Cambodian home
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Seeing Jesus in “the Least of These”
When Jesus rewards those he considers his faithful disciples (sheep) for giving him food, water, clothing, shelter, and comfort (visiting him when he was sick and in prison), they are astonished, saying they have no remembrance of having done such things. Answering “When did we do these things?” Jesus responds, not by referencing service to people in general, but rather, specifically, to children. Note the translation from Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke and in which he taught: “Verily I say to you, that inasmuch as ye did so to one of these my little brothers [and sisters], ye did so to me” (25:40). Likewise, when he condemns his unfaithful disciples (those regarded as “goats”) for not offering him food, water, clothing, shelter, and comfort (visiting him when he was sick and in prison) and they respond with defensive incredulity, “Our Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?,” he responds, “Verily I say to you, That inasmuch as ye did not so to one of these little ones, ye did not so to me” (25:45). The writer uses irony by intentionally employing the identical possessive term “our Lord” from both the sheep and the goats. Both groups would of course recognize Jesus but only the righteous recognize “the least” in Mother Theresa’s words as “Jesus in disguise.”
Food supplement distribution day in Cambodia
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Discipleship in Action, Not Abstraction
Unlike some large aid organizations that operate somewhat at a distance, Bountiful chooses the more challenging personal path. That is, we do not merely send funds to address malnutrition—we send people and supplements. Through our growing network of local NGOs, staffed by volunteers and nationals who care deeply, we are present in communities where the cries of the smallest children too often go unheard. These brothers and sisters—Jesus’ “little ones”—are reached not by remote programs, but by neighbors trained to minister to their needs during the first thousand days of life when malnutrition can cause irreparable physical, cognitive, and emotional harm. This work is not abstract charity; it is intimate discipleship.
Bountiful provides food supplementation up to age 60 months
but families gather for health lessons and malnutrition screenings
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Why Else Do We Live?
Those of us in the Bountiful Children’s Foundation are grateful for the dedication and generosity of those who donate money and time to the pregnant women, nursing mothers, and malnourished children we serve — all of whom we consider “Jesus in disguise.” We are certain, as with little children, that you are among those Jesus identifies as belonging to his Kingdom. And we are equally confident that in your hearts you respond as does Mrs. Lithebe, the Christian woman in Alan Paton’s Nobel Prize-winning novel, Cry the Beloved Country, “Why else do we live?” Why indeed!
Cambodian children receiving food supplements
Robert Rees, Vice President
Robert A. Rees is a retired professor of Mormon Studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and at UC Berkeley. Previously he taught at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz and was a Fulbright Professor of American Studies in the Baltics. He served as Assistant Dean of Fine Arts at UCLA where he was also Director of Continuing Education in the Arts and Humanities and Director of Studies for the UCLA-Cambridge, UCLA-Royal College of Art, and UCLA-Royal College of Music Programs. In addition to his scholarly and creative work in the arts and humanities, Rees has been active in religious and Mormon studies over the course of his academic career. He was the editor of Dialogue: a Journal of Mormon Thought (1970-76), former Chair of the Sunstone Foundation, and has published a wide variety of scholarly articles, personal essays, editorials, and poetry. Rees has served as a bishop, high councilor, and member of the Baltic States Mission Presidency. Bob is one of the founders of The Bountiful Children’s Foundation.
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