Today i hung out with some really good friends of mine: Pastor Willie and Jamie Bone at thier church in Valdosta. I was there to present them with a Humanitarian Service Award for their work in the fight against hunger in South Georgia. Late last year Jamie contacted me and we got together to discuss ways that we could partner together in getting food to the most needy families in the area. Their church committed to doing at least one manna drop a month to the Hudson Dockett and Ora Lee West Housing Projects.
It has been unbelievable to watch this community of people as they have given thier resources, time, and hard work each month to give to families that most of them have never met before. And the relationships that we have made with many of the families is life-changing. Just a few weeks ago we met a mother of three who has a son with an enlarged heart. She invited us into her home and we chatted, prayed, and just got to know each other. Another man living in the housing projects asked if he could help us give out the food. Just before we left we got a call of two families who were having a hard time getting food just before the beginning of the school year. After we finally found the homes, we were able to give food to each family; who were sitting on the porch waiting for us to show up.
It has been unbelievable to watch this community of people as they have given thier resources, time, and hard work each month to give to families that most of them have never met before. And the relationships that we have made with many of the families is life-changing. Just a few weeks ago we met a mother of three who has a son with an enlarged heart. She invited us into her home and we chatted, prayed, and just got to know each other. Another man living in the housing projects asked if he could help us give out the food. Just before we left we got a call of two families who were having a hard time getting food just before the beginning of the school year. After we finally found the homes, we were able to give food to each family; who were sitting on the porch waiting for us to show up.
It was really cool to meet many of the people who go to that church who care deeply about hunger and poverty. Each month they have a huge volunteer base that comes with them to give out food, to make runs to homes where many are unable to walk or carry the bags, and to actually cook on site to give away food immediately to those who are standing in line.
Christ said "when we do it unto the least of these, you do it unto me." I have thought about that statement so many times in my mind and struggle to make it a reality in my daily life. How we treat the poor is not political idealogy or just a social issue. It has everything to do with our spiritual journey and what that means to us as a part of the human family both on a local and global scale. My life has been radically changed by the people that we serve and also by meeting those who serve and work so hard to make sure that those in need are taken care of.
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