Dante and I took a group to work at Manna (Meals Available for the Nutritional Needs of All), a soup kitchen run by First Baptist Church. Scott, Dana, Toni, and Gavin met Miss Winnie, who has been the manager for 26 years. She is close to 80 years old, but as fit and tough as ever! She kept them quite busy from 8:00-12:00. They began by preparing some of the food and setting up tables and chairs. We had a brief devotional time with the other volunteers/staff before the meal - it was truly a meaningful time spiritually for all of us. Gavin blessed us with an amazing prayer...that we would be the hands and heart of Jesus to all we met. From 9:30-11:30, the kids and I served a midmorning meal to 220+ people while Dante helped with cleaning tables and helping people find seats in the crowded room. After cleaning everything up, we came back to our guest house. Dante and I were extremely proud of the kids. They were polite, enthusiatic, and truly shared the hope and love of Christ with those we served.
Fred and Jan took a group to the San Antonio Food Bank. David, Drew, Kathryn, Leah, Rachel, Kristen, Diane, and Bailey did various tasks from 8:00-12:00. They began by packing 2,037 lunches that will go to children who participate in the free/reduced lunches through the public schools. Now that school is out for the summer, these lunches provide kids all over San Antonio with a vital meal each day. They also disinfected and cleaned 150 ice chests used to ship the lunches to their locations. After completing the lunches, they salvaged 1,000 pounds of food donated by HEB that would have normally been discarded. The salvaged food was then used to prepare 50 boxes that will be given to other food pantries across San Antonio. Fred and Jan were so impressed with how hard the kids worked. Their work will truly make a difference in the lives of children and families in need of help.
After eating lunch at the house and an afternoon of rest, we had a great devotional time together. We shared the highlights of our experiences today, and what our resposibilities are as Christians with regard to the poor and homeless. We talked about how those who are less fortunate truly represent Jesus among us, just as we represent Jesus when we help them. And we should treat them with the love and respect that they deserve as children of God. We all came away from our experiences today with a new appreciation for our families, homes, food, and possessions. Toni closed our devotional time in prayer, acknowledging that God has called us to serve in this place, and thanking Him for that opportunity.
We had a fun dinner tonight at Alamo Cafe, complete with lots of homemade tortillas! The kids are getting a taste of authentic Mexican food after our two dinners so far! After dinner, we were off to the Alamo and Riverwalk. Several of the kids have never been to San Antonio, and it was a fun moment to see their eyes light up when seeing the Alamo for the first time. We walked the entire length of the Riverwalk, stopping at the Rivercenter Mall and at an ice cream shop! It was good exercise, and allowed the kids to experience the culture of San Antonio.
We will get to sleep in a bit tomorrow - our day will begin at 8:00 am instead of 7:00! We will all work together at the San Antonio Food Bank, then head to Sea World for the remainder of the day!
1 comment:
I'm very proud of those kids.
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