Heart Hope by Olga

In the last week I have heard it said several times that Thanksgiving is actually two parts—the thanks and the giving. I saw that happen at our recent community dinner. There were many people who were giving thanks—some for the delicious meal, others for a great church, some for a place to feel loved and still more who were thankful for a warm place to rest for a while.  Yet the attendees were not just giving thanks, they were giving of themselves to help others who were in need. There were a couple of these precious situations that I observed. One woman from the community came to pick up ten meals in Styrofoam containers to deliver to shut-ins. She makes food deliveries 4 days out of every week—two meals are provided by the county and two days she cooks for the recipients. Last week they got an extra meal, because this precious lady found out that she could get them one more for free at our community dinner.   In chatting with this lady, I found out that she and her hus...

It was Saturday night and our church was a buzz. It wasn’t because we were having a church service, but instead we were feeding the community—a free dinner for anyone who wanted to attend with no strings attached.  The planning and preparation had been taking place for days. Flyers had been posted throughout the area. Volunteers had been lined up to assist with parking, greet the attendees, serve the food/beverages and even wash the dishes. The brisket had been cooking for 24 hours, the 80 pounds of potatoes had been peeled, sliced and pared for mashed potatoes, the brownies were baked, and the tables decorated.  People began arriving—some came directly from work and some from the bar; some brought their families or friends while others came alone; some came not knowing that they were entering a church and some came because it was a church; some were new to town and others had lived in the Valley their whole life; some spoke English, some didn’t. Isn’t that what a church sho...