Thursday, October 12, 2017

It's A Wrap!

My first week serving at the Food Pantry is in the books.   We served 456 meals this week, but now the kitchen is clean and the lights are off.

This is how I feel...

  • I'm exhausted.
  • My feet hurt.
  • I'm excited.
  • My heart is full.
  • I'm sad.
  • My arms are like jello.
  • I'm exhausted.
  • I'm happy.
  • I'm thankful.
  • I'm in awe.
  • I'm heartbroken.
  • I'm happy to have a long weekend break.
  • I can't wait until next week.
  • Did I mention that I'm exhausted?

This last three days have been a roller coaster of emotion.  I'm so thankful and blown away by the help that I have received from those that I know and even strangers.  On Tuesday and Thursday I had four different family and friends show up to help me.  On Wednesday I had four ladies from church that serve the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.  Everyone was willing to help out in anyway possible.  Some did dishes, mopped floors, served food, wiped tables, cleaned up spills, made food, etc.  The list could go on and on.  Then some of the ladies went above and beyond and just went to work cleaning around the kitchen.  The toaster, microwave, sink and counters have never looked so good.

I've also had a couple people donate some money so that I could purchase some needed items.  Some just put it in my hand and others have had a message waiting for me upon waking up in the morning to let me know that they've put a check in the mail.

I've also had strangers come into the pantry and volunteer.  It's pretty typical to have people that come every once in awhile, but one person today was definitely a gift from God.  He came in this morning, introduced himself, said that he volunteered occasional Thursdays and asked me to put him to work.  Some volunteers are more skilled in the kitchen than others, so I asked him what he was comfortable doing.  He said anything.  I asked him if he could cut salad fixings.  He said he was a chef at a local restaurant so he was sure he could handle salad.  Hallelujah!  My next question was "Have you ever made macaroni and cheese with yogurt?" as I'm standing over a pot looking confused.  He laughed and then he asked me how I normally made macaroni and cheese.  I admitted that I opened a box labeled Stouffer's.

His next question was "How did you get this job?"  Ha!  He gave me suggestions, helped, made a great salad and stayed to help us serve.  He's even planning to try to come back next week to help me make pork belly.  That will be another new one for me. (By the way...the yogurt mac and cheese went over well.)

I've also had heartbreaking moments.  I've seen people come in to eat carrying all of their belongings on their back.  I've seen people come to tears over a simple glass of milk or cup of coffee.  I've seen teenagers come in filthy and starving with no place to go.  Most heartbreaking is hearing the story of a gentleman who volunteers five days a week and sorts donations that are given to the pantry.  He's diabetic and also disabled.  Many years ago his first wife died.  He turned to alcohol.  He attempted suicide.  He got the help he needed and has been sober for 25 years.  He got married again.  Again his wife died.  Again he attempted suicide.  He sleeps in a van that he borrows for the night.  He has been sleeping in the van for several years.  He has no hope.  He feels he has no reason to live anymore.  He volunteers at the pantry because he has no place else to go.

This week has been exhausting.  I'm tired.  But I wouldn't change it for the world.  It's life changing to hand a plate of food to a dirty starving teen.  It humbling when I help a homeless person find a place for their backpack of items in the corner while they eat.  It makes me count my blessings when I see someone tear up over a cup of milk.  And each time I pass the gentleman with no hope I am reminded why God has me here.  Serving food is good and necessary, but more than anything this man and so many others need to know that they can have hope and eternal life with Jesus.  I pray that each time I pass him in the hall, speak to him in the warehouse, smile at him as I hand him food...that he will see Jesus in me. 

So thank you for all of your prayers.  Thank you to those that have volunteered their time or given money.  You too are all apart of those hope giving moments.  Thank you.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

A Grand Terrifying Adventure

Today I started a Grand Adventure.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.  Mostly I want to call it a Terrifying Endeavor.  Maybe I should combine the two and call it a Grand Terrifying Adventure.  Yep.  That sounds about right.  Today I started a Grand Terrifying Adventure.

For several years now I have been a part of a group of ladies that prepares and serves food at the Mishawaka Food Pantry twice a month.  The pantry already serves free lunch every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week.  We just cover a couple of Wednesdays for them so that it helps their budget, chef and volunteers.  It's been an amazing experience and I love how God has been working to help us build relationships with the people there.  I have story after story about how God has touched lives through this ministry.  These two days of the month are days I look forward to and most of the time I believe I walk away more blessed than the people that I've served.

Anyway, the regular chef at the pantry had to have surgery and will be out about 8 weeks.  The pantry had this covered, but about a week and a half before the surgery, the person who was going to fill in had to back out.  So long story short ... I am filling in for the chef at the food pantry.  I've never done anything like this before.  I cook for five.  Like I said, I started a Grand Terrifying Adventure.

Let me tell you, serving twice a month with a handful of ladies is totally different than being the full time chef.  When we serve with the church, we make a menu, shop, each cook part of the meal and then show up and put it together and serve it.

That isn't quite the same when you are the full time chef.  This is how it works.  Basically, people donate to the pantry, or we pick up whatever items we can from the food bank.  All of these items go into cooler or freezer.  Then I walk into the cooler or freezer, see all of these random items and then figure out how to make something out of them for between 125 and 200 meals.

And while I'm at it, I have to try really hard not to let anything go to waste because everything is valuable. You know, like the yogurt that was donated yesterday but was out of date today.  We can't just serve it because of the date ... even though the yogurt really is still good for a few days.  It has to be cooked.  What do I make out of yogurt?  Google has been my friend.  On Thursday this week I think we are having mac and cheese made with yogurt.  I didn't even know that existed. I' ll let you know how it turns out.

Last week I trained.  Today was my first day.  Oh my goodness it was a doozy!  We served 192 meals.  Let me just say that that was more dishes than I've ever seen at once!  I'm so thankful for my mom and for another lady from my church that came and helped with dishes and clean up today.  They saved me hours of work.  I also had some amazing volunteers from the pantry that were a lot of help.


For the last week I've been repeating in my head "when I am weak, he is strong."  ("But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9). I keep telling people at the pantry that "I'm nervous, but God's got this."

I've asked a few prayer warriors I know if they would pray for me this week.  One was by text message.  I explained the situation and told her that there were random things at the pantry to cook from and that I really wanted some simple things to go with them ... like chicken broth or potatoes.  Her response back was "Dear Marcia, God definitely has a plan and you are a part of that.  AND.  He can provide potatoes."  That was Wednesday
morning last week.  Wednesday afternoon I walked into the cooler and what do you think had suddenly appeared?  That's right, potatoes!

Tomorrow is day two.

So ready or not ... one Grand Terrifying Adventure coming up.  But God's got this.