Giving and Receiving

This post is a little out of the order sequence that I had planned in sharing our Pantry story.  It is, however, one of those wonderful moments that I cannot hold inside me and I need to share it.  

Today a group of us met in the pantry to pack boxes of food, and to begin giving them to the people we had scheduled to pick them up today.  The blessings began yesterday with finding a sale on Peanut Butter for less than $1.00 per jar and being able to take some of the money that had been donated and buying a jar for everyone on our list.  In addition today we were delighted when a friend showed up with six (6) boxes of fruit they were donating to the cause and fresh fruit was added to each box.   But even these things were not the best thing to happen today.  We had a beautiful moment when three (3) ladies showed up to pick up their boxes at the same time and they were also picking up a box for one of their friends who was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery this week.  One of these ladies was caring for the cancer patients nine children ( two sets of twins and then some single births).  Two ladies from our congregation, myself, and these three (3) women, stood together in a circle, holding hands, and praying.  We thanked God for the opportunity to help with food for them.  We asked him for strength for all of us to serve him and grow in knowledge and faith.  We prayed for the cancer patient that he care for her and her family and asked that the doctors have the knowledge to do what was best for her.  We concluded our prayer, amens were said all around  and then these women, who were picking up the food, began to hug each of us and then they continued on to hug each other and to express that they felt so blessed by God with what was being done to help them.  My feelings are that this showed the beauty of their spirits.  How could anyone not want to help them when this kind of response was received?

I believe this was one of the best experiences ever.  They were so very grateful for what was being done for them and we were so grateful for being able to help them.  It was indeed "Soul Food".   We will continue to keep in touch with them.  We will send them cards and we will continue to invite them to worship with us.  Please pray for our pantry and that continued good will come from it.