Sack Lunches & Community

So on Fridays, we have an adventure that's been birthed out of the little country store in the last few years. Truly, the adventure now begins on Thursday nights. A number of men and women show up to Graves Grocery to prepare sack lunches to be delivered on Fridays. Actually, they are peanut butter and jelly makers.

We've learned some things this year! We've learned from people who have been serving similarly longer than us. First, if you mix the peanut butter and jelly together before making your sandwiches on Thursday nights, they're not soggy when you get ready to fill the bags on Friday morning. Secondly, we've learned to make two sandwiches per kid. That way the kids can have one for lunch and another for later. Things like that remind me of how legalistic I still am in a lot of my thinking. I don't see clarity in the entire situation or seek wise counsel. l just do the thing in front of me which is put together a sack lunch and be done with it. But I am learning that God is always trying to teach me and expand my mind to understand there's always more for his children.

Then on Fridays, some of the ones from Thursday night return and join the new faces to finish making the remainder of the sandwiches, followed by stuffing the bags. You can imagine the buzz and creative chaos as they decide on which chips, which snack cake, don't forget the fresh fruit, and the "well, that's not the way we did it last year” comments! But needless to say, the bags get filled, and I have learned to slide in about 10:15 to jump in the car for delivery time! We might flip a coin mentally as to which community we're going to go to first, but I just wanted to share a precious Memory from this past Friday.

Having been to Uganda now for seven trips, I know a little bit about the real meaning of community and how people look out for each other. On my first trip in 2012 when I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I realized that it was truly preparation across the ocean for loving and serving my own community in deeper and more meaningful ways. When I drive through one of our communities on Fridays, other than the materials used for the housing structures, I might as well be in Uganda. The depth of poverty is unimaginable to most people reading this post.

Last Friday, we were just about to finish up with the community who houses the majority of Hispanic-speaking people. We were on our last street when, around the corner, we see children start moving towards us. With my limited Spanish, I'm asking them how many children… quantos niñas? The answer is cinco (five). We distribute the five bags and let them know that next week is the Fourth of July and we will not be delivering. We let them know we'll see them again in a couple of weeks. As we make our nine-point turn to get out of the dilemma we're in - driving our vehicle to head out of the community - we then realize that the family came from the other side of the mobile home park. They missed us on the first go around, and the woman who has been texting me weekly has informed them we're coming through and that they need to come get their lunches.

I love when people look out for their neighbors in that community and they don't want them to miss a blessing. We don't post any pictures because, as much as we respect the work of the federal government, we respect the value of human lives even more! We're not going to do anything to jeopardize the life that they have here and now.

Who are you looking out for? Do you even know anything about your neighbors? Do you know if they have needs? Do you know if they have struggles? Heck, do you even know their names? We're all leaving a legacy for our families… what does yours look like? Is it a legacy driven by success financially? Or is it a legacy left that ministers deeply to the heart of another human being? You get to decide about that legacy. We live in America, the home of the free and the brave? I hope you celebrate big on Friday and make a decision that brings joy and peace to your heart. Happy Fourth of July!

By the way, I think this is about the fourth year of summer lunches. In early August, we will have a back-to-school bash on a neighbor's property who opens their home up every year for the community to celebrate the end of summer! We gift our sack lunch families with $15 Walmart gift cards so that they have the opportunity to buy their kids a new backpack plus maybe one other item. If you want to be a part of contributing financially in any way, River of Life ministries is a registered 501(c)(3), and we will gladly receive your donations!