During the summer, I often visit worksites on Thursday to check in and see how students, staff, partnerships, and projects are doing. On one of my check-ins to Mission Medical Center (they provide healthcare to uninsured individuals) I met with a leader and a couple students and asked about how things were going and how the week went. They expressed how surprised they were that something like Mission Medical Centers exists and how amazing the stories are that come out of it. They wondered if there was anything like this in their hometown and how they could possibly get connected to it as a church. Yes, it’s working!
But they also talked about a story that they had heard from Crossfire Ministries that is right across the street. On Tuesdays the group goes to Crossfire to help with their food pantry, clothing store, and home goods distribution center. I’m not sure how to explain the amazingness of Crossfire Ministries. Everything is completed by volunteers and started by a man named John and his family that simply heard the call to start a center that helps people with tangible resources. Many of the volunteers consider Crossfire to be their church – because it is. It’s a living and breathing community that serves the community through the example of how Jesus served. Sounds like a great church to me.
Anyways, the leader and students told me about a story that John, the director, of crossfire ministries told them. John said he once went on a mission trip just like the one they were on, except down to Mexico. While he was there their church decided to provide a BBQ meal and eat with the community that they were working in for the week. They got the word out, I can imagine door to door knocking, paper handouts, a plane flying a banner overhead… ya know the usual church advertisements. They expected a handful to maybe 50 people to come. They were wrong.
With their small serving table, a cooler filled with a bag of ice and waters, the grill fired and ready to flip some patties – people showed up, and kept showing up. The word got out and friends of friends showed up. The church missionaries shared a blank-staring panic, “we won’t have enough food”. But as John saw the line growing larger and larger, he simply said to just keep serving what they had, it’s all they could do at this point. But after a few hundred people passed by the line and everyone was fed, they realized that they never ran out of food and water. The cooler of waters was even full with what looked like a fresh bag of ice. There was enough food and drink for them to have themselves.
I think we often lose hope when we see there’s not enough. But God promises us differently. “Just keep serving”, like John said, and it may just keep going. Not only were they able to serve everyone, they were able to eat themselves. More than enough. I think to myself, “what am I hopeless in and need to just keep serving even when I see there isn’t enough?” Maybe it’s my time. I see there’s not enough time in the day to do what I need to get done before the next day hits and it too doesn’t have enough time. Perhaps it’s financing. Do I have enough to make rent? Maybe it’s even knowledge or talent to perform in an area at work or hobbies. But I think that as we put what God has already given us into the jars, we’ll see that He is giving us more than we need, and more.
Mark 6:38
2 Kings 4:1
