FOOD BASKET DAY

Today was food basket day at the mission. Translation: I had 21 eighth graders to supervise this morning. (What is it about 8th graders that makes them act differently from 6th or even 7th graders? Maybe it was just that there were so many of them.) Anyway, the mission holds food basket days twice monthly to reach out to people in the neighborhood. The volunteer groups arrive around 9:00 a.m. and assemble about 50 sacks of groceries. Sometimes we also give out other items such as hats and gloves or toiletry products. At 10:30, we open the door to the people lined up for the chapel service. We aren't naive; we know most could care less about the chapel service. It is just a means to an end for them. The volunteers greet the guests as they enter the chapel, which is quite a culture shock for some. Shaking hands, hugging, and mingling with the "unlovely" doesn't come easily. The room definitely becomes fetid, and some of the guests are not pleasant. We have to focus on our desire to extend the love of Christ to them. After the chapel service is over, we dismiss our guests to receive their sack of groceries, knowing we'll see them again in a couple weeks. It's important for us to remember that God is sovereign in extending grace and mercy to our guests. And, I have to remember that it is good to have school groups come to the mission. I pray the ministry will in some way impact their lives, as it has mine.