Christ to the Nations - Thanksgiving Outreach

This last Saturday, November 17th, CFL Wesley partnered with Christ to the Nations church for their annual Thanksgiving outreach to their community. This weekend was the sixth year in a row that this church fund raised and purchased complete Thanksgiving meals to hand out to the families nearby. We're talking full meals, here. A fifteen pound turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, stuffing, the whole deal. For the past four weeks, all of the offering money received during our Tuesday meetings were given to this outreach. When the day came for the church to purchase all the food, a total of one hundred meals were sent out to families in need, twenty of which came from the giving hearts of the students here at CFL Wesley.

On the 17th, a group of students, along with Erwin and Charity, went out to help the church hand out these meals to whoever was in need. There were some families who the church had planned to give the meals to, but bout eighty meals needed to be given out by going door to door and surprising people with the Lord's provision.

Most of the people we talked to accepted the food graciously, and some turned us away, telling us that we'd rather give the food to someone who truly needed it. Such selflessness from a community that isn't necessarily the most well off, was heartwarming, to say the least. The most touching of which, was a mother who took a meal for her next door neighbor, a single mother of three, who was not at home during the time.

At the end of it all, however, we couldn't help but notice, as we drove back to the church, how many homes we simply couldn't stop by to help. Families who saw us hand out our very last meal, and were clearly curious. There were so many people left to reach out to, talk to, tell them that the Lord will never forget them, and can provide in ways they would never expect. As we returned to the church, we heard stories from some of the other members of the church who handed out food. It's amazing how such a simple act can change a life. How $25 can make a mother break down in tears. Sometimes it's easy to take for granted how blessed we can be, when compared to such an experience.

Whether someone got one of the meals or not, I know the Lord is providing for everyone in that community, and that brings me great joy. An even greater joy comes, when I think about how God used me to bring that provision to those who needed it.