Oatmeal for Jesus
by Suzanne Craig Robertson, FBC member
Our daughters Anne Grace and Allie often sing Casting Crowns' lyrics, "If we are the body, why aren't his arms reaching? Why aren't his hands healing?" Good questions! This summer FBC's Family Mission Trip helped our family do a little reaching and healing--and gave us the chance to "be the body."
Anne Grace has been on many mission trips with the youth and we've helped with various mission projects around town, but our whole family had never done a project together like the one in East Tennessee. Nine FBC families hosted a cookout and worship service for campers in a national park, invited children in low-income apartments to a backyard Bible Club, organized a clothes closet and food pantry, played ping-pong, cooked, ate, laughed, and watched a new bonding take place among children and parents.
A few weeks before we left, Jason and Elizabeth Rogers, trip organizers, determined with the folks at Hale Community Ministries in Elizabethton that one of the ways our church could help would be to bring instant oatmeal for the food pan-try. We didn't have much time to collect but lots of people got behind the Oatmeal Ministry and we ended up with 1,760 packets! Up to that point it may have been hard for the children to understand the nebulous "mission" part of the trip, but with boxes stacked up so high--and later when we met the children living in poverty who likely would eat it--we could really see what we were doing.
Like many, Allie, who is 10, got behind the effort, spending her allowance on several boxes. On the way back from the store, wishing she could've bought more, she laughed "What if Kroger just would give us more oatmeal to take?" That night Allie wrote a letter, and the next day when we took it in, I saw something I'd never seen before. Allie walked up to the counter, spoke up and told the manager what she wanted and why. Her mission had overcome her fear. Soon we had a free $10 gift card, which she spent on eight boxes of oatmeal. Allie was so proud, walking out of that store with her treasure--and the day she unloaded her oatmeal in Elizabethton, I believe I caught a glimpse of Jesus in that food pantry.
Also in the October 8, 2007 Issue of The Evangel
» Frank and to the Point
» Children’s Trunk or Treat
» Minister of Music Listening Sessions
» Global Missions Banquet
» Anniversary Reception for Frank & Rus
» 2008 Deacon Nominees
» Craft Your Christmas
» Oatmeal for Jesus
» Wednesday Evening Discipleship Classes
» Rus Roach: Catalyst, Mentor, Friend
» Upcoming Service Opportunities
» Good News Celebrates 70th Anniversary
» Give A Shoebox
» Are You A Veteran?
» Share Jesus Without Fear in Nashville
» This Week in Worship
