How the Big Day Went...

Our Thanksgiving Celebration with our Kingdom Meal friends was awesome! Here are a few things to remember from the day:

1. Caleb is my favorite four year old ever! When the caravan of KMM people arrived, Caleb asked who all they were. When I told him they were our Kingdom Meal friends, he literally jumped up from his toys, ran over to a table where he grabbed some small plates, went and found a basket of rolls, plated them all, and hand delivered a roll to each person. We were not planning to even do that, and no one asked him to do a thing. When I asked him what he was doing, he simply answered, "I'm serving." God is doing amazing things in that boy's heart!

2. Our KMM friends really needed to know they are loved - even outside of KMM. When we arrived at the Salvation Army - our pick-up site - people asked if they could hug us. They knew we were there just for them, because we wanted to spend our holiday with them. It was a beautiful and very touching thing.

3. There is such sadness in the lives of many of these people. One friend asked for prayer for her nephew Jeffrey who had been shot three days before - once in the chest and twice in the back, and no one was sure if he was ever going to walk again. Another woman told me of how some years back her husband tried to snap her spine by dropping her on her back over an ottoman. Because of this abuse, not only has her life been scarred, but she can't even hold a job because of her back injuries (along with some mental illnesses, she added). My heart really does break for these people.

4. With love comes freedom. Four friends were just crazy about the instruments and microphones. I don't even know how to describe the picture of them singing and playing other than just 'free'. No one was judging them, or looking down on them, or expecting anything of them. They were free to do what they wanted and be who they really were. It was fun to watch. And, I was so proud of my mom for being right up there with them, singing into her fake mic, and dancing around the stage. Another guy from KMM, who is normally quite the tough guy, with aggression and attitude, showed his softer side when he was playing ring-around-the-rosie with my kids and my mom. It was the same deal for him - no one judging him, or expecting him to be tough. He felt comfortable and he felt loved...so he played! It was very cool!

5. One of the girls who came to help out was such an amazing young person. By the way she talked, I would have guessed that she'd been a Christian her whole life. She's 17 and she just 'gets it'. She went on with passion about how she's seen how many Christians in this world just really screw things up - judging, hating, condemning, discriminating, isolating themselves, and representing Christ in such an un-Christ-like way. I came to find out that she's been a Christian for just a year. Perhaps that's why she gets it. She hasn't been brought up in the tradition of rules and judgments. She was such a breath of fresh air.

6. I was blown away by how the New Hope community really grabbed hold of this as an opportunity to love and serve our neighbors. SO MUCH food was donated, and prepared by people who weren't even able to be there for the actual event. There was so much extra food that every single person went home with enough food to last them a week. We were planning for 75, had about 40 people show up, and had enough food for about 120. Everyone was thrilled to be able to fill their bellies while they were there, but also to know that they would have food for the next week (including dessert!).

Thursday was an amazing time, and I believe God was with us, from beginning to end. I'm excited to see how people respond on Sunday when we see them again at Kingdom Meal. I'm also excited to make this an annual event. Why shouldn't every Thanksgiving be spent like this? I can't think of a single thing I'd rather have done that day.

Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, encouragement, donations, time and energy!