Recently at work our team received some words of encouragement from one of our National Board members. He is one of the members of the international team for Midwest Food Bank’s work in Kenya and he reminded us that part of our mission is to show the Love of Christ. It’s why we do what we do. When we supply food, it gives us the opportunity to share God’s love, but more specifically to be intentional about letting people know about Jesus. He said that one ministry we work with in the slums of Nairobi distributed 11 ½ tons of Tender Mercies meals and said that 3000 souls had come to accept Christ through that ministry. He assured us that the Gospel is being spread through the thousands of tons of food that we are distributing here in the states as well and encouraged us using 2 Thes 3:13 “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.”
This encouragement came at a much needed time. Our community has been supplying disaster relief food boxes for the last 6 months for people suffering due to COVID, a derecho (straight-line wind storm) hit Iowa a month ago, and a second hurricane in 3 weeks hit the Gulf Coast last week. The sheer scope of the relief effort ahead can feel overwhelming. I’m sure that every person reading this can relate. At one time or another in life, you too have felt overwhelmed. That the task ahead is so big that you don’t know where to start. Or that the storms of life have taken you on a path that you didn’t want to go.
But God is with us in every storm. Practicing daily discipleship helps us to build the foundation of our faith and our relationship with Him so that when storms blow in, our focus is not on ourselves or our situation, but on God. Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.” Mat 7:24-25
So we must not only hear the words of Christ, but we must act on them. We need to show the love of God to people we meet every day and give Him the credit so that they will experience His love through us. And we must never tire of doing what is good. My favorite verse in these situations is Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. I know the He is with me through difficult times, through times when I feel overwhelmed and every day in between because He is my foundation.
Debi Petrillo
09/22/2020