Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: FAITHFULNESS (10/07/21)
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TITLE: RIGHT DOWN TO THE FRIES | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lynn Kowal
10/10/21 -
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Our Church had been feeding about 100 homeless drug-addicted people after the morning service for years, but this Thanksgiving we wanted to make the dinner especially nice for everyone.
We had bought, cooked and cut up 13 turkeys, 60 lbs of potatoes, vegetables, and 25 pies. And because our attention was solely on providing this meal for the poor, we had no time in that weekend to prepare anything for ourselves.
Our mother-in-law had come for a visit to help out, and during the Church service’s time of greeting, a lady pressed $20 into Mom’s hand, insisting that she take it as a payment for a knitted scarf that Mom had made for her. Mom protested saying that she had made the scarf purely out of love, but the lady insisted – “Take it - you’ll need it.”
A few minutes later as she then stood at the church’s kitchen window serving plate after plate after plate of food to the people, Mom smiled at everyone, but never revealed to any of us the “test” that she had going on with God.
She believed very strongly in the scripture, “give and it shall be given unto you – good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38 KJV) because the Lord had come through for her time and time again when the family had been in a difficult period of need. She was determined to walk out that faith in Jesus again now.
As Mom was passing out each plate filled with turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, potatoes and vegetables, and then pumpkin pie for dessert - we kept nudging her to take a plate for herself, because we had helped ourselves to a bit of turkey here, or tiny slice of pie there, after we had seen all the people – which had now swollen to 150 - go through the line, and we were quoting to her, “A labourer is worthy of his hire.”(Luke 10:7 KJV)
But every time she tried to make a small plate for herself, another person would step up to the window, so Mom would just smile, and give it away. She was determined that everyone in need of either a first or even a second plate of food would receive it to the full. She would save none for herself.
Finally, after every last scrap of food had been handed out, we walked, exhausted, to the church van to drive home - joking that at least there would be some black bread and baloney for us when we got there.
As we opened the side door to the van to get in, we saw a huge roaster on the floor that had been donated to us but forgotten, and opening it up, we found a large fully-cooked stuffed turkey all ready to go. We wouldn’t even have to lift a finger at home to enjoy it.
Then as she travelled back on the Greyhound bus, Mom overheard two little kids ask their dad for some fries when the bus stopped at the station. He told them sorry, but he had no extra money for that. So continuing with her gift for giving, Mom asked if she could help, and handed them the $20 that lady had insisted she take as payment for the knitted scarf.
“All I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness Lord, unto me.” Thomas Chisholm 1866-1960
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This piece has a good beginning and ending and it was well delivered.
Thank you and keep writing.
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!