Go Beyond

A few days ago I received a dollar bill as change and noticed that someone had stamped a web address along the edge of the bill: WheresGeorge.com, a website that tracks the movement of money. So, I visited the site, typed in the serial number of my dollar bill and voilà — there before my curious eyes was a record of all the places my dollar bill had visited before it ended up in my hands. Since the bill was initially registered on the site, it had already traveled almost 2,000 miles across several states. Pretty cool stuff! More on WheresGeorge in a moment.

Yesterday morning I met Bruce Kingwell, the director of the Katy Christian Ministries food pantry, at Sam’s Club to purchase much-needed items for their pantry. I also purchased the last of the supplies for last night’s service initiative to repackage 10,000 pounds of rice and beans into quart-size bags for redistribution by three different food pantries in our community: Katy Christian Ministries, Mission Centers of Houston, and Generation One in Houston’s Third Ward.

Bruce Kingwell, Director of Katy Christian Ministries Food Pantry

I love it when we gather together to do something practical to meet needs throughout our community. The best part about last night was seeing the generations at Kingsland working shoulder-to-shoulder to pack rice and beans into meal portions. Kids at Kingsland are learning that they can make a difference in our world and families are making lots of good memories by serving together. The conversations, smiles, and laughter made the occasion even more special. We even had first-time guests who joined in to help.

Repackaging rice and beans into quart-size bags.

Now, back to WheresGeorge.com. I could not help but wonder about the journey all of the food we packed will take from Kingsland to area food pantries, into homes, and finally onto tables. I wish that, like my dollar bill, we could track just one of the packages of food to see where it finally ends up. With so many families suffering hardship throughout the Houston area, our quart-sized bags are bound to be a blessing and to cause recipients to whisper a “Thank you, Lord” in gratitude for a simple little meal.

Generation One volunteers loading food into van. Two vehicles. Two trips.

What we did last night was but the first step of a journey to get food to those in need. Those who filled and sealed several thousand baggies and then boxed and loaded them into trucks and vans will likely never get to meet any of the people on the receiving end. But the people on the receiving end will meet our ministry partners — folks who love God and love people and who are faithful to remind others about how much God loves and cares for them.

Trisha Stevens and her son Judah. Making memories of serving together.

So, once again, thank you Kingsland for having a vision to help that extends far beyond our campus. Thanks for your generous gift of time and resources that enable us to be a blessing to others and to bring glory to God throughout our community. Just one more reason why I love Kingsland!