The Kitchen field trip

God works in the most amazing ways. Today was one of those days when I got chills seeing His work.

Today, 19 kids, 5 adults & 2 teen helpers went to Springfield, MO to The Kitchen. It's a unique ministry to the poor & needy. They provide counseling, medical care, a temporary homeless shelter to women & children, transitional housing (apartments), a soup kitchen, 2 resale stores and daycare for families in the homeless shelter.

Our kids got to tour the facilities and do some work. The resale stores are open & sell to the public. They are also set up on a voucher system to distribute clothes & household items to people in need. They take in many donations of items, including lotsa dishes. These dishes must be washed before they are put out for 'sale'. So, our kids, working on an assembly line, washed A LOT of dishes today.

They washed, rinsed, dried, stacked - over & over. The kids ranged from 1st through 5th graders (plus all the adults & teen helpers). It wasn't easy work. It was enjoyable to watch and work with our kids.

Our kids were respectful & diligent & curious. I think they saw some things that they'd never seen before. And it was good.

After the dish project, we ate at the soup kitchen. The kids were a little nervous about this. They were afraid they'd have to eat something they didn't like, but they didn't. Everything was wonderful.

After the projects were done, we took a walk down Commercial Street to Askinosie Chocolate Factory. The kids got a chance to taste some chocolate and hear about their business & how they support some of the kids who are in the homeless shelter.

Later, Mrs. Kerri dropped off some candles that our ServeU (Vacation Sunday School) kids had decorated. It was intended to be a fun craft project that could possibly be items the resale store could sell. The wonderful lady who received the candles asked how we knew that they needed candles. Kerri was confused (as would I have been, too). She asked why they needed candles. Apparently the men who are homeless & cannot stay in the homeless shelter, often find themselves living in tents. The Kitchen ministry will give out candles so that the men can have light inside their tents at night. How cool was that!

If you find yourself in Springfield, MO, visit Commercial Street. Big Momma's Cafe, Askinosie Chocolate, Maggies Boutique, Lorraine's Store, The Missouri Hotel, The Kitchen - it's all worthwhile of your time and your heart.

Thanks so much to Jeremy, Kerri, Joanne, Mandy, Sophia & Cassie for such help today. Thanks also to the parents who allowed their kids to come today. It's a movie reel in my head that will be filed under 'close to my heart.'