Say It Isn’t Snow
From Arkansas, we headed towards Tennessee with two destinations on the itinerary. First, a scheduled conference in Franklin, TN, complete with a free seven day stay at a hotel!!! From there our destination would be Knoxville, TN for a long-awaited visit with friends we met in South Carolina. Stay tuned to hear all about the fun!
For now, however, we would stop in northwestern Mississippi. We try to limit our travels to a four-to-five-hour drive at the most, and given Arkansas is a much bigger state than I would have thought, it took just that long. We are also trying to slow our journey back to New York to avoid any last minute snow fall. Little did we know, the wait didn’t matter.
Not long after our arrival, we learned the forecast was predicting freezing temperatures and mixed precipitation. After our winter experiences in Texas, we felt prepared. The forecast then changed to a slight chance of snow. Well, it was a little more than a slight chance. Before we went to bed, snow was beginning to accumulate. By morning we had two inches. Not a lot of snow by our NY standards but not part of the plan when RVing. Fortunately, we have a four-season RV, so we were protected and warm. By mid-morning the snow was starting to melt from the bright sunshine and our water never froze.
God continues to keep us safe on this journey and after the snowstorm, He gave us beautiful sunrises, sunsets, a few warm days, and some blooming flowers, including the star magnolia. We were even able to enjoy a fantastic view of the full moon rising over the lake while enjoying a camp fire.
This stay was a chance to catch up on tasks, so we did not do any exploring. However, we did make the time to volunteer. This time we served at Sacred Hearth Southern Missions. Sacred Heart is quite the operation. Funded by donors, they provide a vast array of programs including two catholic elementary schools with over 550 children who are provided a platform for a path out of poverty. A ministry for HIV/AIDS patients, low-income housing, food pantry, a garden providing fresh produce, thrift store and more. It is a truly impressive charity. What is so nice to see is that the focus is not only on helping an immediate need, but also providing education and resources for self-sufficiency. We have learned that often small communities grow from new developments which brings expensive housing prices that also increases rent – at times up to 200%. Those in poverty have no outlet to survive. Imagine you had the opportunity to move to a new state for a new job, but did not have the money or a car to get there. Rising from poverty does not have a quick solution but the work of organizations like Sacred Heart offer hope.
Our first assignment was to help distribute food to the surrounding county at their monthly food drive. The weather was expected to be chilly, but it turned out to be quite cold! Jim and I are still in the mindset that temperatures in the 50s are temperate, so we were not dressed appropriately for it to feel like 40 degrees with the wind. Added to chilly temperatures was the fact that the food truck was stuck in traffic, so we had quite a bit of time to hang out in the cold. At one point I remembered we had planned to do laundry after serving. So, what does one do when faced with adversity? Dig in the laundry for warmer clothes! Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!
The waiting did allow us to meet some amazing people. The man in charge of the food drive, Jose, was quite interesting to speak with. He was originally from Panama and had worked on the Panama Canal. After a near death experience, he re-evaluated his life and made the choice to serve others by working for Sacred Heart. We also met his cohort in action, Melissa. Ironically, she was from a town in New York called Newark Valley. A town just fifteen minutes from where I grew up. Given the limited population of the area, we instantly felt like family. Most of the time when we meet people from NY, they are from New York City, so this was a cool encounter – one of the many God moments we have experienced in our travels.
That morning we provided food to over 500 vehicles and 1,200-1,500 individuals! It was so fulfilling to greet each one of those people and serve them. Oddly enough, there are times when I feel like I do not want to serve prior to a scheduled day. With thoughts of “it would just be easier to stay home”, or feeling the nervousness of walking into a new environment. Satan is always trying to defeat our mission, but God is more powerful, He called us to serve, and when we obey, He blesses us with the most amazing experiences. We always feel we are more blessed than the people we serve. I would encourage everyone to give serving a chance if you are not already doing so. You may be like me and feel it would be easier not to, or that you do not have the time. I get it. But when you do, you will not be disappointed!
As the cars started pulling through to pick up their food, the sun came out and believe it or not, it was hot! Jim and I had to quickly shed those dirty clothes!!
A couple of days later, we went to Sacred Heart’s food pantry. Again, we met absolutely wonderful people! We were able to spend time with Melissa once more, met the volunteer director Lois, and many more amazing people. They were short staffed that day and asked us if we could work the whole day. They even offered to buy us lunch – very yummy Mexican food! We were tasked with putting away deliveries of food and packing food bags for people in need as they came for their monthly supply. As we packed, I saw a couple bottles of spices on the shelf. It made me stop and think how these people may not have spices, or items needed to bake, or flavor their food. I thought about our magnetic wall of spices in the RV. Jim, and I love to cook, and despite living on a tight budget, we are blessed to have the means to cook flavorful, healthy meals. How often we overlook how blessed we are when we are focused on what we do not have.
Fortunately, Sacred Heart does offer fresh produce and meats, along with non-perishables. Although we did not know who was getting the food, we enjoyed searching for something to make a meal enjoyable. When we knew there were children or teens, we looked for special treats to give them. I did meet one man prior to filling his order. He asked if we had any of “those small pies”. He went on and on about how much he loves pies. I told him I would check and when I brought his cart out, I whispered to him that I snuck a few extra pies in his bag for him. He stopped, looked at me with a serious, but heartfelt look, grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug. To think a simple gesture meant so much to someone.
On the volunteer page of their website,
Sacred Heart shares a quote from,
Ralph Waldo Emerson…..
May we all know that type of success.
