"Free sodas, free snacks..." What? I don't know about that...

This past weekend I had the privilege of completing a mission project I had organized.  It was really no big deal.  We gathered cokes, dr peppers, rootbeers and put them in a humongous ice chest.  We also had snacks like peanuts, bags of chips and peanut butter crackers.  We piled it up in my mother-in-law's van and took off from Odessa on I-20 headed east to the nearest Rest Area.  Our goal?  To minister to the needs of weary travelers who passed through.  (Just fyi: the nearest rest area is about an hour and 15 min in Coahoma)

Seems easy, ya think?  Well, the first challenge was getting the interest of fellow Sunday School classmates and other church members.  Seven signed up.  Three of us actually went.  And although it was a little cool that day, the sun actually did peak out and it turned out to be a beautiful day.  We, however, for whatever reason, I don't even know why, did not plan to leave until 5pm.  5pm gets here & it's just me.   I call my mother-in-law and she had fallen asleep but was on her way.  And at the moment I get off the phone, Veronica shows up.  Praise God!  Yes!  The three of us will do this!  So, we take off about 5:30.

We finally arrive at the Rest Area at about 6:45, unload, and begin our project.  I had also brought various tracts to hand out to people as they came to receive their free sodas & free snacks.  

The next challenge: letting people understand that there was no catch to the free stuff.  But the first people we asked refused, kinda confused as to why we were even out there.   Of course, we did not force the free stuff on anyone and still wished them a safe trip and I silently prayed for their safety as they drove off.  Others did accept the sodas & snacks and even accepted the tracts offered to them.  One family even allowed my mother-in-law to pray for them, as they still had seven hours of driving time before they reached their destination.  One person who was offered a tract, said he did not need it and others went out of their way to walk around us (which was kinda difficult as Veronica & I were ready to greet them at one end, while my mother-in-law was ready on the other end)  And one person tried to give us a donation, which we quickly denied, explaining we were just there to offer them drinks & snacks for their travel, simply because God had called us to do so. 

This was the first time we did this & we learned some important lessons: Do this during the daylight hours of the day, it's easier to pass out cold drinks on a hot day rather than on a chilly evening of about 50 degrees, and most important, don't get discouraged.  

I admit I begin to get discouraged when there seems to be no interest in the College Ministry for which I am responsible.  I get discouraged when events are planned and only a few turn out, if any.  Then I am reminded that this is God's ministry, not mine.  That everything will work out in His timing, not mine.  My job is to just continue to listen to His call & His guidance and to fully trust in Him.

So, even though it was just three of us out there, I am blessed to have had the opportunity to try to show a little bit of Jesus to those who were willing to accept the free drinks & snacks.  And, even to those who completely ignored us, maybe the thought of why we were there lingered in their minds.  So, we do plan on doing this again, but next time on a hot, summer day ;)

"When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts."  Acts 11:23