One of my most recent ministries here has been cooking for the squad. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for 50 people. It’s been such a blast! First of all I get to do it with some of my most favorite people on this earth: Hannah-Grace and my three Ethiopian moms/crazy aunts, Zenit, Eldona, and Buze. My days in the kitchen are full of lots and lots of laughter and hugs and love. We don’t really speak each other’s languages but I honestly forget that most days. These women love me with a tenderness and sweetness that I haven’t really experienced since leaving home and it’s the best! I’m getting good morning and goodnight hugs and kisses every day people! He’s for real been showering me with blessings on blessings in response to the homesickness that I’d been struggling with a ton last month.
Cooking with people is really beautiful. I’m learning to see how much it can connect and bring together. It’s creating and making something together and it doesn’t require many words or lots of things in common. I love food and I love cooking but most of all I love doing it with people. It’s been so cool to see what beautiful and authentic relationships I’ve made with the women I get to cook with every day. Wow! Truly truly blessed! Also how much I’ve learned. I really feel equipped to cook all kinds of meals for 50+ people now. Life skills!
Cooking for my squad has been a really interesting ministry. It’s really different from everything I’ve done so far on the race. Cooking these meals takes a lot more time than I would’ve thought. My whole day is basically focused on serving and loving my squad. My people. From America. My eyes have been completely opened to the fact that the people that we are closest to are sometimes the ones that we forget to love and serve the most. In searching to find people to serve we often overlook the ones right in front of us. As the days went by it started to make me so joyful to find the small ways to love and serve my squad, like remembering food allergies or using less oil because it makes people gassy. It’s usually small and simple and may only take a few extra seconds but it’s so so worth it just to bless someone a little extra. Also I’m falling in love with the people on my squad like never before! So that’s exciting.
It’s also been really cool to serve in a more behind the scenes way. Like waking up extra early to cook breakfast while everyone is still sleeping. Or washing all the cups that add up during the afternoon. To be completely honest these things may have (definitely) bugged me a little bit at first. But it’s been really cool to see how He’s changed my heart to actually doing each of those things as a real expression of love for my people even if it’s not even directly noticed. If you can serve well even when no one sees it that’s how you know you’re actually serving from a place of Jesus and not for attention.
Also! I think cooking ministry is way cool because cooking is something I’ll probably be doing for the rest of my life. I’ve loved getting to see how easily and meal can bring people together, and how simple of a blessing a meal can be to others. Cooking and eating isn’t just something that happens in Ethiopia. It’s something that reaches to every person in every culture in every country. I’m excited to go home and practice this new perspective I’ve learned, that something as simple as cooking a meal can be a way to really love and serve any kind of person. It doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy or showy. It doesn’t need to be expensive or a grand gesture. Sometimes all it takes to love and serve someone is some oatmeal or macaroni salad.
