9/26/20
Today, I felt like I was back in Louisiana. It was a super sweet way to spend our first ministry day in Southern California. Today, we were at Saddleback Church, which is an enormous church, and we were helping them harvest a crop of pumpkins and watermelon (mostly we helped with watermelon).
Their plans are to freely give this produce to the people of the community.
I’ve been on the unloading side several times before as my church in Louisiana has a community pumpkin patch of pumpkins from, I believe, New Mexico to sell in support of local ministries. However, I’ve never been in an actual pumpkin patch before. And I was grateful for the opportunity.
It was a treat to see how pumpkins grow and to see them in different stages.
It was also cool to learn about this church’s vision for making it a church and community wide activity to grow these pumpkins and watermelons and other produce together. They outlined the abundance of lessons that can come from a pumpkin patch for teaching kids about how to love themselves, others, and the Lord. They outlined the vision for volunteers. They outlined the vision for giving these watermelons away as a tool for evangelism.
And since Covid, they said this church ministry has brought 10,000 people to accept Christ.
It’s kind of cool to be a small part of such a big vision.
It wasn’t easy work lifting pumpkins and watermelons. But it was worth it to help out the wonderful people I met today in a ministry that begun long before I came here and will continue long after I’m gone from California.
So, to my church family back in Louisiana: know that I’m thinking about you and living in solidarity with you as you prepare for the local pumpkin patch that’s heading to West Monroe.
And I want to encourage you in this ministry. The things we do in our communities matter. We have the ability to impact the people around us who need to be loved and who need to know Christ’s message of hope.
I’ll be praying for you.
God bless the pumpkin and watermelon patches of the world with abundant fruit to feed the hungry.
God bless the ministries in the world feeding your hungry people.
