The brighter life the brighter mag pdf | Page 15

throwing about 20-30 very large bags of extra bread, pastries, and other food in the trash dumpster. My heart was grieved. What a waste of food. There had to be a way to get that left-over food to people that need it. Sadie said that because GOD’S PURPOSE MINISTRIES is a non-profit organization (501c3), I was welcome to take the food! if I was sure I could safely and properly distribute it. I told her I would, although I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with all that food. I loaded up my car with as much food as I could fit, which was about 15 large bags. I drove home to our apartment complex,set up a table in the courtyard, and I put up a sign "FREE FOOD". God can do so much with so little. He has such an interesting way of moving; He never ceases to amaze me. Back in 2011, I was finishing up a year of service as one of the Associate Pastors at a Church in Hawthorne, California. We had performed the Crucifixion Experience there several times and we even took TCE on the road to a few other churches. Meanwhile the Lord doubled the size of the church. Before I left, a friend of mine named Pastor Amy Ayano, gave me a name and phone number on a small piece of paper…, and she said, "Call this lady." I didn't know who the lady was or why Pastor Amy said that I should call her, but I put the paper in my pocket and forgot about it. A few days later I found the paper and I stuck it in a drawer. A few months later, I was working on editing one of our video presentations of "The Crucifixion Experience" in Nigeria, I came across the small piece of paper, so I called the number on it. The lady's name was Sadie, she was the director of a food pantry called "SAVES" in Culver City, California. I had never had a desire to start a food distribution ministry, but I really felt the Lord wanted me to go down there. Families came out to see what was going on, and soon every week, the hard-working but needy families in our building were enjoying free bread, pastries, and a wide variety of produce that they needed for their families. Every little bit helps. In the following weeks people in the community and the surrounding neighborhood started coming into our building to get food as well. A very big need was being met. News of all the free food spread quickly, and the ministry began to grow. I got my mom, Emily, involved. We developed a set of rules for conduct and distribution. We would also gather and pray together before we unload the food as a team. More and more families began to benefit every week from God's provision and all of my Mom's hard work. We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve our community in Jesus' Name SPECIAL NOTE If you are a grocery store or other food service establishment that is researching our organization. THANK YOU for visiting us. We are well aware that well established companies like yours may already have organizations in place to receive your daily food, flower, or bread spoils. We just want to make ourselves available to you as a back-up organization that you may need from time to time when your current organization cannot pick up the food. Or you may be looking to replace your current organization with a new one. Either way, we are available for you. We look forward to continuing to serve the people of our community who need a little help on a weekly basis, and we will hopefully be able to assist you in seeing that your soon- to-expire food or flowers are quickly, safely, and responsibly distributed to families who need it. If you need us, please don’t hesitate to contact us. [email protected] A few days later, I saw how many people they helped, and what an amazing difference they made for families in their community. When all the families were helped and they were about to close for the day, I saw them The BrighterLife Magazine | Page 13