Feeding the Hungry
In the summer of 2013, St Andrew Lutheran Church participated in a program named Feed Iowa First. We planted, water and watched watermelons grow on our front lawn. The watermelon garden produced over 1,000 pounds of fresh watermelon for Horizons Meals on Wheels. Most of us have read the Southeastern Iowa Synod article about our garden and Feed Iowa First campaign. If you haven’t seen this, it can be found here.
Until reading this article, I wasn’t a person in favor of growing watermelons on the front lawn. I love the beautiful lawn that multiple congregation members work hard to maintain. Boy did I miss the big picture! We were not ruining beautiful grass, we were putting the soil and God’s gifts (the land) to use. The result was growing crops that became food for the hungry.
You see I was short sighted and missed the overall message. It wasn’t till I saw the article, that I realized the fault in my beliefs. “Jesus forgive me for I have sinned.” Matthew 25:35 states, “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.,”
To many time, we judge others and draw conclusions without thinking or just stepping back to see the bigger picture in life. God provides us this land to provide for ourselves and others.
God bless you all.
Steve Haller