Spaghetti Christmas! - Friday, February 12, 1999 - Newsletters - http://maxpages.com/ljwbthisweek/Spaghetti

By Larry J. W. Brown

Published in the "So. Washington County Bulletin" newspaper of Minnesota.

"Christian Life Ministries" is a Cottage Grove based ministry that started out by networking a few concerned families from the area in an effort to supply food, clothing, counseling, and various other supports to families in need. We had our third annual spaghetti dinner on Saturday night, December 19. We were cooking the meal and preparing for the crowd when a family showed up at our back door, frozen, hungry and trying to get back home (about an hour away) in the bitter cold night. The back-seat driver's side window of their car had been broken out by vandals and some plastic was stretched over it in an effort to try to keep out the wind. They were out of gasoline and needed just enough to get them home, an hour away, could we help?

I invited them in out of the bitter cold (as much for my own comfort as for theirs) and stood looking at them, sizing up the situation. They were shivering as they stood in the warm hallway: dad, mom and three children. I asked if they were hungry, the smell of fresh spaghetti and garlic bread wafting from the kitchen was getting their attention. They were hungry, but too self-conscious to come into the dining room. I could see that if I insisted it would only add to their embarrassment, so I didn't, but they agreed to take some with them.

Then I took them back outside and opened the door of my van---it was full of fresh bakery I had just picked up that day and they could take as much as they wanted. The children and mother lit up like candles and each one took a couple of items (bread, sweets, etc.). The dad's eyes filled with tears as he watched and choked out a thank you. It was obvious that he was carrying quite a burden that night.

A couple of friends came out to see what was happening and I tapped them for money so we could fill up the family's gas tank. I knew that we would probably never see them again but as they left, with hugs and tears of thankfulness, I knew we had made the right decision.

Not more than ten minutes later, the phone rang, someone called me to the phone and told me that there was a woman on the other end of the line who was standing in the cold by a pay phone just five blocks away. I brushed my garlic-buttered hands on my favorite spaghetti apron and took the phone. She was scared, homeless, freezing, very hungry, and asking for help. We quickly dispatched a couple who had volunteered to go and pick her up and bring her in out of the cold. We fed her (and I mean she was really hungry) and after the dinner, we located our own Gloria Dupree, (she often works with issues of the homeless) who helped her find a place to stay, the last bed in a Salvation Army women's shelter. Thank God for a network of friends!

As we continued to celebrate the third year of our networked ministry, no one complained about the "interruptions". After all, these "interruptions" underlined the very meaning of Christmas!

Later, the folks who were at the dinner (about 50 people, including children) were willing to give a special gift to help a missionary family who had just returned from Thailand after 21 years of service, and are currently without an income.

This precious missionary family has two children, an 18-year old girl and a 14-year old newly adopted son from Bulgaria. The church I attend in, St. Paul, had already found enough money to supply the family with much needed groceries the day before, and we had added items from CLM's food shelf. I told the guests at the dinner that I had hoped we could get together enough money to buy each member of the family a Christmas gift (I was thinking $60 to $80). We took up the offering. After the count? Over four hundred dollars! We delivered it the next Sunday afternoon, along with some gifts that were donated. This well-deserving missionary family was extremely overwhelmed. So were we, for the opportunity to help them!

The growing family network of CLM urges us all to continue to "have a little Christmas this year, all year long"!

ljwb@mail.com

Sign Guestbook

View Guestbook

Visitors: 00947

Page Updated Fri Aug 10, 2001 3:48pm EDT