Short trip…massive impact

Today’s blog is courtesy of Jenkins restorations employee Jacob hall

A little over three years ago, I had the opportunity to travel with a group of Jenkins Restorations employees and Servants With a Heart to Nicaragua. It was a short trip with a massive impact.

While our mission was to serve the people of Nicaragua through the meals packed by Servants With a Heart, I could not have anticipated how I would be served by this experience. Each night we would debrief the day and digest what we had seen and heard and been part of through our daily trips to small towns, trash dumps, and other areas. For 4 days we endured rainstorms, heat, humidity, and bugs; but we were able to see the end result of meal packing events that have led to nearly 25 million meals being provided to those in need. The trip was short, but the impact on my life wasn’t.

This year, at the conclusion of our annual fall leader meeting, Jenkins Restorations sponsored yet another annual packing event, and we packed roughly 64,000 meals on a chilly Saturday morning. I had the task of weighing and sealing the bags once the 4 ingredients had been added. As a team, we had to ensure each bag had between 390 and 400 grams of food to make sure each box hit within a certain weight, which in turn would lead to correct pallet weight, etc. Each step of the process is dependent on the previous step for success, but what I stay the most focused on is the opportunity these meals provide for the gospel of Jesus to be shared with the people of Nicaragua.

It can be easy to get lost in the speed and challenge of trying to pack more meals than the table next to you or to outdo the number of meals packed from an earlier packing event. But the reward is knowing that you are a part of placing a meal in a stomach of a person who may not have known earlier that day when they would eat again. The reward is also knowing that supporting this ministry has opened the doors to thousands of conversations that speak of the love and affection of Jesus for those who repent and turn to him in faith.

I would encourage anyone who has thought about doing a packing event to set aside time in the next few weeks and join an event and be part of something bigger than yourself to support those in need and be an active participant in bringing the gospel to others.