For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)

Tonight I delivered food boxes to people who would not otherwise have a Thanksgiving dinner. It is an annual outreach into the community by our church. Working with an elementary school counselor at a school with significant poverty, we identify the most vulnerable families and deliver a meal to their homes. For several weeks leading up the the event, people give food and money sacrificially to make this possible. Alpen Rose Dairy donates turkeys. Winco foods provides discounts on staples. A host of helpers at our church came to get them all delivered.

It is a pretty organized event. There are addresses, names and phone numbers on the prearranged boxes. We need only show up at the door with the box and wish the family a Happy Thanksgiving. The address of this particular apartment was clearly labeled on the box. We knocked on the door and surprised the residents with our gift. After a few moments of confusion we realized that there was not a match between the name on the box and the people who lived in the apartment. With an apology for disturbing them we departed to find the rightful recipient. The family was clearly disappointed that they would not receive the help.

We tried to call the phone number on the box label. It was a non-working number. So we returned to the door of the family we had surprised and gave them the gift. The mom said, “I don’t know how to thank you. We were going to have grill cheeses for dinner on Thursday. I told a coworker of mine about our situation and she said not to worry, but that God would provide. And so He has! Thank you!”

When we returned to the church we found the right phone number for the family who had been the intended recipient. They said the box was already delivered to them. Apparently, one of the children of the family to whom we had given it recognized the name on the box as a classmate. So they brought it to the rightful recipient. They were back to grill cheese.

It gets better. The rightful recipient knew that the other family had greater need, so after taking just a few items they needed, they gave the meal back to the family that gave it to them. These two families who both have need were sacrificial towards one another, though they barely knew one another. Each of them tried to be a help to the other. What grace! We went back over with yet another box and blessed both families.

Last week I visited a friend who had given her kidney to a neighbor with a life-threatening kidney disease. She is a healthy mother of two who learned that her blood type made her a suitable donor, so she went under the knife and gave her neighbor the gift of life. She didn’t want any fanfare. It was a fairy quiet event between the two families.

These stories of grace are humbling. Generous people at every turn were willing to set something aside for another. And God is pleased. People who give sacrificially are showing the best of what it means to be made in the image of God.

God is a gift giver. He sent His perfect Son into an imperfect world and gave a gift that is still freeing the hearts of those trapped in the bondage of sin. As His people, we are compelled to reach into every messy corner that needs a touch of Jesus and to give ourselves sacrificially to the work of God in loving others. That is mission – giftive mission.

Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

Indian streets are full of life. Jim and I had gone into town with Ruben and Jonathan in order to buy some tools for the work ahead. We sat in traffic for about a half an hour behind a Muslim parade and then waited by the car while they went looking for what we needed (they go without us so they can get Indian prices. If we go with them at first the price triples. So after they find what we are looking for we go and make the purchase). Hindus, Muslims and political parties here seem to have parades every couple of days.  They march with flags, banners, idols, bands, blaring music from horn speakers… For all their disruption, fervor and excitement, most people ignore them. While waiting at the car, bicycle rickshaws and Mahindra 3-wheel cabs were everywhere. It looks like chaos at first, but as you watch an order finally comes into focus.

Jim watched cooks at a popular food stand as they served the waiting line.  When a person was done with their plate, the cook would take it back, use the water in the gutter to get it spit-polish clean and then serve the next guest. My attention was on a bicycle delivery guy who had piled boxes to about 5 feet above the bike seat. It was a wonder it was even upright as it swayed to and fro. He tried to pedal but finally gave up and began to walk the heavy bike to its destination. As he turned the corner the bike tipped precariously to about 40 degrees before he managed to recover it and then disappeared out of sight. The sidewalks themselves, if you can call them that, are makeshift covers over open sewers. They are seriously hazardous to walk on, opening up occasionally to the darkness below. Fall into one of those and you may have all sorts of wildlife encounters before emerging at the plate cleaning station of a popular food stand.

The Dutch make a mean wooden shoe, but things go downhill from there. Customer service is just not in their blood. I came up with a list of 10 things they could do to improve the KLM flying experience.

We went to Bright Hope and got to visit a bit with the girls and the staff. Anita was already at the school and will be with our team here. The Bright Hope folks made us a wonderful dinner and we talked about what we will be doing in the coming week.