This is a brown bag lunch ministry - that offers a simple lunch and a whole lot of LOVE. The Summer of 2009, God showed me a "mental picture" a vision, of a brown lunch bag with the image of a BIG RED HEART on it. I immediately knew he was telling me to feed a sack lunch to the homeless and dejected of society, but most importantly, LOVE them. Unconditional, non-judging, approachable, non-religiou
s, but trustworthy and sincere. Immediately I sent a bulk email to my contacts and shared what the Lord had put in my spirit. I offered the opportunity to donate or participate to everyone who was interested. Immediately, people responded - and God provided abundantly. Literally, lunchmeat and bread began to show up on my front doorsteps. Praise God. We gathered in my home, around my dining room table and put together lunches. Lunches that included a sandwich, fruit, chips or crackers and a bottle of water. I prayed and asked God to direct us into the area that he wanted us to serve his people. I drove around in uncharted, unfamiliar territory in Beaumont, Texas, and the Lord was faithful. The very first lunch I served was to a man - that I only identified because I saw two legs sticking out of a dumpster. I pulled up and eagerly got out of my car and spoke to him - to make him aware of my presence, and not to startle. I said, "Sir, I'd like to bless you with a lunch." And he pulled his body out of the filth and the garbage and began wiping his hands off on his clothing. I reached out to shake his hand, and he said, "I'm dirty." And I smiled and laughed a little and said, "I am dirty too." I shook his hand, gave him a lunch and talked with him briefly. It was a beautiful moment for both of us. I got back in my car, volunteers with me, and following behind - and I felt accomplished yet, sad. I did what God said, he directed me, I found someone - but my heart was heavy. We continued driving around and I saw something in the corner of my eye. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a man laying down in a ditch....in the middle of the day.....alone. I put my car in reverse, which forced the cars behind me to also back up. It's funny now, when I think about how unorganized I was. I got out of the car and greeted him. He stood up and he was so physically dirty that his clothes had a waxy appearance to them. The way our hair gets greasy when we don't wash it. He had been sick at some point and had a large stain across the front of his shirt, I believe it was vomit. I asked him his name, "Pedro" he said. He was so polite and had a gentle spirit. I asked, "Pedro, how long has it been since someone has told you they love you?" He was taken aback by the question. He had to think about it and said, "Well....it's been a long time.....I guess it would have been my mom." From the gist of it, that had been decades since he was told. I put my arms around him and hugged him and said, "I love you and God loves you so much, that he sent several cars down this street to find you." I blessed him in the name of Jesus - and we parted company both in awe. After these two occurrences I knew that I knew God indeed had spoken to me. He had confirmed His word and vision and had given me to the grace to activate it. Hallelujah. We started making 50 lunches and we would drive around into areas of poverty and homelessness and deliver them, along with love, hugs, prayer and genuine kindness. Over time, God was faithful to build trustworthy relationships between me and the homeless. He then increased the volunteers. And in only 3 months, God orchestrated a meeting between myself and a local pastor who invited me to his church to speak on a Sunday morning to his congregation about LOVE Lunchsack Ministry. The church responded supernaturally! It was a GOD CONNECTION. By this time, I had built relationships, established meeting places for the homeless to receive lunches and organized the functionality of the ministry. The church had RESOURCES and I had the RELATIONSHIPS. Together, God had done AMAZING things. In 2010 LOVE Lunchsack expanded its territory and duplicated the ministry in Port Arthur, Texas. We were now delivering lunches in two cities, simultaneously. The number of lunches increased within one year from 50, to 100, then 150, then 300. Through the help of Facebook, LOVE Lunchsack Ministry was getting more awareness. People from all over, all backgrounds, all races, all religions and non-religious - were participating in this ministry somehow. God had given us MUCH FAVOR AND INFLUENCE in our community. And because of this, my personal experience with the homeless, pr******tes, addicts, dealers, mentally ill - and all other dejected - grew. I have since found myself ministering in many areas and capacities. Glory be to God. In 2013 LLM was established in Orange, Texas, which was an answer to prayer. This city, much like Port Arthur, has a large population of addiction, prostitution, generational curses and all that comes with it. One month later, LLM was established in South Austin and Denton, Texas. This was absolutely astounding to me - and I felt God's SUDDENLY come upon my life in this ministry. By the grace of God, since the beginning, I have been asked to travel and minister as a speaker and preacher of God's word, his will and our commission. I've been blessed to be on TBN a few times, had newspaper articles written about the ministry, television interviews and features - and it's ongoing. I found myself flying to different cities to duplicate this ministry!! LOVE Lunchsack Ministry now has 5 locations that are going to the streets and loving on invisible people. THAT'S NOBODY BUT GOD!!!!! And most recently, God acknowledged my love and labor for His Kingdom - through the Aurora-Golden Triangle SERTOMA CLUB and I was awarded "SERVICE TO MANKIND AWARD" for "Outstanding Services & Commitment To Our Community" for 2013!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And to my surprise, soon after they announced that at the banquet, I received a SECOND AWARD for "DISTRICT SERVICE TO MANKIND" FOR East Texas AND Louisiana for "Exceptional Service to Mankind" 2013!!!!!!!! And to think, it all started with a vision and 50 brown bag lunches in my home. IT'S A TRUE TESTIMONY TO OBEDIENCE TO GOD. I've often said, "I'm not special, I'm ordinary. BUT GOD can do EXTRAORDINARY THINGS THROUGH ORDINARY PEOPLE!"
