Where has this summer gone? If you find yourself asking that same question, I can only assume that you too, may have had a busy, try to fit in everything possible in the short time of what we call summer! Or, maybe you are a fall season lover and can’t wait to see the leaves change and start falling and look forward to all the craze that surrounds everything pumpkin and the balloons flying every morning. Whatever your preference of season, most can agree that time flies by and making memories and experiences to look back upon are timeless and priceless.

Recently, I have been in a season of what seems like slow motion and uncomfortableness. I am in between graduate school interviews and looking for jobs that will pay the bills through the fall and winter seasons. It has been challenging to say the least on finding work with my clean record, experience, references, and a stable phone number. All of these “things” I have worked hard to procure and keep, kind of like a credit score, are all important in finding work and being able to survive. Over this last year of living in the International District I have learned how these “things” are not always afforded to everyone, and are sometimes much more difficult to procure. This leads to family stress due to lack of employment, children stress from their parent’s stress, the children begin to struggle with school and possibly the law, bills stack up and become late, leading to another level of reaction to anything not working out, and the choice of what is paid and or purchased can lead to difficult decisions. Where does food, and even more specifically healthy food choices rank on this list? I would suspect that eating something is the only concern on their list. Sometimes eating isn’t an option and hunger is something that is a regular occurrence. This article raises some other concerns about how much hunger can challenge people’s moral choices.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/12/teens-america-hunger-food-poverty

“This” is what I am daily learning about and trying to understand with my finite mind how “this” changes in a positive way. I trust that God is good, and that God is doing His work in His people to open our eyes to the needs of our neighbors, strangers, refugees, widows, and orphans. With open eyes, it is not enough to see the depravity, but to actually act through the power of the Holy Spirit and the good news of the Gospel. Not just words and kind thoughts, but real tangible good news. I know that I am unable to make any change and or difference in my own power, to the massive issues surrounding my neighborhood, but I also can’t in good conscience not take action. I can’t look at all of the depravity around me and say “they need to get their act together” without looking in the mirror and saying the same to myself. Without the grace of God, I could be in their place and would be trying to figure out what I need to “hustle” to pay my bills and or feed my family.

I think that is why I have come to understand that the least I can do is something. That something for me is helping with the La Mesa food distributions. I invite you to join us this year on the second Thursday of each month. The next distribution is Thursday, October 13th from 3-5:30 pm and is an opportunity to come and go as needed. One doesn’t need to stay for the entire time block if unable. I look forward to seeing God work through this simple gesture and hope for change in our city and for “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven, Give us this day our daily bread…”