Thanksgiving Day and the weekend
afterward was a time of great celebration and service at YLM. It was
extra special due to the kindness of a group from Our Father Lutheran
Church in Centennial, Colorado. This is the 12th year that this
group, led by Carol Hill, has traveled to YLM during their Thanksgiving
vacations to cook and serve meals at the YLM missions.
On Thanksgiving Day, after the
bilingual worship service at San Pablo in El Paso, about 150 people
gathered in the dinning hall for a feast of turkey, corn, mashed potatoes,
beans, dinner rolls, and sheet cake. The group also gave away toys
to children. Group members refilled people's cups throughout the
meal as families relaxed and enjoyed the tasty meal.
On Friday and Saturday the operation
became mobile, taking food across the border to serve at the missions in
Anapra and Torres del Pri. The group prepared the meals in the
kitchen at YLM and then loaded everything into vans for the short trip
into Mexico. In Anapra on Friday, the group served about 350 people
as Pastor Jose Ruiz greeted and conversed with the congregation members
and visitors. In Torres del Pri on Saturday, the group served
another 350 people with the assistance of Pastor Jose Hernandez and his
wife Blanca. Exhausted, yet filled with joy, the group returned to
the YLM campus on Saturday satisfied that God had brought many people and
many smiles to the churches that weekend and that they were able to reach
out in love. Carol Hill told us afterward, "It's a simple way of
being God's hands, at a basic level. It isn't too difficult and even
children from our church can participate. We can touch so many
people in three days, sharing food and God's love with 850 people.
When I don't spend thanksgiving here, it's like I have a hole in my
heart."
YLM is indeed thankful for the gifts of
everyone that serves as instruments of God's love and grace in our
communities. We pray that every person who was fed here during the
Thanksgiving Holiday would discover more and more the greatness and love
of our mighty Lord and Savior.
