CHINO, Calif. – Teams from Atlanta’s Master’s Commission are participating on a week-long hunger relief outreach with Operation Blessing and OBI’s partner organizations in California. Here is what they have to say about the impact of their first day of ministry working with Isaiah’s Rock, run by the King family in Chino, Calif.:
From Chris:
What is it about first-times that are just so wonderful? I guess it’s just that if you’re really lucky, those first-time moments stick with you forever. They transcend all time, space, stress, hurt, good times, and bad times. They seem to be eternal, even magical.
It is these moments that you should take with you and never hide. You should reproduce what you have seen, heard, and experienced, but with a touch of yourself the next time around.
Working here with the King family is an amazing thing. It really truly is one of those stick-with-you-forever-and-ever moments. Who would have thought that doing something as simple as handing out bread and moving around some pallets would mean so much to people? But I don’t think it’s the food itself that bring the Kings’ neighbors coming back twice a week.
The King family has created something more than a community out of Chino, Calif.; they have created a family of it. See, a family is something that is hardly ever seen anymore. And as simple as a family may be, it becomes something breathtaking. This family brings together every shape, size, and style of people in their neighborhood every day around one of the greatest things ever—food!
I think the lesson that I have taken away from everything I have seen today is simple: Love people. For in all reality that is what the King family gives out twice a week. They show it with every word, hug, and every box filled with food. It is the love that they show that keeps their neighbors lining up around the corner. Love that is unmerited, unnecessary, and real is truly a breathtaking sight. And it is that kind of love that this community has. I don’t think I will never forget it.
What I have seen in this place is worth taking home and reproducing. Showing love to people for no reason other than that they are people is worth every amount of awkwardness that seems to inevitably follow it. It is worth the risk every time. And as a very wise woman once told me, “Give away to people what you want the very most, and it will always be returned to you.”
~Chris
Find out how you can help the hungry here.
From Allison:
I really don’t think I have ever seen a family give their lives away so genuinely and practically as the King family does here every day. Today I said “hello” and “how are you?” to over 80 people, and I’m pretty sure that gave as much encouragement to people as the actual distributing of food that took place. Hundreds of people each week are fed by the King family. What makes it all possible, and worth much more than just the food, is the love that is given away.
I have never before been able to work up-close and personally with people who speak a different language like I did today. I even used to be afraid of it. But the thing is…it doesn’t matter what language any of us speak—Spanish or English—because there’s always one language that will remain universal forever, and that’s the language of love.
Unsure of how I would ever be able to communicate with any of these people, I took a risk and jumped right in. I think that filled me with the greatest joy I have ever felt. I shared my testimony with the hope that the message would penetrate their hearts despite the language barrier. Often it took patience, but when all else couldn’t be understood, a hug and a smile never seemed to fail.
Today I took a risk. I stepped outside of everything I knew, and found out that the people I encountered weren’t searching for anything more than just love. The King family makes comfortable those things that would typically be awkward. They make the language barrier nearly invisible. Today, I took a risk…
~Allison
From Andy:
So I’m sitting at a table this morning reflecting on yesterday, which was our first day of our trip with Operation Blessing. We worked with the King family who has a big heart for the people in our community. We distributed food with them; it was probably one of the most humbling experiences that I’ve ever been a part of.
Before we handed out food, we were asked to mingle with some of the people. I walked around thinking to myself “who do I want to speak with?” Then I found myself drawn to this guy just sitting in the middle of the parking lot all by himself.
I sat down with him, and he just started to tell me about his life. As I sat there listening, my heart began to break for this man! His name is John, and he told me about a bus ministry he used to be a part of. Then he talked about how he began to struggle with different things. The hardest part was hearing how worldly things took control of his life.
As yesterday drew to a close, my heart still broke for him and even today he is still strong on my heart. What I experienced was amazing, and it really made me think of all the things I take for granted, which challenged me to be more loving to people that are hurting and to drop my selfish pride.
On April 8th, 2010 Master’s Commission Atlanta and Operation Blessing helped the King family make a big impact on the community.
~Andy
To help the hungry, donate to Operation Blessing’s hunger relief fund.
