Somebody Cares!

I watched the lady leave the K-Mart parking lot with several hot meals in her front passenger seat. As I directed her around the corner and out of the parking lot, she threw her hands up in the air and emphatically proclaimed, "Somebody cares!!!"
I wondered what kind of frustrations she had already encountered in the immediate first 14 days since Hurricane Ike had ravaged her home and community. Who had she sought help from and found only frustration? Ours was only a meal. Our gift was only a warm offering to carry her through the immediate present to the next day. However, surviving one day because "someone cares" can be enough to get one past deep and destructive thoughts and behaviors when one thinks that "no one cares."
We care because God cares. What a great opportunity it was for our team to serve and average of 38,000 meals per day in Baytown, Texas. We did not ask people any questions about their morals, ethics, faith backgrounds or political beliefs. They were hungry, physically for sure; some mentally and spiritually. We offered to feed all three of these through our work with feeding teams, chaplains and Red Cross helpers, including mental health professionals.
It was great to see First Baptist Church, Baytown, Texas, Red Cross and NC Baptist Disaster Relief all work together so well! As the pastor of First Church, Baytown illustrated it on upcoming t-shirts, we are three cords of love and care woven together to help neighbor!
Three strands, God who is above and sees all, Son who is with us and comes to us as friend and Redeemer, and Holy Spirit who is inside us to guide us onto right paths for His name sake (paths of peace, hope, grace and mercy).
The lady got it right, "Someone cares!" God cares and we care as God's disciples!