Hope Garden and friends

It's Thursday again and for us that means taking dinner to a mission downriver. Every Thursday the Empty Buckets and some friends make dinner to take and serve to our friends. Tonight I am taking a salad. It's actually a really happy salad that screams freshness and God's love. Friends from our life group provided the lettuce from their garden. They brought us some twice now, all cleaned up and dried. It just feels like such a blessing to share the freshest with our friends at the mission who are so used to getting seconds or leftovers. I know our lettuce giving friends think we are crazy for being so excited over just lettuce. It's just that it is just so awesome! It looks and smells so fresh and is so beautiful, and it's free, for us so that helps too. They did give us some cucumbers too, and last week a whole pile of zucchini!!!
We also had some cucumbers from Hope Garden II :)
With plenty of help from my father, I planted a garden at my parents house this summer.I call it Hope Garden. I prayed for each plant as I planted it. Prayed for the mission, for the people there, and especially for the care and growth of the garden, as I am not a gardener naturally.I prayed that God would help us grow something to share with our friends at the mission. To fill there bellies and to feed their souls.To be a witness of Gods love. God has truly been the Gardner there. He has given us plenty of rain to keep it alive, as I do not get there as often as I would like.
Then our lettuce friends said they would love to share their garden with us and the mission as well and even gave us some extra baby plants to add to our garden.
We had so many plants we asked E.J.'s family if we could have some space in their back yard as well. Of course they said yes!!! They are taking great care of God's plants.They have a whole watering system hooked up. We picked seven cucumbers yesterday for the salad today and to just pass out.
Should be a great meal tonight. It feels even more than usual a meal straight from Jesus himself.
I pray that our friends at the mission feel that way tonight too.
Ok so this is forever long, but I do have to just go on about the other part of our meal just for a second. Our EB housemates :) bought and cooked hot dogs. They are just regular hot dogs that I know are not the healthiest for us.... BUT they are another love food.And a favorite at the mission. :) They were purchased by a lady from Vicki's work. She asked Vicki one week if she could buy the food for a WHOLE meal the next time we served. So about two weeks ago Vicki gave her a list of food we would buy for a meal and the cost, and she still said, yes, she would like to pay for the whole thing!!!! We were so excited for God to use her to bless us and our friends!!! We were also excited to be able to purchase everything we needed and still have change to give her back. Turns out she didn't want the change. She had us keep it and so tonight the hot dogs are from her!!! hug*hug***
LOVE LOVE LOVE
I have many more love stories about God's provision through our friends and family. It actually makes me sad that I totally have to end this and get ready to go. Food, friends and Hope to be continued....