On Saturday, July 30^th we held our annual back-to-school ministry event, KidStock. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful day and provided all the needed resources for this wonderful ministry event. Families arrived by appointment and each school age child was given a nametag and backpack. Then the fun began! Families walked around playing carnival type games filling their backpacks with much needed school supplies. The day was filled with delicious treats such as cotton candy & snow cones, amazing clowns sharing God’s love through balloon art & laughter, fun filled inflatables, stories of God and His creation through the use of exotic animals by AnimalTales from western Kentucky, and numerous volunteers with hearts dedicated to Jesus and sharing His love.

Throughout the day each family rotated into the building where they were presented a skit of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Then, in the solemn quietness of the moment, individual volunteers humbly knelt before each child, washed their feet, and placed a new pair of socks and tennis shoes on them while sharing the world’s most powerful message, the Gospel.

During this time, I had the privilege of sitting with a grandmother who is currently raising five of her grandchildren. As the children were having their feet washed, her eight year old grandson finished and came running over. Full of excitement, he said “Look mawmaw, my new shoes are orange, my favorite color!” I spoke up and told him that I loved his new shoes. Then I asked him if he knew who had given them to him. The boy responded, “The lady who washed my feet said Jesus did.” “That’s right!” I said, “God provided those shoes just for you because He loves you so much and cares for you.” At this point, all I could think to myself was “WOW! Thank you God for allowing me to be part of this!”

Backpacks, pencils, erasers, crayons, scissors, folders, paper, notebooks, socks, shoes – all of these are just tools that the Lord has given us to use during the back-to-school season to share His love! Our prayer is that as each child continues to use these items, they will be reminded of who provided each of them and why.

Praise God for all our generous donors and partners who made this ministry event a great success! Thank you for your prayers and for the many volunteers who came and served alongside of us for the day! Thank you for standing in the GAP! (Please click on the image above to view more photos of KidStock 2016.)

“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 23:22

According to endhunger.org, each year, well over 100 billion pounds of food are thrown away in this country. Some estimates from 2009 indicate that up to 20 percent of America’s entire food supply goes to waste. At the same time, there are 49 million people, including more than 16 million children, who are at risk of going hungry. Gleaning—the practice of collecting and donating excess foods—helps simultaneously address these pressing issues. Importantly, it also gives low-income individuals access to fresh and locally grown foods. In fact, more than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income neighborhoods where affordable, quality and nutritious foods are inaccessible.

In an effort to combat hunger issues in the rural community of McDowell, Kentucky, the IMPACT (Influencing My Peers As a Christian Teen) Youth Group from McDowell First Baptist Church decided to create a “Gleaning Garden.” Toward the end of May, forty youth and adults came together, tilled the land and planted the seeds that would later bring forth corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, green beans and other fruits and vegetables. The care and upkeep of the garden was performed by the youth in shifts throughout the impending months. The entire harvest was delivered to GAP as it became ripened and able to be picked. Then, the fruits and vegetables were distributed by the missionaries at GAP accordingly.

It was a very rewarding experience to all that were involved. The work was hard, but the benefits far outweighed the labor. It was an event that taught the youth group real life lessons about gardening, use of the land, how hard work pays off, reaping what you sow and many other intangible wisdoms. IMPACT is excited to create an even bigger garden with a larger variety of fruits and vegetables next year! (Please click on the image above to view more photos.)