Hello….my name is Kelly and my first experience with Anxious for Nothing was helping make Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for the team that would go to Roanoke. The best way to describe that experience was “organized chaos”…but it was A LOT of fun. It was my way to “give back” it took about 20-30 mins on Sunday mornings and I was already at BRCC why not jump in and help….it made me feel good.
THEN…Karla put a call out for servers to help with Breaking Bread boxes. I eagerly stepped up to help “behind the scenes” but much to my surprise there was a different path in store. We showed up on that first Saturday morning ready to pack a box and leave, but they needed folks to deliver. So… I reluctantly agreed to deliver “I’ll do it THIS Saturday”….that was about 5 months ago ….lol. I have been packing and delivering ever since.
We wear HOPE DEALER shirts and while at Goodwill one Saturday after deliveries Penny and I were asked by a worker “what does your shirt mean”? We explained Breaking Bread and Anxious for Nothing, that conversation led to him expressing an interest in “serving food” as he was new to town and used to serve at a soup kitchen in the Va Beach area and had been looking for a way to get plugged in to something like that here. We continued to stay in touch and would talk with him when we were at the Goodwill. (More to come on this)
On Sunday Oct 17, 2020 (I know this because I have the text) Karla…(out of the blue as she often does…lol). Texted me at 11:22am saying “I really feel led to provide a meal for the homeless in Bedford for Thanksgiving”….what she didn’t know is that earlier that morning Hank (BRCC safety team member) had come up and asked if Rachel or I knew of anywhere he could “serve food to people”, we offered suggestions of several food pantries that we knew about, but he was adamant about “serving plates of food”. When I received Karla’s text after having had the conversation with the gentleman at the Goodwill and now Hank wanting to serve food to people, I knew this was GOD speaking, it honestly gave me chills. I have always been willing to help but on MY TERMS…at MY CONVENIENCE. This was going to INTERFERE with MY HOLIDAY, MY FAMILY TIME, MY THANKSGIVING. But guess what….NONE of that is MINE…it’s all GOD’S. Through GOD I was able to push MY SELFISH feelings aside and FOLLOW what GOD wanted. Did I want to????…..honestly NO I didn’t WANT to, but GOD changed those feelings as well. I woke up Thanksgiving morning like a kid on Christmas…so VERY EXCITED to see what GOD was going to do that day. And remember my friend from the Goodwill. He came alongside us and served with us that day and we were all so humbled and excited to be a part of GOD’s PLAN.
I write all of this to explain that I had been content being a SPECTATOR…. watching from the sidelines (making PB&J’s and only packing boxes for Breaking Bread), being able to come and go as I please, but when I truly listened to what GOD was saying, when I moved from
that’s where I found the joy….the joy in obeying and watching the story unfold. It’s still unfolding as we speak. Folks that came to the Thanksgiving Dinner and receive the Breaking Bread boxes have attended Prayer and Pizza and service at Blue Ridge Community Church, including my friend from the Goodwill.
We would love for you to come alongside us to experience how GOD is working in Bedford through Anxious for Nothing.
Kelly