Traveling the Rock Road

She stood on a small stage talking through a mic and giving directions to some several hundred that had come there to work. As you can see from the picture this young gal who came up to my shoulders would have barely been seen had she not been up higher than that rest of us. But what she might lack in physical size she more than made up for with conviction, determination and drive.

Ursula, my newest Hero, works in the field as a coordinator for “Feed My Starving Children,” a work dedicated to fighting hunger in many places. Founded in 1987 this non-profit organization is dedicated to raising money to put together hand-packed meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and then ships these meals to nearly 70 countries around the world, and this is all done without the help of government dollars.

People in a local community will spearhead getting donations for the food needed to put together what is called “Manna Packs.” Then volunteers must be rounded up to put together the meals. In our little town of Warsaw, Indiana enough money was given to process and over one million meals, which were put together by some 4,000 folks ranging in age from 6 to 86.

Coordinating something like this becomes a massive undertaking, that’s were Ursula and other staffers like her come in. They travel all over the country pulling everything and everyone together from location to location. They direct all the work and workers into a coordinated effort that is accomplished in two-hour shifts before the next group of volunteers comes in to take over. During my time, I was a runner bringing boxes of soy, rice, vitamin and vegetable powder to the assemblers at their assigned stations. When the task was completed Warsaw had packed enough food to feed 2,700 children for a year. Awesome!

So getting back to my newest hero, Ursula, what made this gal have such an impact on this man to categorize her as someone special, even above and beyond special? Some would ask, was it her ability as a coordinator? Well of course you’d expect someone of that caliber at the forefront of such a project. Perhaps it was her ability as a motivational speaker, to stir folks in a way that they were going to give their best to the task at hand. Some would say, “Well sure, you always need a good cheerleader to get people moving.” True, but I sensed there was something more to this sweetheart with the big smile other than the attributes mentioned. What made her want to take on this mission in the first place? Was it money she was paid? From all I’ve gathered, working for an organization like this will not bring you large pay checks and early retirement somewhere in the Tropics. Okay, then maybe it’s the travel, seeing all the sights in America for free. Well, as you can see Ursula isn’t dressed like a rock star on tour, she dons work clothes, and the sights are pretty but nothing to rave about. (The location here was a school surrounded by cornfields.)

So what drives Ursula, Super Ursula, to give her all to such an occupation and endeavor?

I think I can answer that with one word. Heart! You see she made two points clear above and beyond the task of putting meals together, Feed my Starving Children was a Christian based organization, and she was a follower of the One she called Lord, Jesus Christ. She brought that point home to every person in the room, that this was more than feeding hungry bodies, this was helping starving souls. As a matter of fact the mission statement is “Feeding God’s Starving Children Hungry in Body and Spirit.” And as this young lady spoke, one came to realize she just wasn’t there on behalf of a group of “do-gooders” as some would call them. She was representing a mission, hers and others like her mission, to fulfill the calling God had set forth for each who calls themselves Believers.

Matthew 25:35-40 – For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

With each word, each slide she presented, and each step she took it was easy to see that she wasn’t working a job to please an employer, she was on mission, for her King, and overwhelmingly happy in doing so, even in the not so good times. I say that because the last place she was at was a disappointment on how many meals they packed. But her words with a smile were, “God was telling me, don’t worry, don’t fret, I’m still here.” In that moment you could tell you were seeing more than just a organizational coordinator and motivator, you were seeing the Heart of a Warrior, another “Traveler of the Rock Road,” that knows where she stands. Thank you, Ursula for being my newest hero!

Before I close I’d like you all to take just a moment to look at this video that gives a good image of what “Feed my Hungry Children” is all about. The song was written by a 17-year-old and even though the style is not particularly what I generally listen to, he drives home the mission in a really awesome way (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaULZrMHxBg).  Hope you’ll take a moment to listen, watch, and maybe ask God, “is this something for me?” Here’s hoping the answer is yes!
See ya again soon, Friends and Family!!!