Love and Care Ministries has been a passion of mine for years now. I am thankful that Mark Hewitt, the Executive Director, and his people are doing great work for the kingdom of God. Hundreds of poor and homeless are being provided for with food, clothing, showers, with personal and spiritual support from good people who know how to help. I was blessed to spend 4 days with Janet in the kitchen and Mike in clothing. We are thankful for the Love & Care volunteers who pickup food from the local restaurants and grocery stores. Because of their generosity they are able to provide everything from mountains of bread and pastries to containers full of fried chicken, casseroles, and tons of fresh veggies for salads. It was good to see the walk-in freezer in Janet’s kitchen full of food ready to be served.
During this COVID time in Abilene, I was glad to see that everyone was taking precautions from food handling to wiping down counters and spraying areas where people were gathering to eat and in areas where they hand out clothes, hygiene kits, and other necessities. Mark’s daughter Magan helps operate Love & Care Ministries. Her two children, Branson and Trinity, have spent this summer helping as needed in all areas of the facilities. It’s a family operation. Mark’s mother, Carolyn, works in the front office. Maxine, Carolyn’s sister, works in the kitchen. Robert and his wife Paula, work in clothing and have been here for the best part of a decade or more. Tina is responsible for washing and hanging clothes, and then organizing them by size for men, women, and children. Mike runs the clothing and shower area. He and I spent 3 days getting clothes together for the homeless and poor that came to visit. The clothes are given to them. We give each person a large bag to carry all they could put in a bag. You see, they have a lot of clothing to move before Mission Thanksgiving this November. There is an abundance of clothing. For this, we are thankful to God and thankful for everyone who donates. The need will still be here this fall. Please think of them when you are cleaning out your closets. Their main needs for the winter are socks, blankets, sleeping bags, coats and warm clothes for all ages, men and women, boys and girls. Someone is always asking for a backpack. And food.
Probably the highlight of my 4-day visit was having Mayor Anthony Williams come and visit us and praying with us during his tour of Love & Care on Thursday. He had a good word of encouragement for everyone. After my day was finished that Thursday, I went home with a slight fever. Dennis watched over me for the rest of the weekend and on Monday my doctor decided I needed to get tested for COVID. I was positive. We immediately called Mark Hewitt and let the mayor know we had all been exposed. Needless to say, I was “THAT volunteer at THAT non-profit” he talked about in his press release announcing that he had COVID too. We found out that Mike and his wife and child also had it. Luckily, no one else got it during this time. As of today, we have all recovered, and we are all back at work, including the mayor.
I am thankful that Funeral Directors Life (Kris, the Executive Staff, Supervisors, and the Board of Directors) allows us to have these opportunities to minister to one another at whatever level we know best. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the poor and homeless of the Big Country. I am thankful to all of the employees and volunteers who keep the Love & Care wheel turning. I am thankful for Mark Hewitt and his executive staff for their hard work. I am thankful for the doctors and nurses who took care of us during our quarantine. I am thankful for the medicines we were given that made us feel better and quickly recover. I am thankful that I didn’t have to go to the hospital. And I pray for those who are struggling because of this virus. I am also thankful to be back with my FD family who have supported me as I recovered. And I am especially thankful for the marketing department and it’s peeps who helped me continue to work remotely during this time by supporting me and helping continue to push projects along. We are supremely blessed here at this company. These are things I will take with me for the rest of my life. And thankful that God is in the center of us all.