Manna from Heaven

Filed Under Pastor's Blog by Pastor Meredith

I was not even supposed to be in the office this afternoon. I was there finishing up some last minute paperwork determined to get home as soon as possible. I thought about ignoring the phone call, but I figured that it would only take a moment to explain to the caller how to get food from our food pantry. As I explained the process of coming to the church during office hours, though, there was something in this caller’s voice that gave me pause. When she realized that she was not going to be able to get food before the weekend, she got quiet. “Do you need the food to get through the weekend?” I finally asked the woman on the other end of the phone. “Yes,” was her quick and quiet reply. I told her to come and we would have some food waiting for her.

I packed a few bags of food and had them waiting for the woman when she arrived at the church about twenty minutes later. She came, infant carrier in hand, with her newborn and another woman who had driven her to the church. I immediately went back down to the food pantry to pack up some infant formula. I heard her voice calling to me down the stairs, “Pastor,” she said, “could the woman who drove me here get some food as well.”

As I reached in the food pantry for more bags, she shared with me some of her story. Remarking how she had tried to apply for food stamps, but was still waiting for a response. She and the other woman had recently rented an apartment with their children. They had a place to live, but they were struggling.

When you look at St. Paul’s food pantry is appears to be just two small closets in a corner of the hallway. On afternoons like this one, though, that pantry looks like manna from heaven.