Back in April of 2011 my husband and I were having lunch with some dear friends. During our conversation the topic of adoption and orphans came up. I'll never forget the words of my sweet friend when she said, "Adoption is God's heart. We are commanded in Scripture to care for the orphans."
At that very moment, my eyes were opened. My heart was set on fire, and my life was changed forever. Sound crazy? Not really. I believe this is how God works.
From that day forward, God's Word began jumping off the pages, igniting a fire in my heart. My ears were finally hearing what the Spirit had to say.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27
For the next 8 months I went into complete anguish over the plight of the orphan. I spent weeks learning about the faces of the fatherless and reading the unimaginable stories that take place every day. Starving, hungry, lonely, afraid, abused and abandoned children everywhere - all over the world.Life as I knew it was changed forever.
I had to do something.
I remember at first thinking I had to do something BIG. Something never done or even thought of before. The foolishness of thinking I had to do something "incredible" in order to make a difference, kept me from seeing what the Lord was calling me to do. As always, I was making it much harder than it needed to be. The Lord was not asking me to become a super hero. He wanted me to function in the gift He already blessed me with: baking yummy bread. It was that simple. The answer was right in front of my face.
Very simple. So practical. Totally delicious.
The name 'Bread For Life' was a gift from the Lord. I will never forget the day He whispered the name to me back in 2011 as I was walking from my kitchen to my living room. It was so clear and powerful. It was as if He was standing in my home talking to me. This is what the Lord impressed on my heart: "Your ministry shall be called, 'Bread For Life.’ You will bake bread, sell it and every penny raised will go to the urgent needs of my children. Your bread will give life. The same way that I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. This bread represents Me and My love for my children."
"The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them." Psalm 25:14
And just like that, "Bread For Life" was birthed. The Lord was unfolding HIS ministry in my heart and all I had to do was be faithful in taking the first step. And that's what I did.
In my teeny-tiny kitchen I began to bake. I had no clue how it would all work. In fact, I didn't even know how I was going to "sell" my bread. I had never done anything like this before. I trusted the Lord to work all the details which of course He did. My church allowed me to set up a table and sell the bread on a Sunday morning. I also was given the opportunity to share with the congregation why I was doing this and how I believe the Lord would use this bread to feed His children.
The very first Sunday I baked 20 loaves of bread. From that bread, we raised a whopping $648.00. The joy that flooded my heart when I realized what this money could do for so many precious little children, I knew the Lord was all over this. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of actually doing something that was going to make a difference in the lives of so many children. It was priceless.
In just 6 weeks we raised $3,600!
In 10 weeks $5,000.
In 5 months $7,000.
In 10 months, $10,000.
The last few months of 2012 we raised $10,000!
A grand total of $20,000 in 1 year!
Truly, Only God!
All from my teeny-tiny kitchen at home, 'Bread for Life' started to make a difference. Not only for His children, but for my family, my friends and my community. The enthusiasm and joy that comes from serving Christ has become completely contagious.
I didn't need to learn any new trade. I didn't have to reinvent myself. I sure didn't become a super-hero. I simply turned on my oven, mixed some four, sugar, eggs and pumpkin and trusted the Lord to do the rest. AND HE DID!
100% All Glory and Praise to Him Alone!
A friend summed it up beautifully: Ordinary Heroes: If We are Willing, He is Able. Ordinary people doing ordinary things. Really. There is NOTHING special about me. Im a stay-at-home mother of 4, doing what the Lord has called me to do. I believe God uses ordinary people, like myself, doing ordinary things, all the time. We just have to be willing to be used. I've always said, "If we are willing, He is able". It's really true.
So here we are today, a soon-to-be non-profit minsitry that is committed to baking bread until every orphan is fed. Would you join us? Together, we CAN make a difference.
Click here to learn more:www.bread4lifeministries.org
At that very moment, my eyes were opened. My heart was set on fire, and my life was changed forever. Sound crazy? Not really. I believe this is how God works.
From that day forward, God's Word began jumping off the pages, igniting a fire in my heart. My ears were finally hearing what the Spirit had to say.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27
For the next 8 months I went into complete anguish over the plight of the orphan. I spent weeks learning about the faces of the fatherless and reading the unimaginable stories that take place every day. Starving, hungry, lonely, afraid, abused and abandoned children everywhere - all over the world.Life as I knew it was changed forever.
I had to do something.
I remember at first thinking I had to do something BIG. Something never done or even thought of before. The foolishness of thinking I had to do something "incredible" in order to make a difference, kept me from seeing what the Lord was calling me to do. As always, I was making it much harder than it needed to be. The Lord was not asking me to become a super hero. He wanted me to function in the gift He already blessed me with: baking yummy bread. It was that simple. The answer was right in front of my face.
Very simple. So practical. Totally delicious.
The name 'Bread For Life' was a gift from the Lord. I will never forget the day He whispered the name to me back in 2011 as I was walking from my kitchen to my living room. It was so clear and powerful. It was as if He was standing in my home talking to me. This is what the Lord impressed on my heart: "Your ministry shall be called, 'Bread For Life.’ You will bake bread, sell it and every penny raised will go to the urgent needs of my children. Your bread will give life. The same way that I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. This bread represents Me and My love for my children."
"The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them." Psalm 25:14
And just like that, "Bread For Life" was birthed. The Lord was unfolding HIS ministry in my heart and all I had to do was be faithful in taking the first step. And that's what I did.
In my teeny-tiny kitchen I began to bake. I had no clue how it would all work. In fact, I didn't even know how I was going to "sell" my bread. I had never done anything like this before. I trusted the Lord to work all the details which of course He did. My church allowed me to set up a table and sell the bread on a Sunday morning. I also was given the opportunity to share with the congregation why I was doing this and how I believe the Lord would use this bread to feed His children.
The very first Sunday I baked 20 loaves of bread. From that bread, we raised a whopping $648.00. The joy that flooded my heart when I realized what this money could do for so many precious little children, I knew the Lord was all over this. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of actually doing something that was going to make a difference in the lives of so many children. It was priceless.
In just 6 weeks we raised $3,600!
In 10 weeks $5,000.
In 5 months $7,000.
In 10 months, $10,000.
The last few months of 2012 we raised $10,000!
A grand total of $20,000 in 1 year!
Truly, Only God!
All from my teeny-tiny kitchen at home, 'Bread for Life' started to make a difference. Not only for His children, but for my family, my friends and my community. The enthusiasm and joy that comes from serving Christ has become completely contagious.
I didn't need to learn any new trade. I didn't have to reinvent myself. I sure didn't become a super-hero. I simply turned on my oven, mixed some four, sugar, eggs and pumpkin and trusted the Lord to do the rest. AND HE DID!
100% All Glory and Praise to Him Alone!
A friend summed it up beautifully: Ordinary Heroes: If We are Willing, He is Able. Ordinary people doing ordinary things. Really. There is NOTHING special about me. Im a stay-at-home mother of 4, doing what the Lord has called me to do. I believe God uses ordinary people, like myself, doing ordinary things, all the time. We just have to be willing to be used. I've always said, "If we are willing, He is able". It's really true.
So here we are today, a soon-to-be non-profit minsitry that is committed to baking bread until every orphan is fed. Would you join us? Together, we CAN make a difference.
Click here to learn more:www.bread4lifeministries.org
“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.
They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.
It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms.
But once you do, everything changes.”
~ David Platt.
