Tonight, we served Thanksgiving Dinner at The Ladder House. The men at the house are all under the jurisdiction of the county jail, but they have earned work release and are allowed to rent a room there. We host an NBF Discipleship Group there weekly, and from time to time we like to take them a meal. At the holidays, it’s especially nice to do something for the guys, because most of them won’t be with their families. This year, that something was a turkey dinner with all the fixings.

Below are some pictures from tonight. Many hands made the evening a success. In fact, things actually went better than they’ve ever gone. We thought we’d be dragging ourselves home close to midnight, but instead we were on our way home before 9:00! The blessing of God was so evident. He provided for the meal, He provided for the volunteers, and He even provided another woman to help serve. I didn’t expect to have anyone help me, but the Lord stirred her heart and she responded. He always knows what we need, doesn’t He?

Before I share the photos, I just have to tell you about Carlos. On Sunday night, Doug went to the Ladder House to post some flyers—just to be sure the men all knew about the dinner.

Carlos told Pastor Kobe (a leader of the Discipleship Group at TLH) that when he saw the flyer he didn’t believe it. He thought it was a joke. He said, “Who would do that for us?”  It really blew my mind.  Tonight we may be nursing our aching bodies, but we’re also looking forward to the next thing the Lord has on our calendar. Getting to be His hands and feet is a privilege.

The Ladder House at night. This intersection has been known as “Crack Corner,” because of the number of crack houses in the area.

Things got a little congested, because there are limited power sources at TLH for plugging in Crock Pots.

After!

My friend, the God Send. She said, She made a mess of mashed potatoes and gravy, two pumpkin pies, and the best macaroons I’ve ever had. So grateful the Lord sent help! (Only included her smile for her privacy’s sake.)

Before…

Everyone seemed very happy with the meal! There was also a dessert table, but I forgot to get a picture of it.

A feast!

Note how long it took me to respond to her question. Six minutes! I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Is she offering to help? Or, does she think she has to drop things off? She can’t mean to go to the Ladder House herself. Is that what she means?” I honestly just decided to believe that maybe God was sending me help. Amazing God!

Happy Thanksgiving!