We have this push to collect food going on for Mission 1, so I did a little extra grocery shopping when I was at the store this week. Vegetables were on sale for 65 cents, so I picked up 10 cans of vegetables. I got five boxes of pasta and and equal number of cans of tomato sauce. The whole amount came to less than $20 and the kids had 20 items to add to the Mission 1 basket. It felt pretty good, but...

• I also bought some things for us at home in that same shopping trip. And the amount I bought for our family was more than twice that which I donated. I'm still keeping more than I'm giving.
• Honestly, if I were making  spaghetti, sauce and a side of vegetables for my family, I would have been buying a higher quality sauce and probably cooking fresh or frozen vegetables, not canned. I am keeping the best for myself and giving lower quality to others.
• I'm buying all this because we are really pushing Mission 1. But there's really no reason I can't buy 20 items for the food pantry every week. But do I?

I am very proud of  our congregation for all we've done during the 11 days of Mission 1. But for me, personally, it has raised a lot of concerns about who I help, and how I help, that I need to continue to reflect upon.

Peace,
Pastor Lisa