Walking through one of the hardest hit areas of Bowling Green, I encountered many people who weren’t sure what they needed but definitely needed someone to listen to their story.  The typical initial response is often that they don’t need anything.  After receiving that response at one home, I asked about their experience and after listening to their story I again asked if there was anything at all we could help with.  With a hint of embarrassment, I learned they had been trying to clean out the refrigerator that had been without power for 6 days and the process was overwhelming to them.  The relief that was expressed when I said we could do that was great.  After hauling out the spoiled food, the offer was again made to provide additional help and I soon found that the spoiled food encounter had opened up the opportunity to not only do more for this family, but to share with them the good news of why we were doing it – that God’s love for them is great and our compassion toward them was because of God’s great love for us.  When our work was done, we prayed for the family and went on our way knowing that seeds had been planted and Jesus had been present in the disposal of spoiled food.

-Tom, IDES Volunteer