"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15
This past Tuesday instead of a usual training session with 10//15 FC, the players and coaches met at ONE Church in Lake Highlands to take part in our annual grocery drop offs. The purpose of the food drop offs is to get the team together off the soccer field and show them the importance of giving back and serving the community; which we hope ultimately points them to Christ- "For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45).
This year was special because we were able to partner with our church, ONE Church. Members from our church welcomed the players Tuesday night and we ate pizza together followed by Pastor Ying sharing a message with everyone. He shared about wisdom and foolishness using Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." He went on to share about our ultimate hope in Jesus. After the message, players were split into groups. There were five groups that would be sent to different parts of Dallas to deliver food and pray with families. Then the fun part came, going to Costco all together to pick up all the food. This is always fun and a little chaotic, but we got it done before Costco closed!
Each group departed to its destination to drop off the food to families in need. This year we were able to provide groceries for 10 families. One drop off location the past two years has been Newport Landing apartments. Several refugee families that live there go to our church. The guys from the team introduced themselves, then Zach prayed for the families. It is cool for the young kids in the apartments to see these young men serving. We need more young men being leaders in their communities! It is a small thing that we do this once a year, and require our players to go, but we pray that God will bless it and grow the seeds we are planting, and that many would come to know Christ and follow Him with their whole lives. We are thankful for the opportunities we get weekly to share the gospel and live it out!