Missions Trip Food

A quote that has been attributed to Napoleon, the French general is, "an army marches on its stomach" (or at least something to that affect). Well, the thought that food is important to anyone who wants to do much at all is applicable. A missions team needs a fair amount of food to do work in bush Alaska. Consider the difficulty of trying to feed a team of 14 people by having to make all the food, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Consider that a lot of kitchen facilities in bush Alaska aren't really equipped to handle this task, and, in both trips we have taken, the kitchen had to be dismantled so work could be done. Consider that there are nearly no restaurants in a bush village, at least any that could handle 14 people all at once. Consider that the cost of procuring that much food in bush Alaska would cost almost as much as the trip itself over a week of being there. That is a lot of considering I know, but you get the idea, food is expensive, in short supply and it is impractical to prepare on site. Enter the great team of cooks and people from New Life Assembly of God to the rescue!
A couple of weeks before departure, numbers of volunteers came forward to prepare and donate an incredible variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees that were ready and frozen in aluminum foil pans to take with us as well as a variety of desserts. Each and every day we had hot meals that were delicious and in generous supply, even with 14 hungry people to consume them. The ladies that came primarily as cooks simply had to heat these meals up in the oven in order to prepare them for the team. We took two large coolers full of these frozen meals with us which covered all our needs.

The other consideration is that with each meal, there are guests. Children, young people and adults all find out there is hot food available and for just showing up, you get a nice plate full, served with a simile. It's one of the best ways of interacting with the community, because even if some people never come, they hear about these visitors that feed anyone who comes by. It's hard not to like someone who readily invites you to share in a hot meal just as soon as they meet you, which is one of the strategies the team uses when we go to these locations. Word spreads and so does the good will. You can't often see a direct result, but because so many are helpful to us when we run into problems you can't help but wonder if this kindness greases the skids when it comes to needing help.
When kids or adults are there, it often leads to ministry opportunities.
That was one aspect of our team I was really proud of. Whatever the need was, they would sense the opportunity to pray, counsel or just befriend someone without so much as a single prompt from me. It was so wonderful to see each person approached with some form of ministry. Not everyone wants prayer or for you to do something, but it was always offered. Food was a catalyst to make these opportunities happen. I don't know how each individual person found out they could come and get a meal, but as I already said, word gets around in a place like Emmonak. So, if you have an opportunity to fix a meal for someone or even for a missions team like ours, it may not seem like a very spiritual activity, but be assured, it is. In a culture where the significance of food and meals goes beyond just quieting hunger, food provides bridges to relationship which in turn provides us with opportunities to minister to other needs in Jesus' name.