GROWING SEEDS: "Lots Of Love"

 

 

“Terri”
Lots of Love

Today.....I discovered the most amazing lady in our church.  Her name is Terri Ruyle. 

Terri heads up the Lunches of Love (LOL) that our church, along with other churches and organizations in Mt. Vernon, sponsor each year to feed the disadvantaged kids in Mt. Vernon.  I know I’ve talked about Lunches of Love before, but you need to know a little about Terri, the person who makes Lunches of Love happen, and what makes her so amazing.

As I interviewed Terri for this article, I noticed she never quit smiling.  You could tell there wasn’t anywhere she would rather be than right here in the kitchen....preparing meals for 100-120 kids each day for 7 weeks in the hot summer.  She told me that as she walks into the church kitchen alone each morning between 7:30-8:00, she is overwhelmed by the sheer blessing of it all and finds herself alone, with God, in that amazing kitchen asking “Father, how many babies are we going to feed today?”  See, Terri knows that Lunches of Love is the only meal some of these sweet babies ever get.

Every slice of bread....every tear of the lettuce.....every stir of the spoon in the sauce on the stove is done with gratitude in her heart.  Her life hasn’t always been easy.....but it has always been grace filled and full of thanksgiving.  And it was always God’s plan that Terri be blessed with a love for cooking and with an amazing, Godly husband named Brian that moved her out of the city to Mt. Vernon to live next door to Jane, a neighbor who invited her to help with Lunches of Love five years ago, which then helped her take over the position of running this amazing program called Lunches of Love this year.  Can you see the dots connecting, Terri?  I do.

My time with Terri this week brought many laughs, some tears and a new girlfriend.  I’m blessed, inspired and in awe of this sweet new friend.  When asked what her favorite part of doing “LOL” was, she surprised me with, “Hand sanitizing the kids before they eat”.  She went on to explain, “When they hold out their hand to receive the hand sanitizer, I have the unique opportunity to cup their hands in mine as I make them clean.”

I understand now why Jeremiah 29:11 is her life verse:

“I have it all planned out - 

plans to take care of you, not abandon you, 

plans to give you the future you hope for.”  

Jeremiah 29:11