2012 Delivery Stories

We asked everyone who delivered meals in 2012 to tell us some of their favorite stories from the day. Here are a few:

“We had a pretty good run, but near the end it started getting very good. Our last delivery was to a woman named Kathleen. She was sweet, and invited us right in. We talked for a good bit about churches and youth and the neighborhood. She told us about her church attendance as a girl, and thanked us profusely. We had a great opportunity to pray with her and for her, and we left feeling as though we had just loved and been loved very well. It made for a blessed finish for the day.”
- Chris

“The last of our five drop-off locations seemed impossible to find! After walking around a North Philly block several times, calling the number on our list repeatedly, and asking neighbors for directions (that were only red herrings) we finally entered the address into the iPhone for a second time. And at last, we found the “red” house the homeowner told us to look for. Praise God that we got there; the house was dark and unfurnished. Little but folding chairs, a table, and a big screen TV. The woman of the house, Delilah, a lunch aide in the Philadelphia School District, introduced us to two of her eleven children, and four of her grandchildren. Her husband never took his eyes away from the TV while we were there. We prayed with Delilah and her grandchildren, and sensed that God was working to meet the needs of her large family. We wanted her to know that the burden to care for all of them was not simply on her. She has been given the weighty task of taking care of so many. We said goodbye and God bless, and apologized again for being so tardy. Hours after I got home, I was still thinking of those little smiling faces, and I am humbled at how different my neighborhood is from theirs. I hope they have plenty to eat today, and I will continue to pray for them.”
- Elisabeth

“We had some amazing delivery stories. My heart was truly broken by the recipients’ kindness and joy in sadness. We had a man who just returned from dialysis and who is awaiting a kidney, a 12-year-old boy who is responsible for the care of his siblings while his mom is at work, and a woman who is battling DHS to bring her granddaughter back from foster care. I think more than anyone of the people we visited, I was encouraged by what the Lord did in my heart. Mick and I invited friends to join us who are not from liberti. They have been so deeply touched by this experience and honestly they have all been struggling with the meaning of life. In this one afternoon, they were pulled out of their worlds and confronted by hard truths. It transformed their thinking. I am so thankful for my community, my partner in crime, my friends, and our extended community of friends to whom we delivered meals.”
- Alissa

“Dear neighbors, life always has personal challenges. When we confront challenges, it is easily to become wrapped up in our own world. I am not a member of liberti, nonetheless, I have met neighbors and members of the congregation over the past year as they have assisted at various clean ups in Olde Richmond (just North of Fishtown). Liberti members have been unfailingly kind and gracious. When one neighbor invited me to assist with the Easter deliveries, I therefore put the event on my calendar. Upon arriving at the liberti east location, I was amazed at the number of individuals who were present to assist with delivering meals. The young pastors who were organizing the event provided inspirational instructions: we were not only to delivery food, but we were to listen to people and to pray with them. I was paired with a young gentleman who has been a member of the congregation for two years. Prior to entering the first house, he asked if we could pray that God would watch over us. The first house we entered belong to an elderly women whose husband had passed away within the past year. The holidays were a difficult time for her because of his ever-present memory. She was very welcoming. With my companion’s leadership, we prayed together for the women and her family. We then visited five other houses in Kensington and Fishtown. Subsequently, we did a second set of deliveries in South Philadelphia on behalf of the Center City congregation. At each house, we asked whether individuals had a place to worship on Easter. We also asked if there was anything that they would like us to pray about with them. Most of of the individuals and families that we visited were touched when we asked whether we could pray with them. I was humbled by the modest situations of many of those whom we visited. Several young women appeared to be struggling with the impact of drugs. I was even more humbled by their stories of family members who were ill, of family members who were in jail or the hospital, and of a desire to reduce the negativity in their life. A few mentioned positives such as family members returning after long absences to share an Easter meal. Almost all who we visited were unfailingly grateful for the small grocery bag of food. I am not a person of much faith and yet even I found that the power of prayer was healing and soothing as we reached out to others in our community. The prayer provided a warmth and human touch to our visits that I did not anticipate. To be reminded of the enormous suffering that occurs, yes, even on our own blocks, was profoundly humbling. To understand how rich I am reminded me that I have much for which to be grateful. I hope to volunteer again in the future.”
- Michael

“There is not one favorite delivery story. It was the experience as a whole that made a huge impact on our hearts. My 17-year-old son, Robbie and I served with the Easter Outreach liberti team on Saturday. The route and instructions to travel to 6 homes were really well organized and easy to follow. Thank you to everyone who planned and organized this event. Robbie and I put 6 bags of food for each of the contacts into our car and drove off to our addresses, not knowing at all what to expect. Liberti suggested we call the recipients before we came over and that really helped. The phone number was not always the recipient; we found people who ordered the meal for someone in their family that they knew were hurting and in need of assistance. Maybe it was a concerned brother for a grieving sister, or in another case, it was a struggling daughter wanting to help her helpless mother. It was really wonderful to help in some small way with my son. I drove and he wrote the detail about each person we visited. Most of the time, we had no idea where we were in Philadelphia but having the pre-written directions and maps from house to house was really critical. The instructions on what to do, and what to ask were really comforting because it can be unsettling walking up to the home of strangers. But then the Holy Spirit took over and removed all our concerns. We had a peace about the process that was amazing. Romans 12:5-13 says “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.” We showed mercy with cheerfulness, prayed for each to persevere in their trials, and met each of God’s children. All of the people we visited, were hurting in some way and were broken. Each of them were in need of prayer, a reminder of God’s love, mercy, and grace, and needed encouragement. One woman said she needed to hear from God and that having us show up with such a generous nutritious meal was the reminder He was near. We experienced the blessing of praying with each of them in their homes and giving them a pocket-sized Bible to comfort and encourage them. People asked for prayer for healing. One 80-year-old woman was in a wheelchair, living alone with an ankle that has been hard to heal. Other prayers were for hope. One woman lost her husband and is grieving and learning to live life as a widow without any means of income, unsure how she will pay bills or manage. Other prayers were for family unity, for forgiving hearts between family members. Other prayers were for broken lives to be restored, refreshed, and renewed. When we walked up to the recent widow’s house, she at first told us she was making dinner and to give the meal to someone else in greater need than her. Her loving, selfless response was unforgettable. I told her that her son ordered the meal for her and her eyes swelled up in tears. We suggested she freeze it or make it on Easter Sunday. She invited us in and asked my son to put it in the frig. She then opened up about all that ached her heart. We prayed audibly for her and asked God to comfort her and guide her a step at a time. Each person was a joy to meet. It was a true gift to have the privilege to share with each person the truth of God’s Word and God’s promises that speak directly to their lives. We opened up the Bible and showed them a Psalm of lament or a letter from Paul to remind them that others walked before them in their shoes. What did we expect? I am not sure. But what we learned, what we shared, and what we received was a wonderful gift from the Lord…a true blessing as the Spirit of the Lord filled each visit. Praising the Lord that we listened to the nudging of the Holy Spirit to respond to Vito’s invitation to serve in the Easter Outreach program. We are grateful for this experience and the impact it made on our hearts far exceeded our expectations.”
- Susan and Robbie

“I slyly hand-picked a delivery route that went to houses within two blocks of my house, hoping to meet some neighbors of mine whom I had not met before. The first house that we visited turned out to be a home I was familiar with, but had not entered before. We delivered a meal to the mother of a man in my neighborhood whom I have been developing a friendship with for the past two years! I was so encouraged to visit with her. When I walked into her house and told her I knew her son, she gave me a big hug and we immediately began acting like old friends! She is a member of a small church down the block from us, and it was encouraging to hear that there are vibrant congregations in Brewerytown. Praying with her was so encouraging! She prayed along with me, offering “Amens” to my prayers for our neighborhood and for her family. While we visited, her son came in as well. I think it was really meaningful to him to make the connection between knowing that I worked for a church nearby, and seeing that our church was the group of people bringing food to his mom and other neighbors on Easter. I’m not sure that he’s a believer, but he sat and listened while his mother and I prayed. I’m thankful for the way this outreach opened the door even wider into my relationship with this family!”
- Rachel

“The experience is hard to describe in words. It was far more rewarding than I could have imagined. It just makes me more aware about the struggles of this earth that people face and the grace/gifts of God. There was a woman that had lost all of her loved ones during an 8 year period. She is alone essentially on this earth, yet she continues to live each day, even after several strokes. She lost her memory for a while and she told us of the day she remembered that she had a Lord and Savior.”
- Heather