Lessons from Lakeshore

A great friend, Sarah A., has made a couple of trips to Lakeshore since the storm. Her, her siblings, and their fellow Grace Baptist Church members have provided wonderful encouragement. This past trip, their team served in the kitchen. Often teams tell us, as they bring help our way, how much of a blessing they received while working in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts on the gulf coast.. Sarah expressed her’s as “50 Lessons from Mississippi.” She gave me permission to cross-post them here.

1) Working 15+ hours a day is hard and will cause every part of your body to ache like you’ve been beat up.
2) Sometimes it’s not how fancy the food looks or even how wonderful it tastes, but how much love goes into it that makes the difference.
3) Not all ingredients have to be measured. In fact, most don’t.
4) Chapstick is one of life’s essentials.
5) No matter how “grown-up” someone is, they can still surprise you by dancing in the kitchen.
6) Little things can become way too big when someone takes it personally.
7) Some of the greatest discussions can be held in a cramped hallway, outside walking through the mud, or in an overgrown storage pantry.
8) If you volunteer to cook the hash browns, you will not be cold in the mornings.
9) The most essential part of the day may be the thirty-second prayer that helps you get out of bed.
10) Sometimes it hurts to smile through cracked and bleeding lips, but it is always worth it.
11) Spending twenty minutes just listening to someone is rarely a waste of time.
12) It is usually more profitable to spend time getting to know your friends (and siblings) than to spend the same time studying in your room.
13) If you hang around and listen long enough, you will probably find out what is bugging whom and why.
14) Even teenage boys get blue when they miss their Moms.
15) There is a great satisfaction in seeing a meal that took two hours to cook be consumed in twenty minutes by hungry volunteers.
16) Overhearing, “This is good!” is sometimes better than receiving a “Thank you.”
17) When eleven determined people set their mind to something, chances are good that it will get done.
18) 5:30 am is a wicked time to have to wake up.
19) At 5:30 am it doesn’t really matter whether or not your clothes match.
20) Giving a back-rub is not only a way to serve someone, but also a great stress reliever.
21) There is nothing quite as wonderful as a hot shower in 45 degree weather.
22) Nine young adults are really no match for 51 kids full of candy-corn.
23) God is glorified through things that may not seem to matter much to us – a yummy meal, a clean kitchen, a squeaky clean pot, a book read to a snotty-nosed four year-old.
24) God’s Word is as essential to a healthy day as a good breakfast.
25) There are some things that you can still do successfully cloudy brained and half-asleep – making oatmeal is one of them, cooking pancakes is not.
26) If that pot you’re putting away is not clean, send it back to the dishwashers. Keep repeating until it’s clean, no matter how irritated they get.
27) No matter how old you are, you are capable of saying stupid, hurtful things and asking forgiveness.
28) No matter how ticked you are, it is better to forgive and move on than to nurse an offense.
29) There is nothing like a good water fight to clear the air.
30) Soap bubbles in your hair works almost like hairspray.
31) There are several ways to recycle meatloaf.
32) An encouraging word and a hug can do more to lift the spirits than chocolate.
33) A practical joke is like fennel, it only goes well at certain times and only certain people like it.
34) If you are willing to make a fool out of yourself and laugh about it, you will be a much more appealing person to be around.
35) The kitchen is an ideal place to learn cool self-defense moves, especially if you’re working with retired Army and NY policemen.
36) People who jump over bonfires are stupid, however you should probably not tell them so.
37) It is very beneficial to make friends with someone who has lots of vitamin C and is willing to share.
38) In deciding what to wear you should always choose warmth over fashion.
39) If you hang around with a video camera long enough, you will eventually catch your friends doing something incredibly silly on tape.
40) The most essential ingredients in most dishes are salt, pepper, and onion powder.
41) Even if you know a better way, remember who is milking the cow.
42) Go ahead and experiment, but be willing to try whatever you make.
43) Even if it means working late, stopping to go to a church service is always a good idea.
44) There is nothing as refreshing as worshiping with other believers and hearing God’s Word preached.
45) Singing together gets the job done faster – unless you stop to dance.
46) A sleeping bag and an Army cot feels like a feather mattress and a four-poster if you are tired enough.
47) There comes a point when sleep takes precedence over almost everything else.
48) Much fun can be had with a squid named Steve.
49) Hearty laughter with good friends is almost as relaxing as a hot bath.
50) When you arrive with a plan to serve others, it is almost inevitable that you will come away having been served yourself.