....serving off the top of a open coffin!

Tonight we fixed spaghetti with the ingredients the CrossTraining kids collected for us. They collected so much that we didn't use all of it. We have some sauce and noodles left for another night.

Next week we'll make chili with the other ingredients they collected.

Thanks again to the leaders and kids at CrossTraining for doing such a great job on their project.



Back in the day, if 12 people showed up to help on a Tuesday night, we were ecstatic. Last night we had 16 (at one point) and one of the kids said Wow, kinda light turnout tonight, huh? I laughed when I thought about how perspective changes. We've been having roughly 30 every week now for a while. To a kid used to that, 16 is kinda light, but I remember nights when it was just me and Gary McKnight passing out hot dogs and sodas.

Perspective. It's a handy thing to keep around.



Speaking of Gary McKnight- I've mentioned before how much help he was in the early days by coming and helping on Tuesday nights. Could not have done it without his and Jim Morgan's help. He continues to help whenever needed and is always asking if there's anything we need.

My point?

Both his daughters came and helped throughout High School. One did her Senior Project on the Homeless and the other continues to come every week and brings friends.

Coincidence?

NO.

Never underestimate the effect of positive role modeling and providing opportunities for kids to serve others.



It was so cold last night, when I apologized to a couple of the ones who stayed down to clean while we served at the first stop, they laughed and said No Problem, we were glad to stay down where it was warm.



Every night begins with us having an idea of how we want it to go and then proceeds to head in directions we never intended or saw coming. I left Twig in the kitchen with some kids about 6:20 and went underneath the LEC to get coolers and supplies and told him we were going to clean it out also. He said Fine, we got this. So me, Henry, London, and Trey took off.

There was a lot to reorganize, rearrange, and clean out. Then we loaded up everything we needed and went back up top to set up and take the coolers down to the kitchen.

What a difference 45 minutes makes.

Twig had to leave because his step-son had gotten hurt using a Lacrosse match. Anna Tolan and Keith Miller had been on their own with the kids in the kitchen most of the time I was gone. Here's what they were dealing with while I was counting paper plates:

Boiling 15 pounds of noodles

Cooking 5 gallons of sauce

warming up 100 pieces of chicken

Warming up 4 pans of macaroni'n Cheese

Warming up a pan of Yams

Warming up a pan of Beans and Rice

Toasting 200 pieces of assorted bread

They were great! And then Brien got there and started the washing process. They were jammed for oven space, the stove top was full, and the logistics of it all was beginning to look like a Rubik's Cube (All time best selling puzzle. 350 million sold.). By the time I got there it was just a matter of packing and pouring to get it upstairs. The job they did was equivalent to juggling a pillow, a bowling ball and a piece of rope. NICE WORK!



The original plan was to do baked spaghetti, but somewhere along the line, time made that impractical and they went the standard NOODLE and SAUCE set up.

I'm glad. Forget the noodles, just put some bread on the plate and ladle the sauce over. So good. "Ought to be able to order it in a restaurant" good.



PEYSON / ANNA / BAILEY / TYLER / STEVE / BRIEN / TWIG / BLAKE / MO-GAN / CREEEECH! / ALEXIS / JASON / JADE / TREY / LONDON / HENRY / KEITH / TREY / deserve applause and free pancakes for the job they did last night.

If anyone out there is looking to help the cause, the two tables we use for serving the food and desserts are nearly shot. The bolts and screws connecting the metal frame for the legs to the table top have come out. I'm gonna drill some new screws into it this weekend, but it's a stopgap. They're on their last legs (pun intended).
We use the white, lightweight ones they sell at Sam's. We used to use the heavy brown ones. The weight difference is ridiculous. We couldn't believe how much lighter and easier it was loading the white tables on the truck. Making that switch was a milestone day in the ministry. So was buying a trash can just for us. I kept telling Jim Morgan I was going to get one and every Tuesday I'd see him and remember I'd forgot. Both of those things made life easier.

If we get new white tables, I might get somebody to paint something on it before we use them. We missed the opportunity last time. I was thinking "Shroud of Turin" , Jim went "Last Supper". A last supper picture on the table would be cool. Don't even try to say it wouldn't.

Last Thing: Tablecloths aren't practical outside. They blow off and fly up over the food. Why doesn't someone make fitted tablecloths? All folding tables come in industry standard sizes, so make industry standard sized fitted tablecloths. Think Fitted Sheet or Shower Cap. Then... get creative. Put patterns (American Flag, Hearts), slogans (Happy Birthday, Enjoy Retirement), characters (Disney Princesses, Buzz and Woody) or art prints (Starry Starry Night, Dogs playing poker).

Then branch out and do custom orders. Customers give you pictures and they get laser-screened onto the tablecloth. Think about that. People could come through the line to eat and there I am, on the tablecloth looking up at them. A head to toe picture. That might get a little freaky for the servers. That would be like.....