Community Stories: Smithville

Every week until the end of the year we will be sharing stories from each of our six communities. Each of our communities serve anyone who stops by, but we have noticed that at each site similar stories start to pop up. We see God using our volunteers and those that come to grow and build relationships with those in Christ. Here are just a few of the stories from our location in Smithville.

SMITHVILLE serves on average 140+ meals every Sunday at The Neighbor Place at Hart’s Chapel. Because of the division of races, we have come together to unite the body and those we serve. Unity is bringing people together to be able to live safely and to share a meal with neighbors.

PHILIP

Philip and his three boys have been attending Feed the Need Smithville for two years. Philip is a quiet single dad who keeps to himself. He works for minimum wage and strives to make ends meet, but life happens and sometimes providing food for his boys means going to several of Feed the Need sites in a week. With pain in his eyes and a slight smile on his face he said “it’s a real blessing. I don’t know what I would do if we didn’t eat at at least two of your locations weekly.”

Having to work full time and care for three children is exhausting. His oldest son is autistic, but Philip still finds the time to attend school events and to help his children with school work. Philip finds his strength in the Lord.

The family would drive by our Smithville site every Thursday, and for a month or two Philip would watch out his van window to try and figure out was happening in his small community. He finally set his pride to the side and stopped one evening to get a hot meal. He asked why we were doing this and we told him to love on people, to give back to the community and to share the gospel. Philip knew he was safe and in the right place.

To know the impact that Feed the Need Missions is making in his life is powerful. Philip and his boys are able to go to other sites when pennies are tight to receive what the need. They now stay for bible study and his kids participate by reading bible verses and praying for Feed the Need. Their lives are being changed, all because of a burger!

“There are people out there that want to help. That care enough to do something like this. It’s a good thing. And a blessing. If I had extra money I would give back. I would want to start a site like this or a soup kitchen in Smithville. You guys have inspired me.”

TYRONE

Tyrone has been attending Feed the Need Missions for three years. It brings joy to our hearts to see people, like Tyrone, keep coming back for food every week. When he doesn’t come we always ask him the next time we see him where he was and his response is, “with all these people out here you still think of me and remember me?”

Tyrone was born in Bastrop and moved around in his teen and college-aged years and is now currently back in Smithville. He’s on disability for many health reasons and is living paycheck to paycheck. “The food here helps me get fed for a day out of the week. I don’t have to worry about that day.”

Sitting down and listening to his childhood and struggling questions about if there is there a God, Tyrone is growing and finding peace and unity in his neighborhood. “It’s never been this quiet,” he mentioned. “I come here to enjoy fellowship where I am cared about.”

Building relationships is part of our mission, and Tyrone is experiencing the mission Christ told us to do.