Stanley’s story begins as a boy living in Washington State with his parents. When his father accepted a pastoral position at a local church, Stanley and his family moved to Texas. Stanley has been divorced once and has a 16-year-old daughter.

Stanley learned about Feed the Need Missions seven years ago when he noticed signs being held up by volunteers close to the Lumberyard in downtown Bastrop. At this time, Stanley was out of work, struggling to make ends meet and in need of a hot meal. Three years after his first meal with Feed the Need Missions, Stanley began to volunteer serving meals with us to bless others. Often times you’ll find Stanley working behind the grills preparing the food to proudly serve to his Feed the Need community. Stanley will then take his food home to enjoy a hot meal with his girlfriend Janice and their dogs.

We recently asked Stanley what motivates him to come each time and serve. He answered, “Serving at Feed the Need Missions has been a positive thing in my life. I have made new friends. Friends that listen to me and help me through tough times. You guys have prayed with me several times and each time the Lord has answered the prayers. Of course in His timing. You’ve helped me find jobs and helped me with my relationship with my girlfriend. I can always count on my Feed the Need Missions family.”

We wanted to know how Feed the Need Missions has impacted his life and he responded, “to do better and to stay on track. I have met a few good men that keep me accountable and have encouraged me to do better.”

We at Feed the Need Missions are very thankful for Stanley and others like him that give of their time and talent to help keep Feed the Need Missions growing strong.

Ed Burns family moved to the Bastrop area in October of 2015. Their first contact with Mission U-Too was when the youth from their church did an outreach at the Linden street location (Bastrop North) which coincided with a Mission U-Too service.

About 4 months later, Jonah Beyer, the Mission U-Too President, came and shared at Ed’s church the vision and how Mission U-Too works. “During that 4 months, I had been spending time considering where my outreach was – and I felt that Mission U-Too was what I needed to get out of my comfortable surroundings and make a difference,” Ed said.

He’s been serving with Mission U-Too for a about a year now. Along the way, his family started joining him.

Here is what Ed said about how Mission U-Too has impacted his family, “I love how the impact goes beyond a weekly impact. We regularly run into the people we have the privilege to serve at the grocery store or around town. It’s not food distribution – it’s reaching out to people and building a relationship with them. Sometimes it’s a conversation, and sometimes it’s the opportunity to pray with someone, and sometimes it’s even more… We’ve enjoyed sporting events where kids we’ve met through Mission U-Too compete or we’ve been invited to their birthday parties. And that doesn’t even include how dear our friends who serve with us have become – extra members of our family.”

Come be a part of Mission U-Too and make a difference, not just in the community but for you personally. “Through Christ inside of each one of us, we can reach out and touch others, no matter how different they are from us. He can make a connection even though we are inadequate to do that ourselves,” Ed mentioned.