by Jonah Beyer, Mission U-Too President
I am excited to tell you about our new Bastrop location. This makes seven locations for Mission U-Too as we continue to grow and the vision continues to catch; feeding people physically and spiritually.
The idea for the second location started back last summer after we moved the Bastrop location. When we moved we lost some of the folks that use to come every week. We had an opportunity several months later to serve over by the Boys and Girls Club which is just North of downtown and we saw a lot of familiar faces. As Rebecca and I were out there serving that night, we started talking about the need for another location in that area. We began to talk and pray about it and I started telling some people within Bastrop to start praying for the second location.
It’s probably been about 6 months or so that we have been praying and talking about it. Now to see it actually starting to happen and how God is lining everything up is exciting. What’s really cool is as we continue to mature at Mission U-Too Bastrop (the first location), and grow spiritually; we have been able to really reach out to the homeless folks in the community along with the church we partnered with. It’s really awesome to see how God has brought us together to continue to reach out to the Bastrop community.
While there’s still a need on the North side of town we will continue to serve Monday at our South location and now Sunday at our North location. I’m excited to get over to the North side to start serving every week just to see how God is going to move in these people’s lives. There are so many folks over there that are lost, hurting, kids without parents, women that have been abandoned by their husbands and are going through a rough time, drug problems, addiction, alcoholics, and the opportunity to go in and serve every week and continue to build relationships with these folks. It was powerful when we started praying about it and I didn’t know how we were going to start the second location, until God answered our prayers.
About 6 weeks ago I sat down for a meeting with somebody at a coffee shop and a gentleman walked up to me who I have never met before and was like “hey you’re Jonah.” I said “yeah” He said “I’m Tim and I have heard a lot about you” he sat down with me and we started talking a little bit. He began to tell me how he wanted to get more involved in helping with families that are struggling and to teach them life skills. As we started talking more I just felt led to share with him about starting a second location over in the North end of Bastrop by the Boys and Girls Club and how great the need was. As I started telling him, he just melted and I asked him what was going on. I could see the excitement that was building. He began to tell me that him and his wife a few years prior had moved a couple of blocks away from the Boys and Girls Club and felt led to penetrate into that neighborhood. Right then I knew this was the person that we have been praying for. We started talking more and when he left the shop he immediately went over to his church and gained their support in helping support Mission U-Too with bringing in some volunteers and donations.
So come join us this Sunday March 17th as we start serving ever Sunday at 4:30pm at the new location. This will open up all kinds of opportunities to engage the kids and the parents, with bible studies, Sunday evening service, and activity for the community. We can’t wait to see what God does as we’re able to start penetrating into this neighborhood with Jesus that is so unchurched, unreached and hurting. I’m excited for this new adventure and I look forward to seeing some of you guys get involved. I love you and hope you have a blessed rest of the week.
Jonah Beyer has been serving Mission U-Too since 2010 and is the President of Mission U-Too. His family lives and serves in Bastrop, Texas.
Send Jonah a note at jonah.beyer@feedtheneed.org.