The Thanksgiving Seed

Nine years ago, God planted a seed into a heart. And now over 1000 hot 

Thanksgiving meals have been served in our small town, Ashland, VA.

My step-father, one of eight children, basically grew up poor economically but rich in love. He credits his hard working mother. Even if the family dinner only consisted of three bowls of beans and one bowl of potatoes, he never went to bed hungry. Every sibling of his that I've had the pleasure to meet speaks with extreme love and admiration of their mother.

After Thanksgiving 2007, my step-father informed my husband and me of the seed.

"God laid it on my heart that we need to start a free community Thanksgiving meal to be served on Thanksgiving Day. Times are rough on a lot of folks and I think it's gonna get more rough." He started sharing the plan. "We'll ask local businesses to donate money or food and we can find other churches to help us prepare and serve the meal."

I'd like to tell you that I felt goose bumps of excitement, but that's not true. This sounds like a ton of work. Tons of coordination. Tons of time.  Who'd want to serve on Thanksgiving Day? But what I said was, "Sure." I truly didn't believe it would ever happen.

Well, this year we will serve our eighth Community Thanksgiving dinner. And my step-dad was exactly right.

Every year, businesses generously donate and many volunteers step forward. Words can't begin to explain the deep appreciation of our guest and servers.  This event has become an incredible opportunity for community businesses and church people to support our diverse Town of Ashland, affectionately nicknamed the Center of the Universe.  

But here's the takeaway.

God knew exactly who had the fertile heart to plant a seed of turkey with all the trimmings. And it wasn't my heart. Oh, I have decent organization skills and contacts in our community. But my step-father has a passion for helping the less fortunate and the hungry. I envisioned tons of work. He envisioned smiles and full stomachs.  I doubted. He believed.

God blessed and cultivated a beautiful, warm and inviting event for our community because one man honored that well planted seed. After all, God's the Master Gardener. I'm so grateful for His perfect timing, perfect provision, and perfect sowing.

But there's much more to this story, so stay tuned for next week's post. 

Tammy Van Gils is a writer, blogger, and co-owner of S & N Paint Contractors, Inc. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers International. In the Richmond area, she is a member of The Christian Writers Hub and Word Weavers Richmond. Visit her Facebook Page, Pinterest and Twitter @Tammyvangils.