One of our favorite ministries to partner with in Hilton Head is the Sandalwood Food Pantry. They receive leftover food items from local grocery stores and disburse it as a free shopping opportunity for locals in need. When we walked up, the staff immediately put the team to work. Everything from cleaning and preparing, to unloading and reorganizing shelves, the students and leaders were able to help this organization go above and beyond their normal limitations.
The team then helped run the store by serving and assisting the unwealthy minority of the Island get food that they otherwise would not have and take it home to their families. The locals loved seeing this group of young teenagers serve whole-heartedly. It was an incredible opportunity to practice what we had been discussing in our evening sessions: stepping outside of our comfort zones and looking past ourselves to serve others on behalf of the Lord.
At the end of the morning, one of our middle school participants, Spencer, did just that. He stepped out in boldness and prayed for the group at the food pantry. He closed his eyes and lifted the day up to the Lord in thankfulness. Later, he shared that he was encouraged by the locals who, to his surprise, closed their eyes and bowed their heads along with them in prayer. It was a very cool experience for this large and diverse group, some young students from just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and some local islanders humbling themselves by coming for help in their time of need, all coming together before our big and incredible God in thankfulness.
