Coble Middle School students putting together Thanksgiving boxes on the same Saturday in 2014.

You hear people talk about “total commitment” in a variety of ways. People will say, for example, “I’m all in,” when talking about their desire to reach a deeper level of commitment to something important in their world. Or, they might say, “I’m all ears,” meaning that someone is giving you their complete attention. We have various ways of saying that we are going to do something “with our whole heart.”

The mission family’s total commitment

On the way out of the mission offices last week, one of our Bible study leaders was talking about their efforts to make sure that everyone in her area who needed it, would receive a Thanksgiving meal from Mission Arlington^®.  Her comment was that she and her team were going “the whole nine yards.” Their intent was to make sure no one was missed, and they were fully committed to talking with every household in the neighborhoods right around the church.

However, when this Bible study leader stopped to explain, it was clear that her comment meant more than just “every household.”  Her desire was to have genuine conversations with each family she met, to ask them about their prayer needs, and to pray with them before she left.  The reminder for all of us that day was that Mission Arlington^® has always been a “ministry of ones.” In the next few days, you will hear that God has provided for large numbers of people leading up to and on Thanksgiving day, and it will be true.  As important to us, though, isn’t the large numbers, but that each life receives personal attention and care.  We want to go the “whole nine yards.”

The commitment of the community

Texas Health Resources family is “committed to community” They are serving at Mission Arlington® through the holiday season.

Yet, there is another way of looking at this, because it isn’t just the Mission staff and/or family that feels this way – but it is also the heartbeat of our community.  As this day unfolds, 1,000 people will come with their family or a team of some kind to help us prepare for Thanksgiving.  On Thanksgiving day, it will take 6,000 volunteers to help us deliver Thanksgiving food to 23,000 people.  Why would people give up their Saturday to serve, and why would so many people make their way throughout the city on Thanksgiving day when they could easily stay at home with their own families.  The answer is that this generous, giving community has always gone “the whole nine yards.”

Because you give the turkeys and the Thanksgiving food, we can give it away.  Because you come throughout the month of November to serve – even on Saturdays – we can have the food ready to go out on Thanksgiving morning (It takes multiple sorting processes to get it ready).  Because you come and bring yourself, your family, and/or your team, we have an army in place to deliver the food to people.  We are truly thankful for you throughout this season of Thanksgiving.

A commitment to authentic help and hope

Yet, there is one more part to this work.  People who receive not just the food, but the hugs and the kind words from you when you deliver it find their physical needs met for the moment. They are able to eat Thanksgiving food with their own families around their own kitchen table, and no one ever has to know that the food came from us.  Our hope and prayer, however, is that your hard work to make Thanksgiving work in people’s lives meets more than just a physical need. Our prayer is that it lifts the hearts, treating people with dignity and respect, so that they feel genuinely cared for. Even further, our desire is that through this kind of love and help, that people will see Christ himself among the crowd.  We hope this for those of us delivering the food, and we hope this for those who receive it. It’s more than just food on Thanksgiving day.  We want to go “the whole nine yards.”

To God be the Glory! We are grateful for you.