Hi Janelle,
Thank you so much for your blog- I look forward to your new posts all the time. As a twenty-something young professional, I truly enjoy cooking but I oftentimes find that many recipes call for a complicated list of ingredients (i.e. expensive), which at times can be discouraging because that doesn’t necessarily work within my budget. I appreciate your blog so much as you feature tasty recipes that look appetizing, but are reasonable and economical! Thank you!
On an unrelated note, I absolutely LOVE how you style your hair! How do you do it? Would you ever consider making a hair tutorial- I would love to learn!
Thanks again for everything!
Warmly,
Lindsay
Hi Janelle,
Jen
Janelle,
I am so excited that I am looking for more opportunities to serve others through the making of meals.
Over the past month, I’ve developed a monthly meal plan with some family members to take meals to my aging grandpa. . .the young neighbor across the street had a liver transplant. While babysitting her three kids is an offer I’ve made, dropping meals off to a dad who is doing his best, feels like they are blessing ME! Sometimes, even if a whole meal isn’t possible, something small let’s them know they are on your mind. For example, St. Patrick’s Day–we picked up another box of Lucky Charms and milk for them so they had a little something special that day. I especially ike how my kids jumped at making cards to go with the gift!
After witnessing a horrific car accident in which two kids were critically injured on Tuesday–one with brain trauma (please pray for them). I first called 911, prayed immediately, and came home and made brownies for our crossing guard. In three years, I had never thought to specifically express my thanks to her for helping to keep our kids safe. I will try to find out more information about the injured kids’ families and do something for them when the time is right.
It seems that making meals has become my way of blessing those in need. I never really looked at it like that before. I did it on occasion, but now I’m looking for opportunities to help and bless people. I noticed a neighbor down the street is pregnant. While we say hellos as we pass, I do not know her but I am going to make an effort to minister her through food when the baby arrives.
I am finding most of the recipes you equip me with are not only delicious, but easy to follow. The meals I try out for my family are suitable for others and I appreciate how you are ministering to us!!
I can’t wait for the wedding soup recipe!!
Blessings,
Janene
Dear Janelle,
Isn’t God amazing? – I was just this morning thinking about doing some more posts on hospitality and I opened up my email and found your request. I would be honoured to share at your blog which focuses so much on a subject I am passionate about.
I have been opening up my home to the people who God sends our way for over 20 years and now I have a big family, I love to involve them all – it really is a family ministry. We have had people in our home from all walks of life and I thank God for the people who live in our neighbourhood we can reach out to – it is amazing who God places just down the road and all are so receptive to us when we take gifts of food (and ourselves!) to them. I mentioned the widow at the comment at Suzanne’s blog. She lives just across the road and it has been an honour to serve her – she knows she can always call on us for anything. My other neighbour is the lady who owns the new age store in my town and God also placed on my heart to visit her and invite her to our home. I’ve been told that she does not like Christians – I didn’t know that when I called on her – too late!
At my blog you can read some of my hospitality posts under the label ‘the hospitable family’. There are about 6 posts there which tell you my story. The most recent one ‘Tea and Honey Sandwiches’ gives you an idea of my heart and thoughts on the subject – I used to think only the talented cooks could offer hospitality and that you needed the right resources but God has taught me some important lessons about hospitality over the years.
Please let me know on what aspect of aspect of hospitality you want me to share – involving the whole family in hospitality perhaps? I love to encourage others to look beyond their circumstances and not use excuses (house too small, not enough chairs, not a good cook, limited finances etc) and just start somewhere! I try to imagine what could happen if Christians everywhere took seriously the command to offer hospitality without grumbling!
I’m so interested and excited to find out more about your meal ministry. Do you use a certified kitchen? How do you approach issues such as insurance and food safety when you are cooking meals for people outside of the church? I’m finding out about the legislation here that really prevents our church from having a wider ministry as my daughter is setting up her own little dessert business at the local community markets. She cannot cook out of the home and must find certified premises. She has big plans, she is an incredible baker – and this will also be an amazing ministry opportunity for her too – the widowed neighbour who has tested many of her desserts over the years is so excited about this and is going to tell all her friends. And this all started with her stirring bowls of cake mixture at the kitchen bench when she was two years old. Only councils and food safety legislation stand in her way but she wants to do it ‘right’ from the start.
I’ve visited your blog and will be back. It is so wonderful to find someone who shares my passion for hospitality and really believes in the power of a ‘ministry of food’ (I wish Jamie Oliver had not started using that term first!)
Please let me know exactly what you need for a post and I’ll do my best to come up with something that will be of encouragement to others.
Lovely to meet you,
Love, Ann
Janelle
Thanks for the quick reply and the nudge… I am composing an email to 2 friends asking them to join me in praying for discernment in what this might look like…
In the meantime, I have 1 loaf of blueberry bread in the oven, blueberry Bundt cake ready to follow (1 for a neighbor, 1 for the lady who always greets at church). I have also thought of 2 families I will cook for this week (both have a husband/dad deployed to Afghanistan).
I go to a large church, and believe it or not there is no formal meal ministry. Most people belong to small groups, which is where meal prep seems to be initiated.
I’ll let you know how this week turns out…
Blessings,
Maureen
Well, I did it! I made your BEST Banana Bread Ever recipe. It was a HIT!!! He (the hubs) loved it. I believe his exact words were, “this is delicious, absolutely delicious!” Thanks again for sharing your journey of cooking as a ministry with the rest of us. *sigh*…very inspiring.
Living a Seasoned Life,
Thea