If you have been connected to St. Luke’s since April 2020, you have likely heard of the OKC Mobile Market. You may have seen videos, read about opportunities to serve in the program, and perhaps you have given a donation to the cause. If you have served on the Mobile Market, you know first-hand what God’s grace looks and feels like. I am closest to Him on Friday mornings, my favorite day of the week, when miracles happen because of a group of the most caring, devoted, and giving people I have ever been so fortunate to be around.
On the Market, there are systems and processes, an order of things. We have our produce packers, the truck loaders, and our sign team. We have the traffic controllers, our Lane One and Lane Two folks, the product sorters and those who greet our customers in line, making sure to stop and look each and every person in the eye with a kind word and a blessing. And then there is the food crew, the ones who drive intimidating, big trucks, leaning into the discomfort and challenge of lifelong learning. They are the ones who, in retirement, choose to throw open the tail end of a big rig to tug and push, heave, and pull thousands of pounds of food to get it out to people in need.
Every week there is a new surprise on a route: maybe a produce pallet tipped over and hundreds of peaches roll out onto the ground as soon as the door lifts, leaving us all scrambling to catch them. Or perhaps it’s a 100-degree summer day and we have a pallet of milk to move before it spoils. There are days when it feels like the wind is threatening to blow the truck over, our customers in line are worried and tired, short tempers are flaring with our crew, and we fear we may not have enough food to provide for our community who needs us.
The hardest days are the best days. In those times, we draw closer to each other, to our mission, and to God. We work it out, no matter how tough and impossible it feels at the moment. When the day is long, and fuses are short, our purpose is clear; anything worth doing takes commitment. I thank God every day for this group of angels on earth. May we all be so blessed to have the chance to truly, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, share God’s love and bring hope to the world.
Candice Hillenbrand, Director of Mission Engagement
