Elgin Jones, a man with a burden for hungry children, feeds homeless and underprivileged kids every night of the week in Anchorage. He has big dreams and some generous donors, but few people helping him.
This past Christmas, The Second Mile, a new church plant, teamed up with Jones and his Kid’s Kitchen to offer these children a Christmas experience they might otherwise not have had. In a program entitled, “A Happy Birthday Tribute to Jesus,” members of The Second Mile transformed a restaurant/club into a decorated fellowship hall, wrapped more than 100 gifts, sang Christmas carols, and served food prepared by Jones and his team. More than 50 children were served a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and each received several presents.
An appeal was made to those present to give their lives as gifts to Jesus this year. One lady commented, as she was leaving with her three children, “Thank you, we wouldn’t have had Christmas without you.”
Just as valuable was the satisfaction experienced by the church members and their friends who served. They sacrificed their own Christmas celebrations to follow Jesus’ advice in Luke 14:13–14: “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
During a Christmas Day program provided by Anchorage's newest Adventist group, The Second Mile, Lynda Cazort and Kristin Eastman give gifts to the kids who came to Kids' Kitchen, a mission for homeless and underprivileged children in Anchorage. (Janell Miller)
Sharon Bulawa from The Second Mile, a new church plant in Anchorage, helps to serve a Christmas meal to children who came to the Kids' Kitchen, a mission to homeless and underprivileged children of Anchorage. (Janell Miller)
