Soup Ministry/Ministerio de Sopa

Here in Escondido, as in many other communities, there are men who wait on a specific street every morning hoping to find work.  They are not looking for a free ride or a handout.  They simply want to work for an income.  Many of these men are not in this country legally, but some are.  These men have origins in Latin American countries like Guatamala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico, to name a few.  They are kind, they are polite, they are hungry and our society sees them as outsiders. 

Jesus ministry was focused on outsiders; the foreigner, the tax collector, the prostitute, the poor, the sick, the demon possessed, the outcast.  Jesus ministered to people in a variety of ways, one of which was feeding them.  It just made sense that if we are going to follow the example of Christ, and attempt to be his hands and feet in our community, we should feed those who are considered outsiders, especially since they are hungry.  Surely Christ did not check anyone’s immigration status before he fed the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44) or the 4000 (Mark 8:1-9).

We began by making sack lunches.  We would make bologna sanwiches, and include a piece of fruit and a drink.  Robert would pass these lunches out on Sunday mornings before church and then offer to take anyone to church who needed a ride.  Occassionally, someone would take him up on the offer.  But usually, they would decline because they really needed to stay and find work.

Beginning in February 2008 we changed our plan.  We began making soup and serving it to the men early on Saturday mornings.  We loved the idea of serving them a hot meal and having greater opportunity for conversation.  You can now find the Luz y Vida crew in their bright red shirts feeding hungry people every Saturday morning in Escondido.  

If you are interested in joining us, please email us at luzyvidaministry@gmail.com or call 866-947-5853.  You can also participate by donating supplies.   We need non-perishable soup ingredients, spices, paper bowls, spoons, cups, coffee, powereded creamer and sugar.  Financial contributions can be made out to Light & Life, our mother church!