Serving Pancakes or Serving Love??

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!
This past Saturday the SoupMobile, in partnership with the Highland Park United Methodist Church, the Dallas International Street Church and the Step Forward group, put on a huge pancake lunch for 1,000 homeless men and women in South Dallas.

It was unlike any pancake meal you have ever experienced. The SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam and over 35 dedicated volunteers rolled up their sleeves and cooked thousands of pancakes, scrambled eggs, omelets made to order, tender sausage and fresh orange juice.

Some people might view the Saturday Pancake Lunch and think, 'well nice going SoupPeople---you did really well and fed a lot of people.' Well true enough---we did feed a lot of people. But if you look deeper the question arises? What were we really serving? 2,000 years ago a man named Jesus walked the planet and he told us to "Feed HIS Sheep." What did he mean? Just food? I don't think so. I think Jesus meant wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than food. I think he also meant love, caring, compassion and shelter.

So what were we serving Saturday. Pancakes or Love? The answer is both! Food to feed their bodies and love to feed their souls. Which one was more important? Now that's a question the SoupMan will leave to wiser folk than me. Lets just say that we doled out huge amounts of both food and love.

One thing I know for sure. Its not just enough to serve food to the homeless. Anybody can do that. I believe the Lord expects us to do more than just give them food and then pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves we did great. If we do not also give them love, then I think we have failed miserably.

The homeless are used to being shunned, ignored and pushed aside. A few people out there even think that the homeless are unworthy of love. Thank heavens Jesus didn't think that way. Because if he did NONE of us would be getting love. Jesus loves us all unconditionally---warts and all. We need to pass on the favor to our homeless men and women. We need to love them unconditionally.
So what were we serving Saturday at the Pancake Lunch! Lots of Food AND Lots of Love!. Now that's what Jesus was talking about!!!

May the Lord bless & keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Is the SoupMan Bragging Again???

Dear SoupFriends:

Greetings from the SoupMan!

God is truly amazing. On Thursday April 1st we celebrated the GRAND OPENING of our Women's Home in SoupMobile Village. (Check out the Friday April 2nd edition of the Dallas Morning News---Page 2B of the Metro Section for news about the Grand Opening). Also click on this link to hear and read coverage by KERA Public Radio:


http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1631444/North.Texas/Soup.Mobile.Opens.Village.For.Women.

As many of you know we previously opened our Men's Home in October of 2009. Our ultimate goal is to open 100 group homes for the homeless in the Dallas area.These group homes in SoupMobile Village are specifically designed to take a homeless person right off the streets, put a roof over their heads, clean them up, get them a job and eventually transition them back as regular working members of society.

At Thursday's Grand Opening we were blessed to receive major news coverage. What's so important about all the news coverage one might ask? Is it to fatten our hat sizes? Not really! The publicity is crucial for getting the word out about the SoupMobile's Mission of Feeding & Sheltering HIS Sheep. The more people that know about us, the more that can help us.

Here's an example of what I mean. When the SoupMobile Village Men's Home opened in October 2009, the story was featured on the front page of the Dallas Morning News and on local TV. A local couple, Roger & Joy Beless, who had already been looking for a way to help the homeless--saw the coverage and contacted the SoupMan to offer their help. Roger who is the COO of Archon Residential Management Co arranged to have his company match their personal donation and those combined funds paid the full purchase price of the Women's Home.

I want my readers to know that Roger & Joy reluctantly allowed me to use their names. They are not in this for the publicity or for any personal gain. They are supporting the Women's Home & SoupMobile Village because they share in our dream of reaching out to the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Their prayer is that others will see what they have done and be inspired to help.

So let the SoupMan do some bragging here. The SoupMobile opened our Men's Home in October 2009. Incredibly six short months later we opened our Women's Home. Pretty amazing don't you think and well worth bragging about. However I'm NOT bragging about the SoupMobile---I'm bragging about God. We serve an awesome God. Only God could pave the way for a little baby charity (only #7 years old) like the SoupMobile to open two group homes in a six month span. Don't you just love bragging about God! I know I do!

Jesus said 'Feed MY Sheep.' At the SoupMobile we believe he meant more than just food. He also meant love, caring, compassion, and YES---Shelter. My prayer is that you would give prayerful consideration to helping me fund the further expansion of SoupMobile Village---just like the Beless' did. Not for personal gain or for instant gratification, or for publicity, but simply because Jesus said 'Feed MY Sheep.'

Will you help me?

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.