Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/3573
OCTOBER 14-20, 2009 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Soul Food by RENEE GIBBS There's nothing like the smell in the air of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies when you're trying to watch your weight or it's close to a mealtime. The aroma captivates you, and all you want to do is follow your nose and satisfy that craving. That happens to me practically every week at Liberty Christian Academy (LCA), when my featured person is baking cookies for lunch. It's all I can do to concentrate on my work, but somewhow, I manage. Karen Nalls has served up lots of cookies, spaghetti, pizza and other great meals for the past eight years at LCA, but her passion is the mission- ary work she's done to feed people who can't do much to feed themselves. As a missionary with Mission of Faith, she has helped feed families in some of the most impoverished areas in West Virginia, known as the Hollows. The Hollows is described as a valley in a mountainous area that is way back from civilization. Some of the areas should be condemned, and there are very little resources available to those families who live in a former coal- mining town. Mrs. Nalls' trips to the Hollows are spe- cial because the mission group makes the effort to go to the people because they know that the people won't come to them. Mrs. Nalls recalled an incident that occurred on her first mission trip involving a baby that had a high fever. The family couldn't afford to buy medication, so she purchased the Tylenol for the family. In that area, there was only one store, and they stocked only one or two of any item because they knew that the people couldn't afford to buy anything. That bottle of Tylenol cost $10, and the family didn't want to accept it because they knew how much it cost. Mrs. Nalls explained to them that it would hurt her if they didn't accept it because she was more concerned about the baby's health than the cost of the medication. The needs are so great in that area, and Mrs. Nalls feels that she wants to serve those families instead of traveling abroad. Nalls said that there's nothing like seeing the smiles on the faces of women who are given some- thing as simple as a toothbrush and toothpaste. The group usually spends several days in the Hollows providing food, blankets, coats, school supplies, personal items and the word of God. Many of the children are terrified of church, and some of the families feel that they are already living in Hell because they feel that Hell could not be much worse than their current living situation. During our time together, Mrs. Nalls shared that if she could do mission work full-time, she would. Her de- sire is to visit Baja, California, because of the living condi- tions in that area and the needs are so great. Locally, she helps with the other feeding programs, including the food closet at Stoney Point Baptist Church, the Salvation Army and an area mission house. She would also like to one day open a Bed & Breakfast to provide a place of rest for missionaries who have given up so much to serve others. "I think it's important that people watch your life instead of you having to always beat them over the head with the Bible. I like to feed them both ways — with food and with the Word." For more information about the Mission of Faith program and how you can help, please con- tact Karen Nalls @ 910-858-2951. RENEE GIBBS, Columnist COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com FACES OF FAITH