For the last seven years, I have had the incredible privilege of serving alongside my husband, Pastor Earl, through our ministry, Bring the Light Ministries. What began as simply wanting to help others has become something that has changed me deeply. Soon after we married, we went out with 25 meals on date night…we are now well over 400,000 meals
When you first step into the streets to serve the homeless community, you may think you are going there to give something—to offer food, offer prayer, encouragement, a helping hand, or simply a listening ear. But somewhere along the way, you realize that you are the one receiving so much more than you could ever give. It is inevitable to walk away change, and changed forever.
Twice a month, we serve through our Mobile FoodBank, bringing food and necessities to families and individuals who are struggling. We meet people right where they are, often in some of the most difficult seasons of their lives. And in their great need they still have room to be ever so grateful.
And over the years, something beautiful happens: they become more than faces in a crowd. You learn their names. You remember their stories. You recognize them when they come back. And when we haven’t served in a while, there is something incredibly special about seeing them again and reconnecting—asking where they are, how they are doing, and what their journey looks like now.
Their lives and choices may be different from ours, but their humanity is the same.
Serving on the streets has changed my heart. It has changed my understanding of generosity. I have learned that generosity isn’t simply about what we have in our hands; it is about what God has placed in our hearts.
Sometimes we go thinking, We’re going to help someone today. And God quietly reminds us, I sent you here so I could change you, too. Oh! And how He does that in ways only He can…in lasting ways.
When you see someone wondering where their next meal will come from, you begin to realize just how much you have. When you watch God provide food for a family in need, you are reminded that He is Jehovah Jireh—our Provider.
God provides through us, in us, and for us every single day.
I am continually humbled by the opportunity to serve alongside my sweet husband and best friend Pastor Earl and the incredible people who make Bring the Light Ministries possible. We don’t have all the answers, and we can’t fix every circumstance. But we can show up. We can listen. We can remember a name. We can offer a meal. We can love someone right where they are. Because this can be any one of us…
And perhaps most importantly, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.
After seven years, I can honestly say that I thought we were going out to serve the streets.
But God was serving something in us all along—teaching us compassion, gratitude, generosity, and a deeper understanding of what it truly means to love our neighbor.
And for that, I am forever grateful.
Every time I go out to the streets or help in our FoodBanks I realize why I’m here, I am here to serve.
Maria Luisa Fitzsimmons
Outreach Coordinator