We Need Your Help to Expand Food Ministry

We have an opportunity to expand our food ministry to levels we never have before. We have just built a 2,400 sq. ft. warehouse to store and distribute food to those in need. We are currently helping 12,000 people a month with food. A critical part of this warehouse that we need is a 10 ft. X 30 ft. walk-in cooler and freezer. We need to raise $15,000 to purchase this cooler and install it. This will allow us to accept meats, dairy products, eggs and more produce, that we currently have to turn away because of the lack of refrigeration space. Being able to provide perishables along with non-perishable foods will be a huge blessing to people living in great need in Dothan, the Wiregrass and tri-states region. We will easily be able to double our reach with the new warehouse and walk-in cooler/freezer. That means, we will double those we can reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we share the Gospel through acts of compassion.
Please help us if you can. Every donation will add up to help us reach this goal.
You can mail your tax-deductible donations to:
Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302
You can also give securely online via PayPal through the donation page on our website by clicking on the following link and then clicking on the "Donate' button - https://loveinactionministries.com/donate
Thank you and God bless you.

Mobile kitchen outreach continues to grow

Ken and Shaun praying with a man during a mobile kitchen outreach.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us," - Ephesians 3:20

When we first started our mobile kitchen outreach, we knew God was going to do great things through it. What He has done has exceeded our wildest expectations. But, then again, isn't that like God.

Each week we take our mobile kitchen to 12 different sites. There are four other sites we visit on a semi-regular visits. That's 16 different places we are able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while meeting the vital need for food.

We serve delicious hot meals and also distribute boxes of produce and grocery items. It's a joy seeing people's response of thankfulness. We have heard such comments as, "We didn't have any food and didn't know what we were going to do." Other comments have been, "Thank you. May God bless y'all."

The need for food continues to be real. It stems from the poverty that was here before the pandemic, and has only gotten worse since the pandemic began.

We couldn't put in the 12-14 hour days without the help of volunteers. Some serve on specific outreaches that fits in their schedules, and others go with us for every outreach.

We also couldn't do this without everyone who donates financially to support us, or those who donate items we use on each outreach, such as bottled water, three-compartment togo boxes and cutlery packets.

We definitely couldn't do everything without those prayer warriors who keep us lifted up in prayer. It takes all of us to make it happen.

We thank God for everyone who supports us in every way. May God bless you all.

International Food Relief

Women in Myanmar distribute rice and other foods, provided by Love In Action,
to people who are in dire need of food during the pandemic.

It is amazing watching God provide for needs all around the world during a pandemic that has crippled economies.

We partner with indigenous pastors in the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Haiti, Myanmar, Nepal and China to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion. During this time of crisis throughout the world we have been able to help provide food for the neediest in the world.

As these countries have locked down people, even more than here in the US, those who struggled greatly when they did have jobs, are facing even tougher times now. When you think that most earn $1-$3 a day, you realize how hard it is for them to survive and purchase food for their families. When those jobs were taken away due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then being able to provide food for their families has become nearly impossible.

Thanks to people giving financially to help with relief efforts in these countries, we have been able to provide rice, beans, oil and vegetables to those who have absolutely nothing. This has opened many doors to sharing the Gospel with people who have never heard it before. Souls are being saved. To God be the glory!

Please continue to help us provide food for people who have little to no hope of being able to purchase food. The situation is dire. By doing so, you are not only helping to keep people from starving to death, but you are also helping to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with unreached and unengaged people groups.

Please mail you tax deductible donations to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302, or give securely online via PayPal through the donation page on our website, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate

Please write, "International Food Relief" in the memo of your checks and on your PayPal giving, so we can direct it to our international missions fund.

Thank you and God bless you.

The Harvest is Ripe, Go Pick It

When the COVID-19 crisis first hit our area, I did as many pastors and ministry leaders did, I prayed. I asked God for direction and what to do.  I clearly felt God's direction was to keep doing what we are doing.

Two weeks after most churches canceled services, we were still having Wednesday night Bible study. Then, Gov. Kay Ivey ordered there should not be gatherings with more than 10 people. So, we added another mobile outreach to our schedule for Wednesday nights to replace Bible study. We also started meeting needs of the homeless and needy on campus differently by doing everything outside except for the showers and laundry, of course.

We started moving people through quicker, but still making sure we made time for praying and talking with people. We found out about some areas where people were in need of food, so we began more mobile outreaches ... taking Jesus and food to more people.

My heart hurt as I saw so many people struggling; people who were doing good before losing their jobs due to the crisis. As more places closed, I sought God's continual guidance. I cried tears of sadness for those suffering, tears of joy for God telling us to keep going, and tears of determination to be obedient to God.

During one of our outreaches, God gave me a vision of an orchard with trees filled with fruit. I clearly heard, not with an audible voice, but in my heart, God say, "The harvest is ripe. Start picking." So, without questioning Him, we have continued with the ministry God has called us to, and we have already seen a harvest reaped. So far, 45 people have made decisions for Jesus since the coronavirus crisis began, seven have been baptized.

We have been scattering many seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of thousands of people. A great harvest is coming. People are open to the Gospel more than I've ever seen in the U.S. It is time to be spreading the Gospel and meeting needs. It's what God's church does. It's what the church has always done.

I told our small staff and volunteers at the beginning that if they felt uncomfortable doing ministry during the crisis they did not have to do it. Some of our wonderful volunteers have stopped during the crisis, mainly because they are in the older age bracket, which has been the most susceptible to the virus. We miss them tremendously, and look forward to when they can return.

New volunteers have joined us, and they have been a tremendous blessing. When our other volunteers return we are going to have a tremendous army of volunteers to serve.

We have witnessed some intense salvation moments, amazing times of prayer, and overwhelming provision from God. Every need is being met. Recently I thought about the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Day by day God met all of their needs. They had food, water, and their clothes and sandals never wore out. We are seeing God's provision daily. Sometimes Martha and I just cry tears of joy because of being overwhelmed by our Father's great provision.

He is working through His people. Day-in and day-out people are coming by LIA with donations of food, cleaning supplies and more. People are donating finances to keep us going strong and having all of our financial obligations met.

While I hurt to see so many people struggle and suffer due to loss of jobs, and hearing about those who are sick and have died from the virus, I am excited about what God is doing. He is moving mightily in the middle of this crisis.

Idols have been taken away - sports, entertainment, economy, church buildings - and God is clearly saying "Worship Me and Me alone." As more and more people are turning to Jesus, we are going to see a lot of great things happen as we move through and come out of the crisis.

I firmly believe those who are moving with God and being obedient to what He is saying will see amazing things happen in them and through them. Those who don't listen and obey will get left behind.

Let's keep praying and keep moving forward in Jesus. Together, we are doing what God has called us to do. We can't do it without everyone supporting us through prayer, finances, donations, and volunteers. Let's do what Jesus tells us in His Great Commission, let's, "Go and make disciples."

Please help us help others through this crisis

Good morning. We pray you are all doing well this morning. Here is a list of needs as we continue sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting physical needs through the coronavirus crisis. We are seeing needs rise for hot meals and groceries. These needs will only increase as more people lose their jobs.

We have been given two large smokers/grills, so we can easily cook for the masses. We grilled 180 pounds of chicken this past Saturday. In addition to our regular food distribution to the homeless and the needy we already serve, we are mobilizing into two impoverished apartment complexes (one large and one small) and impoverished one trailer park. These places have elderly and families with children who are falling between the cracks.

Needs:
- Finances
- Perishable meats like chicken, hamburger, etc. we can freeze until use.
- Cook casseroles and other dishes we can serve
- Bread, peanut butter and jelly
- Non-perishable foods
- If you can find: Vienna sausages, beanie weenies and other snack items for snack bags we give to the homeless.
- Three compartment togo containers. Every meal we do now is served in Togo containers. No eating on premises.
- Plastic ware, the kind that are already packaged together are the best, but we will take individual forks, spoons and knives as well.
- Napkins

Food and items can be dropped off at Love In Action this week Tuesday-Saturday. Tax-deductible financial donations can be mailed to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Or, you can give securely online via PayPal through the donation page on our website, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate

Please pray and share this post. Thank you and God bless you.

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." - Philippians 2:3-4

Ministry continues as usual

Hey everyone. I pray you are all doing well.

Wow! Who, besides God, knew our country and world would be turned upside down and life as we knew it would change so suddenly within a week? These are indeed crazy times, uncharted waters. However, Jesus told us the world would become like this as His Second Coming draws closer.

I would like to encourage everyone not to panic. Don't fear. Trust Jesus. Use the wisdom He gives you but show His peace in the midst of chaos. God will use that to reach the lost with the Gospel.

God gives us so many scripture verses about fear and anxiety. Here are a couple:

Isaiah 41:10, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”

Instead of constantly watching or reading the news about COVID-19, read God’s Word. We find peace in Christ alone.

Use wisdom at all times, and especially during times like this, but don’t live in fear.

I want to take a few moments to update you on Love In Action and what we are doing during these times of uncertainty due to the coronavirus and its impacts.

As of now, things are as usual at Love In Action. Obviously, the situation is fluid, but we have not and do not intend to cancel any of our services and outreaches. We are different than a regular house of worship. Most of the people we serve don’t have homes, and those who do rarely have enough food to sustain themselves and their families.

The homeless depend on us. They can't live stream sermons, go to stores and buy everything on the shelves, or afford health care.

More than at any time in our 20 years of ministry, we need to continue serving. Our homeless friends need to see Christ in us, especially during these chaotic times when so many people are just thinking about themselves.

Christianity is not a self-preservation religion. Jesus clearly showed us that. His disciples and the apostles showed us that. If not for Christians, many more would have died during the black plague. It was the Body of Christ who ran into the infected areas to help, not away from it.

We are and will continue to use wisdom. We are asking our elderly volunteers to take the next few weeks off, or longer, and then return when things settle down. We love you and want you to stay safe.

All of our volunteers please know you have the same option. If you feel uncomfortable, not safe, please stay home until things settle down. We love you all.

We always keep things clean and sanitized at Love In Action. We are focusing even more on that now and cleaning and sanitizing even more. Hopefully we will be able to purchase more disinfectant spray and wipes in the near future when stores restock.

Our chief of staff at the Samaritan Clinic has put policies in place on how to take care of anyone we see who have symptoms of the coronavirus. We will abide by those policies even on non-clinic days.

We have signs in all restrooms reminding people to wash their hands and how to wash their hands. One thing I personally won't stop doing, however, is hugging our friends. They can't go home and get a hug from a spouse, child or parent. We all need hugs, so they will continue to get them from me. That’s my choice.

God has called Martha and me to this ministry, and we will continue it in any and every way possible to show forth the love of Christ and lead people to Him, and to help meet the needs of those who are the most vulnerable.

We will look for opportunities to do more. I see this chaotic situation as a great "opportunity." We have a tremendous opportunity to reach even more people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a wonderful opportunity to show the "least of these" that God does not and will not abandon them, even while our world is in chaos.

I believe this is a huge wake up call for the Body of Christ. Are we going to live by faith or fear? Are we going to trust Jesus or not? Will we arise and let the light and peace of Jesus radiate through us, or will we live like the rest of the world? We have the perfect opportunity to obey God's Word in Philippians 2:3-4, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Let’s all be like the prophet Isaiah, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

I talked on the phone Saturday with Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba to let him know we are willing and able to help the city anyway we can, and I will look for more opportunities to serve to show the love of Jesus to people in Dothan.

Please keep praying and supporting us financially. Please continue to encourage others to pray and support us financially. We will need even more resources now as needs will be increasing. I know God will provide and He will be glorified as more and more people come to Him.

Thank you, and may God bless you all.

In His service,

Ken Tuck
President
Love In Action International Ministries

Highways and Hedges

Jesus tells us in a parable in Luke 14 to, "Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled."

In obedience to His command to go everywhere and share the Gospel with people and compel them to come to Christ, Love In Action is focusing even more on outreaches to find those who need to hear the salvation message of the Gospel. There are so many hurting people who need to know they are not forgotten, and that God loves them.

Love In Action and our team of volunteers go to homeless camps throughout Dothan, low rent motels, parking lots, truck stops, anywhere we can find people who society has shunned. We know that in Isaiah 55:11, when we share God's Word with others, great things will happen. "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

We are seeing God's Word succeeding as 32 people have made decisions for Jesus so far in 2020. We have baptized seven, and more are scheduled to be baptized this Wednesday.

We are so thankful and excited about what God is doing. Now, we need more space for discipleship classes. We have gutted suite 1 at our Love In Action campus with the goal of remodeling it for classrooms for discipleship purposes. If there are any contractors or church groups who would like to look at suite 1 and help us remodel it please let us know. This is an important need as more people are asking for our T4T discipleship teaching. We currently have a class underway, but need to start more.

If you can help, please contact me at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com or call the LIA office at 334-494-4995.
Thank you and God bless you.

Random Acts of Kindness Outreach

Martha, Paula and Eileen praying with a homeless woman on our bus.

We started a new outreach in early February called, "Random Acts of Kindness Outreach." The goal is to find people who are in need and help them. That need may be spiritually - salvation, encouragement, prayer. Or, it may be food for someone who is hungry or blankets, gloves and scarves for those who are cold. This week one of our volunteers, Paula, even made hot chocolate to help warm people up.

Our team loads the bus up with Bibles, tracts, blankets, bags of food, bottled water, and whatever else people may need depending on the weather, such as ponchos. Then at night we head out and go where we feel God is leading us. That has been inside and outside of the Ross Clark Circle.

We have seen God touch lives through this outreach. We've provided some warm transportation for a homeless woman to a safe place where she needed to wait for an out of town family member. A work release inmate walking back from work on a cold night was very thankful for a ride in the warm and dry bus.

God has led us to people living in cars in various parking lots. They were all surprised that someone would offer them prayer, food, blankets and other needs. We've also provided information for services that are offered for various needs we can't meet. 

We almost had church at the Fly J truck stop as we prayed with a worker and a customer. A woman standing outside of a local hospital was very appreciative of a group of people praying with her about her situation and her loved one who was in the hospital.

It's been a fun outreach. Just the fellowship we have with each other makes it great, but to see God touching lives, giving hope to people who aren't expecting someone to show up to help them, is amazing.

The truth is, we can all take time to help someone. It's not about an outreach, it's about a lifestyle of living for Jesus. One of my prayers about this outreach is it will encourage people to do this on their own. God gives us opportunities every day to make a difference in people's lives and bring glory to God. Jesus showed us how to do acts of kindness. Let's follow His lead.

Praying for needs of people at the Flying J.

We are but a mist ... here today, gone tomorrow

I shed tears today hearing the reports that Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died today in a helicopter crash in California. Such a tragedy. Reports now say nine people died in that crash. The tragedy is horrible for the family, relatives and fans of all of those who died. Most of us focus on the tragedy of Kobe’s death because ... well, he was Kobe Bryant, the “Black Mamba.”

Why the tears? I didn’t know him. I usually cheered against him and his Lakers. But I loved watching him play. I’m truly heartbroken over the news of the loss of one of the greatest basketball players ever. 

My tears are for his wife, three surviving children, family and friends who are in total shock right now as their world has been shaken to its core. The death of his daughter compounds the sadness. My tears are for the loss of such a young man who provided millions of us 20 years of enjoyment with his unbelievable, god-given talent that was superior to everyone else during his NBA era. Michael had his era, and then Kobe took the game over. We don’t know these superstars, but we admire them and follow their careers to where it feels like we know them. 

My tears and heavy heart are for not knowing if Kobe, his daughter, and the other seven who died were saved or not. Did they trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior? That’s the most important question for all of us. When we leave this earth, and we all will die one day, where is our eternal destination? If we deny Jesus and never surrender to His Lordship, eternal Hell is our destination. Eternally separated from God. But the good news is if we do give our lives to Jesus, surrender to His Lordship, live for Him here on earth we will be with Him forever. Eternally in the presence of the almighty, all loving God. Where is your heart today? With or without Jesus? If you aren’t sure you still have time. But none of us, like Kobe, Gianna and those on that helicopter, know how long.

If you aren’t sure or have questions, please ask me. I’ll do my best to provide answers. Here’s a link to a page on our Love In Action website that may help as well, https://loveinactionministries.com/t4t/follow-jesus

May God comfort Kobe and Gianna’s family, relatives, friends and fans, and those who mourn the other seven who died. May all who mourn find peace in the love of Christ. May Kobe’s infant child grow up and learn what an amazing athlete daddy was and how he made millions of people smile, cheer and cry. May this help all of us remember how short life is and focus on eternity. 

Thank you, Kobe Bryant, the “Black Mamba.” We will never forget all of those amazing moments you gave us on the basketball court. You inspired so many people, including a little kid who grew up to be called “King James” and moved past you last night to become the No. 3 scorer in NBA history. And, you graciously congratulated him immediately. I hope you knew Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I’d love seeing you play on a golden court for eternity. I’d love to play you one-on-one, because it would be so cool being dunked on by one of the greatest of all-time.

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” - James 4:14

Record number of patients

Thanks to medical professionals giving of their time and talents, we meet physical
needs of the homeless every Thursday at the Samaritan Clinic.

Every Thursday the Samaritan Clinic is filled with the homeless, people living in group homes like The Ark, and men and women from Houston County Community Corrections Work Release. In 2019, the clinic helped a record number ... 1,166 patients.

We praise God for the opportunity to help so many people. It's another way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion. When our homeless friends are sick or have a tooth ache, what an incredible blessing this clinic is to them. They know without a shadow of a doubt that we love and care about them. Most importantly, they know that God has not forgotten them, and is here to meet their needs.

Each Thursday we begin the clinic with a prayer. When we ask for prayer requests, hardly a Thursday goes by that one of our friends doesn’t say, “Pray God will continue to bless the Samaritan Clinic and Love In Action. That's a blessing for us to hear them say that, because it shows us they know we are here all because of God.

We thank all of the doctors, dentists, eye doctor, nurses, pharmacists, dental assistants, receptionists, ACOM students, Wallace College Nursing students, those who bring food and pray with the patients when they leave the clinic, and those who donate financially. The Samaritan Clinic would not exist without any of you.

Please continue to pray for the clinic, and please consider giving financially. You can mail your tax-deductible donations to: Samaritan Clinic, 279 W. Main St., Suite 3, Dothan, AL 36301. Or, you may give securely online via PayPal through our website. Just click on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate , and then click on the "Donate" button. Please note in your PayPal giving that the gift is for the Samaritan Clinic.

Thank you and God bless you.

Record numbers in 2019

Love In Action's food ministry hit record numbers in 2019. More than 38,000 pounds of food was distributed through LIA's food pantry, and more than 28,000 hot meals were served at LIA's coffee house.

We have always used food as a tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus says He will make us fishers of men. To fish you need bait. Food is our bait to draw people in to hear the Gospel.

People also experience the Gospel through the food ministry. When Jesus fed the 5,000 with the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish, He showed that He cared about the people's physical needs. When people are hungry and you can meet that need, they realize you care about them. Therefore, they will listen to what you have to say. We have seen tens of thousands come to Jesus through our food ministry over the past 19 years.

The need for food is real in Dothan where 1-in-6 people are food insecure, meaning they don't know where their next meal is coming from. Love In Action is thankful to be able to help meet some of those needs.

We couldn't do it without the wonderful people who live in Dothan and the Wiregrass. People donate non-perishable foods, perishable foods we can keep in a freezer and give out through our food pantry, cook casseroles for us to serve and so much more.

A local high school and businesses also play a big role in LIA's food ministry.

Rehobeth High School's FFA grows crops for LIA during the spring and summer. Longhorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Dante's Pizza, and Olive Garden all donate food to LIA. CAE USA cooks 90 meals for us every Thursday and Friday. Flying J donated food and sandwiches for half of 2019.

It's a huge help to us, and I like the fact food is not being thrown away. We see a lot of people who are genuinely hungry. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the people here in our community, we are making a dent in the hunger problem here.

Love In Action receives its food from the Southeastern Food Bank, which is headquartered in Orlando. AMX Trucking hauls the food to Dothan.

Southeastern Food Bank has been a huge blessing to us. We receive all of the food free. The requirements to receive the food is to share the Gospel and keep records, which we were already doing when the food bank approached us over two years ago. And, for AMX to truck the food to us for free is amazing. We can't thank them enough.

LIA's food ministry will continue to expand in 2020 as the needs continue to rise.

We will soon be constructing a warehouse for food, therefore we will be able to accept more food from the Southeastern Food Bank. That will be a huge blessing to many more people here in the Wiregrass.

We also hope to expand our hot meals ministry with the expansion of our kitchen and taking the mobile kitchen out more. That will require more funds and volunteers, but we know God will provide in His timing.

If you would like to give financially to help LIA spread the Gospel through its food ministry, please mail your tax-deductible donations to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Or, you may give securely online via PayPal through LIA's website. Just click on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate , and then click on the "Donate" button.

Thank you and God bless you.