It never fails to amaze us that when we read through the surveys completed by mission team members, usually one or two will mention how much they enjoyed the food. For the most part, this is not restaurant food nor frozen meals. Here at the church we have a volunteer team that cooks four out of seven days. They provide for the daily food needs of all the church volunteers which includes missionaries but they also make many of the items that are sold either at Joseph Store House or the Farmer’s Market. We wanted to acknowledge their hard work and make sure that their efforts do not go unnoticed.
Our volunteers usually work from Tuesday to Friday and are at the church all day. During the time they may make Texas BBQ, Brisket, Chicken Fajitas, Quesadillas, and other types of Tex-Mex food. They also have an array of amazing baked goods that are prepared for the farmer’s market. If you ever volunteer with us you can be guaranteed that Tuesday through Friday you will not go hungry. My personal favorite are the quesadillas made with moringa and cactus tortillas. Believe it or not, it is a nutrient packed food. Both cactus and moringa are a powerhouse on the nutrition scale.
Making these yummy tortillas and all the other meals is not an easy task. For example, all the thorns from each cactus piece has to be removed before it can be chopped up and pureed. Because the church receives large amounts of fresh fruit and vegetable donations (in addition to what is grown at Ein Gedi Ranch), that food needs to be sorted and inspected and all spoiled items need to be discarded. Yet these women do it with a smile on their faces.
You can meet some of these ladies and try their delicious foods at the North Side Farmer’s Market on the first Saturday of every month. You can also purchase the tortillas at Joseph Store House Tuesday through Saturday. All proceeds from the sales benefits the church missions that are dedicated to reaching out to the poor and transforming lives from the inside out.
Thanks again Ladies!!
If you would like to volunteer, we kindly ask that you contact us. We are always in need of volunteers to continue this labor of love. You will be part of an amazing ministry here in Laredo. If you would like to do a short term missions trip, contact us as well. If you are an individual, we can attach you to another group. If you are a company/church,/organization that would like to organize something for your employees/members, we can put something together as well. We certainly can use the help!
Author: Luisa Rodriguez is the official blogger for New Vision Community Church, daughter of Pastors Lucy and Luis DeLeon, and the author of Fruitfully Living.