Photographer Sue Thomson with Home, Corporate, & Church Based Art plus Poetry and Christian Perspectives
2018 is a year of new experiences as I try to let God lead me to new places, doing new things, and meeting new people. Thanks to our Arlington Heights Rotary for the opportunity to serve at the Soup Kitchen at St. Thomas of Canterbury. The head of the kitchen has been doing this for I believe, 37 of it’s 39 years of serving… He said that there are definitely issues with our guests in the areas of Schizophrenia, but much less with drugs and alcohol. 3/4 of our guest have a place to sleep which includes shelters. The other 1/4 sleep in places like parks. The kitchen serves on Tuesdays and Fridays. They can have anywhere from 40 to 140 guests. The numbers go higher with the bitter cold weather. In the kitchen they made a homemade soup rich in chicken and vegetables. There was also a wonderful salad, humus, and breads. There was a cart that served nachos with cheese and another cart serving hot chocolate. There was also milk, water, juice and coffee along with desserts. I would have loved to have taken photos with the tables set and filled with food, but I knew it was important to respect the privacy of our guests. When they leave, they can take more desserts and breads, along with leftover soup in quart containers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, small cartons of milk, and fresh fruit. I enjoyed visiting with our guests and especially two men, Joseph and Charles. There was also a group of men who gave out gifts coinciding with the three wisemen bringing their gifts.
2018 holds many new opportunities! I have known for a year or two that God has been preparing me for bigger things that are totally out of my comfort zone. I am grateful for these things that truly ground us and continue to call us to do even more.