Blessing in a Bucket

He had no idea how difficult it would be. After Hurricane Ida struck, Donrich Felo had no food for his family and his car was dangerously low on gas. With no gas available and no food to be found, he was reaching his breaking point.

After evacuating, Jackie Eberling and her daughter Desiree returned to their home to find a complete mess. How would they even begin to clean up and repair?

Sweet Antony Mendoza spent his 8th birthday with his parents and sister in the sweltering heat—no party, no presents. They were in survival mode, simply hoping for desperately needed supplies and a hot meal.

Hurricane Ida changed millions of lives overnight. What they didn’t know at the time was that God was already working on their answers days before the hurricane hit Louisiana. 

The scene changes to a parking lot in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, a few days earlier. Here, 134 staff members of Joyce Meyer Ministries and their families are volunteering their time preparing “blessing buckets.” These buckets full of basic necessities become a lifeline to people whose lives have been suddenly interrupted by natural disaster.

My husband, Tim, is a manufacturing engineer. He works to design the process of producing an item—usually on an assembly line. He understands more than most the absolute importance of each and every individual along that line to the final outcome. He depends on and values the role each one plays. If one step isn’t included, if one bolt doesn’t get put into place, the finished product will not be right. If one person is missing, the result can be catastrophic.

On that sunny Saturday in the parking lot of Joyce Meyer Ministries, I had the opportunity to experience exactly what Tim talks about. It took everyone doing their part. Robert and Susie Sanabria put toilet paper into the buckets. Several others added cleaning supplies, water, toothbrushes, and many other important items. I got to strategically place disposable razors into the tightly packed bucket. Barbara Dresner put in one of Joyce’s books for encouragement and LaVondria Franks and her daughter Nadia had the privilege of placing a Bible inside. 

At the end of the line, the George family made a whole lot of noise as they pounded with rubber mallets securing the lids and finishing the process. Over 2,000 buckets were ready to go.

This event was planned by Hand of Hope, the outreach arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries, in conjunction with God’s Pit Crew, a partner organization we are honored to work with during natural disasters all over the U.S. The goal was to prepare for the next natural disaster. 

No one knew during that planning weeks in advance that disaster would already be on the way. No one except God, of course. When we were packing those buckets in St. Louis, Hurricane Ida was barreling toward the Gulf Coast. With no time to waste, the buckets were loaded into trucks and sent directly to the areas of need. 

Just a few days later, as our media team travelled to Louisiana, I once again had the privilege of seeing firsthand the true blessing these carefully packed and prayed over gifts of love would be to their recipients.

Remember Donrich who was low on gas and even more in need of hope? His young daughter encouraged him to continue at his lowest point, and when he reached the parking lot just outside of New Orleans where God’s Pit Crew was giving out the blessing buckets and Mercy Chefs, another amazing ministry supported by Hand of Hope, was offering delicious warm meals, he was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Jackie and Desiree received the love, help and encouragement that helped keep them going when they needed it most. They said that blessing bucket was not only extremely useful but was like a warm hug from supportive friends. 

And little Antony’s birthday did not go uncelebrated. An impromptu party in that parking lot complete with yummy cookies, much needed supplies, and the gift of caring people who were there when his family needed it most brought tears to his mother’s eyes. And when we sang “Happy Birthday,” his sweet face lit up.

What a miracle it is to be part of God’s intricate plan! Not just to be a cog in an assembly line, but to be an integral piece in God’s big picture. Each one playing their part and making a big difference. Each person who helped pack the buckets, the drivers who transported them to the coast, the volunteers who handed them out, the cooks who prepared the meals—and the people who gave donations to help provide for the supplies (that may be you)—are all equally important! Each having a hand in meeting great needs, giving hope, and pointing people to Jesus. 

No one knew exactly what they were going to be part of when it all began in that parking lot, but Donrich, Jackie, Antony and thousands of others can testify of the powerful impact of their actions. God had the answers to their needs orchestrated like a symphony from the very beginning. As a partner with Joyce Meyer Ministries, you are one of the instruments providing that beautiful music—lyrically Sharing Christ and Loving People in ways beyond your imagination.

Ginger Stache is the chief creative officer of Joyce Meyer Ministries, an author, and an Emmy Award-winning writer/producer.