In February 2025, historic flooding tore through McDowell County, West Virginia. Sandy's basement filled with five feet of water. Her daughter lost everything. The food pantry she had been running for nearly a decade was destroyed. And while her own home was still under water, Sandy helped coordinate over 50,000 hot meals for her neighbors.
That sentence alone tells you most of what you need to know about this conversation.
Sandy came to Jesus on her own couch in Statesville, North Carolina, after a pastor named J.B. Parker Jr. knocked on her door every Saturday until she finally let him in. She grew up in a home where the family Bible was decoration. None of that disqualified her from the work God put in front of her. It built her for it.
In this episode, Sandy talks about what she calls real church versus play church. She tells the story of a man who walked into a service with a beer can in his shirt pocket and the woman who scooted over to make room for him. She talks about why stateside ministry gets passed over when there's still a harvest field in our own Jerusalem. And she names something most ministry leaders feel but rarely say out loud: the people you keep showing up for will not always meet you in the middle. You feed them anyway. You plant the seeds. You let God give the increase.
If you serve in ministry, lead a church, or you've been quietly wondering if your work matters, this one's worth your time.
Full Show Notes: https://svtc.info/podcast/she-fed-50-000-meals-after-the-flood-took-her-own-home
🎙️ Host: Justin Franich | Executive Director, Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge
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