Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) demonstrates what we can accomplish in God’s name, when we join hands with other believers outside of our denominational walls and focus on what God is calling us to do as Christians. But before I tell you about N2N, let me introduce you to Manawa. Manawa is a small town in northeast Wisconsin with approximately 1200 people when everyone is home. It is a consolidated school district which is ranked impoverished by the Department of Public Instruction standards.
Just over two years ago, Brenda and Mike Thyssen (our then co-director and her husband) visited a church in the Fox Valley that sponsored a community food pantry program. The pantry's problem of excess food could be our solution to support families and individuals with immediate need in the Manawa Area School District. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, the Thyssen’s began hauling the pantry excess back to Manawa each Thursday and giving it away to those in need: cases of beef, poultry, pork, turkey, vegetables, fruit, and bread. To see this process in action was like watching the fishes and loaves scripture from John 6 come alive before our eyes as the disciples gathered 12 baskets of leftovers.
Read full story