Zion retreat group enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs served family style Friday night

Zion Lutheran Church, from downtown El Paso, had a youth retreat;  Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) hosted a group of children, teens, and adults on Friday night.  Together, they started off their retreat with a shared meal, followed by a service project involving over 500 lbs of flour.

They worked together to fill over 500 gallon sized zip-lock bags with flour

With the help of a Thrivent Action Team grant, the bags of flour were divided into gallon size zip-lock bags to give to people who come to the Food Pantry for food baskets every Saturday morning.  These young servants worked with joy and diligence, scooping the flour into the bags, slapping on “Made with LOVE” stickers, and filling up box after box.

Eggs, bread, produce, and food baskets were given out with smiles of joy and kindness

The night was filled with fellowship, good food, service, sweet treats, and the joy of diving into worship through Word and music together.  The next morning, the Zion Food Pantry worked hard to serve over 200 individuals and their families.  They worked together to give out eggs by the dozen, fruit and vegetables, and bread of all kind, along with the food basics of rice, beans, flour, and pasta.

The joy in which they served radiated from their smiles and willingness to help where needed.  Once everything was given away, they packed up to head out to Ruidoso, NM for more fun and faith-growth.

“It was a beautiful variety of the Christian life,” Rev. Stephen Heimer, pastor at Zion, shared in regards to the year’s first retreat at YLM, “We were in the Word, in worship, in service, and along the way, friendships were built.”

If you are interested in having YLM host a weekend retreat for your family or church youth, men’s/women’s groups, contact us to schedule you in for a weekend!

Call (915) 858-2588 or reach out to ylm@ylm.org for more information!