ZOiË VIE MINISTRY Divine Debut at The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen (serving the homeless)!

Hello readers! My name is Olivia Mendiola, and I am the outreach director for ZOiË VIE Ministry.

I am thrilled that I have the opportunity through this blog and the upcoming posts that I will write, to share with you a glimpse of our hearts, and our work here at ZOiË VIE (serving the homeless)! You can learn more about me personally under “The Team” page on our website if you are interested, but God is the true author; and our biggest priority is revealing to others the abundant life through Him. We are just the vessels, the hands and feet that obey.

This ministry came about through a divine revelation that came to Vallery St-Phard from the Lord. The ministry is an extension of many things that God had being doing over the course of many years to prepare each of us individually. There will come a time when we share each of those testimonies, for now though, let’s get into our first team volunteer experience. On March 2nd, 2024, four members of our team including Vallery, Sinise, my husband Efren and myself, dropped by The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen to see if they would need extra hands-on deck that morning. Before we entered the building, we took a moment in the parking lot to hold hands, close our eyes, and pray; asking God for His spirit to move among us, all the other volunteers that morning, and each individual served. We prayed with no doubt, knowing for certain that He would make Himself known to us and everyone who entered behind us.

When we went inside, we were met with great kindness from a staff member named James. James took a moment to survey the environment to see if there was any work that still needed to be done in the preparation phases prior to opening their doors to the public. Once he found us something to do, he asked us if we would follow him, and led us to the area where drink donations are stored. Together, we loaded a shopping cart full to the top with sodas, juice, and water to serve with the lunch that was being prepared in the kitchen. When we were finished, we brought it inside and as we awaited our next assignment met a woman who saw our shirts, and was eager to hear about our ministry. This was one of the ways that we could tell we were exactly where God wanted us to be.

The next task we were able to complete was sweeping up any dust in the aisles of the pantry area, making sure that we got underneath all the shelves and hard to reach places. We were ecstatic to have brooms in our hand, acknowledging the Lord each time we moved it forward or backward. Being the hands and feet of Christ could mean anything, even sweeping.

When we first arrived, the staff members weren’t sure that we would be needed in the serving line, but God made provision. We had already been wearing masks, so we got our gloves on and found our spot in line. Vallery was toward the beginning of the line spooning the mac and cheese onto the plates and passing it along to Sinise, who added the sweet potatoes. After a few more passes, the plate arrived to me and I finished it with the grain, either a piece of garlic bread or a croissant. When the plate left me, it was passed through three more people who stood in the gap between the plate preparation area and the serving window. Efren was one of these passers! Having so many volunteers sped up the process to keep up with the demand of the hungry.

The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen is open every single day and serves a balanced and nutritious meal every time their doors open. We were so impressed by the environment that they keep. Not only being clean and safe, but beyond loving and kind as well. It truly does take a village, and this was shown so clearly through our experience at the soup kitchen. The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen has a new set of consistent volunteers! We will be back to serve again on Easter Sunday, March 31st, 2024. There is nowhere we would rather be than the mission field. We thank James and the team at The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen for allowing us to take part in something so amazing! We look forward to coming back again.

Serving The Homeless At Spartanburg Soup Kitchen

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