While many saw the nation-wide quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic as an obstacle or a setback, World Race Mentor, Mark Hodges, saw it as an opportunity.

“This is a monumental moment in history,” Mark explained. “What if someone were to ask you how you responded to the pandemic? I wanted to be able to answer that well.” Mark began looking at ministry opportunities that would help his community to “Meet the needs of our fellow man.”

Mark began taking part in building Blessing Boxes throughout his neighborhood. The idea was simple: Place empty boxes in easily accessible areas in your neighborhood where people are encouraged to deposit groceries or basic necessities for others who need them to pick up later. “The only instructions are to take what you need and leave what you can,” Mark explained.

An unintended lesson they learned through the Blessing Boxes was humility. By making the boxes available 24 hours a day, those who chose to donate weren’t promised that they would get to meet the person benefiting from their gift. This loss of recognition forces you to act out of faith rather than a need to be thanked.

Mark’s Blessing Boxes ministry is an excellent example of how, regardless of the circumstances, we can stand together and find ways to help each other. Furthermore, it teaches us that the most important thing to remember during ministry is that it’s not about us, it’s about sharing the love of Jesus with the world.