Odd that you would write about this “space” in Kegar when we are discussing “family” and the story is being unpacked from a “kitchen” set up within the church here in Indy.

Reading this report made me think about the “why” in this observation…why is the kitchen such a vital space to a family, and you have given much insight to the answers.

The kitchen is culturally a common area for family life, here we are nourished, loved, coached, corrected, taught, it is where we read, pray, think, worry, create, plan, correspond, and on and on….It’s where I read this online magazine and have my coffee in the morning. It is open and yet it is generally a more private family space than say the entry to your home or the “living room” where guests frequent. It’s family inhabitants change with time as kids grow and leave and then return with the next generation.

What makes this space a family stopping spot for decades, sort of a family work shop…a pit stop where we refuel and re equip for the days journey….partly it seems it is the tools in this space, the things you describe in the article, running clean water, cooking equipment, and light… things we have, and take for granted…stuff (and so much more).

It is also the head of that kitchen…often the woman,…. the mother or grandmother who fills the space with all he stuff, and the love that make it what it is. The heart and soul of that woman, ultimately determines what that “space” produces.

It’ so easy to see God’s hand in the work of JVP, they are helping with “the stuff”, in the kitchen, but they are more importantly strengthening the hearts of the women who live there. Providing the stuff..the water, the cooking equipment, it would be easy to stop there….but, there is so much more here, isn’t there. Thank you Jess for giving us a very rich story.

I pray your readers will pass this story along to others, and click on the “next steps” link and help out.