With no warning and only $200 in their pockets, Stanley and his wife Susan suddenly packed up their truck and set out to drive 1,000 miles across the country.
The drive itself would cost over $400 in travel expense, money they did not have, but they were on a mission and would not be deterred.
And because they took that leap of faith, God provided a miracle that blessed hundreds of people who had suffered a profound tragedy.
Stanley and Susan Peoples live in Florida with their two children.
They own and operate a barbecue restaurant with both a brick and mortar story, but also a mobile smoker allowing them to set up shop anywhere there are customers.
Their mission is to serve God and to “feed people good food.”
But quickly the Spirit revealed a deeper hunger in their souls, to feed those with a true and hopeless hunger. So, their restaurant took to the streets. And God has done miraculous things through them ever since.
They prayed and asked God to lead as well as provide.
He first provided a strong following as the reputation for excellent food spread quickly. They loved the feeling of doing good for neighbors as the Bible speaks about. They certainly sought to do all things in their eatery with all excellence as unto the Lord.
Now God is using them to help those suffering in the aftermath of natural disasters.
In an interview with the website Liftable, Susan explained, “We’ve always wanted to. When there were hurricanes and Katrina and all that stuff, we were always like, ‘Gosh, I wish we could just take the smoker and go feed people.’ But when you have to close your restaurant, it’s tough.”
But with a mobile smoker, they now had that flexibility.
Dayton, Ohio is always on their radar as it is their “home away from home.” They were shocked when they heard the devastating stories due to the recent May tornadoes.
Immediately they knew it was their time to extend God’s blessings through their efforts.
Even though they didn’t see how He would make it all work, they trusted and took the leap of faith.
“We left with $200 in our pocket, and it’s a $400 round-trip, and this faith. We said, ‘God, we want to feed these people’ and ‘Will you help us?’ And He did!”
As they prepared to go, they asked for all who felt led to give into this effort to support their mission. They were honored to be the carriers of so many bins of clothing and food, relief God would be providing to Ohio through the generosity of others.
Upon arrival Stanley prepared the smoker to cook the donated meats. Between what they had and what they were continually given, it was enough that they could get the food started from the outset.
They continued the whole time in Dayton to keep turning out delicious smoked meats for free to those who had lost so much from the storms.
In the Peoples’ interview, they were beautifully ecstatic at the memory of being able to see God do such a work of provision for hungry people, through their own willingness.
Susan compared the circumstance to when Jesus fed the 5,000 with only two fish and five loaves. “It was God. It wasn’t us. It was God. This could not have happened without Him and all of the donations because it didn’t come from us.”
“We fed over 900 people in four days. This is truly a step of faith.”
God wants to restore this world unto Himself. As His children, we have this experience of restoration in our spirits. He desires that we seek His Ways, which will often involve teaming up with the mission He has for the earth.
Allow Him to direct your path.
Even in our daily lives, God can work through our obedience to provide experiences of Love for others.
If you feel compassion toward the homeless and want to provide water or food, or if you see a child on a playground and want to just acknowledge their importance by waving “hello”, do it.
Go with discernment and prayer, and allow Him to guide your steps. Let’s take a step of faith and see what He can do through us.
