The Oaks Sunny Side Up Project: More than just an egg!
The Oaks’ roots are getting deeper and stronger each and every day. The Lord is planting people all around our community who are just willing to say, “Yes Lord, I will go!” There is really no secret sauce, starting age, specific experience requirements, or fancy clothes that have to be worn in order to connect with a Thriving Community. It’s honestly just the obedience to say, “Yes Lord, use me for your glory right where I am to do BIG THINGS for you!” We’d love to tell you about one young lady who stepped up to simply say, “Yes!”
Anna Middleton is one of our youngest volunteers who is selflessly taking on the job of raising The Oaks’ chickens, so that people in our program can have fresh eggs for free. We can learn about much more than just eggs from this sweet volunteer! Some might call it a job or maybe even a burden, but to Anna, it’s really no job at all. At barely 13 years old, Anna Middleton simply calls it fun and an unquestionable calling from the Lord.
Anna talks about her willingness to help The Oaks by simply saying,
“To start off, I just want to mention that I love my animals and I love my chickens! I love working with chickens because it brings happiness to me and I can spend hours and hours down at the coop! I am honored to extend my love for chickens to The Oaks Community. These animals don’t just deserve a home, but they deserve a good home. I try my best to spoil them and love them as much as possible so they can have a good life. Also, I try to set a good example for others, because some people get really small cages for their chickens and they actually live shorter lives if you put them in a store-bought cage. I love dedicating my time to them and I happily love to spoil them! Chickens are a major part of my time and I enjoy doing it!”
Anna not only has a passion for her animals, she loves the Lord most of all. She also knows that He loves her unconditionally. When asked what her favorite verse is, she didn’t skip a beat and repeated Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Anna then described her personal relationship with the Lord down into a simple but powerful response:
“So, first I want to talk about how good the Lord has been to me. I have so many animals that he chose to give me. That is one reason why I like giving back to other people and helping when I can. Another reason that I like helping when I can is because God has helped me when I needed help and no one else would help me. Things might not be going the way they need to or the way you want them to right now, but trusting God through all of this will help you SO much! Also when I read my Bible, I go through and write down the main points and try to reflect on those all throughout the day, and it certainly has helped my faith grow stronger in the Lord and can help yours too!”
You see friends, The Sunny Side Up Project is not just the gift of giving eggs, it’s about the gift of giving life through those who follow Jesus one little egg at a time.
Article written by:
Christina Leggett, Director of Programs, The Oaks Therapeutic Community, Inc.