While much of the rest of the world is still dreaming, Anna Rose is already on the move. Long before the Florida sun paints our Ocala sky, she is in her car, traveling a good distance to reach Gateway to Hope. By 6 AM, when many of us are just hitting the snooze button, she is here, helping with the sacred work of set-up. Tables to arrange. Boxes to open. A ministry to prepare.
Anna Rose is a great-grandmother to seventeen beautiful souls. Her heart carries the joy of sixteen and the tender sorrow of one she will meet again in glory. And yet, every Saturday, she shows up. She shows up to serve.
You’ll find Anna Rose at the bread and deserts tables. To watch her work is to see dedication in motion.
Before her retirement, she wore many hats. She was a caregiver, tenderly looking after others. She was a salesperson, connecting with people through commerce. She was even a disk jockey, spinning music and spreading joy through the airwaves. Now, in her retirement, she hasn’t stopped caring, connecting, or spreading joy.
Why does she do it? Why rise so early, drive so far, give so freely? Perhaps it is because Anna Rose understands something profound about the heart of God. She knows that every loaf of bread offered, every cupcake and every table set-up before dawn, is an act of preparing a place for someone else. It is a beautiful echo of what Jesus tells us in John 14: “I go to prepare a place for you.”
Anna Rose helps prepare Gateway To Hope. A place of welcome. A place of dignity. A place where, for a moment, the weight of grief is lifted by the simple exchange of a warm smile and a loaf of bread.
Her life is a living testament to the words of James: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” — James 1:17
The bread she offers is a gift. But, the greatest gift Anna Rose gives is herself. Her time. Her presence. Her love. It is the gift of showing up, again and again, because love shows up. In her faithfulness, we see the faithfulness of God, who never slumbers or sleeps. God is always at work, always preparing, always welcoming us home. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9
Anna Rose rises. She drives. She serves. She is one of the precious hearts that make our Saturday mornings shine.
A prayer: Father, thank You for Anna Rose. Thank You for her servant’s heart that starts early on Saturday mornings. Bless her precious family, hold close the grandchild she carries in her heart, and multiply the love she pours out upon everyone she meets. Give us all a measure of her dedication, her warmth, and her joyful spirit. May we, like her, be willing to travel the distance to prepare a place for others to encounter Your love. In Jesus name, Amen.
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What a wonderful story of Anna Rose & a testament to her following Jesus command to love your neighbor.
How I wish I could be more like Anna Rose! When I am most discouraged about dealing with the less attractive food we give away, the rancid food for pigs, the sorting of garbage and recyclables, the lack of space to do my part at Gateway, the fatigue, and the lack of cooperation from some of the other volunteers, I turn to Anna Rose for comfort. She has been through so much in her life, but her faith does not waver.