When I first conceived this once a week bread giveaway, it was less a conception and more of an intervention. It was planted, wholly formed, into my brain. God’s hands were all over it. He put it in my head and that was that. This was what I was supposed to do. It was specific, it was simple, and it had a few pieces involved. I was to tell no one, save my husband, about what I was doing until I had started it. That includes the sister I talk to daily, as well as two best friends that I have a text thread that could run around the earth a few times with if it was ever printed out, as well as several other people near and dear to me.

So I went about preparing. I did things way outside my comfort zone like bought a domain on the worldwide interwebs–this domain here where you are reading actually, and I taught myself a little about WordPress and started making lists of people and bread I could make and give away. I started to think about taking pictures of bread and looking at what I considered pretty bread photography. It was wholly mine, and I was to begin it alone. I think this was important because I didn’t want to hear, or maybe couldn’t hear any doubt. This was an act of love and obedience, but I was on fire for it!

Once I created the framework, I was free to tell others what I had planned, and that was fun too. I worked my list of people to give bread to, and sometimes just let the spirit lead where it would for my giveaways. It was the infancy of this project as I like to think of it, and it was all new and exciting. And speaking of that, I always did call it a project. A project is defined (in good old Merriam Webster) as “an individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned and designed to achieve a particular aim.” And boy did I have a particular aim with it in mind.

And, in case you think all of this review and rehash is me winding up to say I am winding down, I am not. Not even close. In fact, this baby is just getting started. However, after a year and a half, I have not exactly exhausted my ability to find new people to gift to, but it became trickier and trickier to do it in a way that worked well with our two parents working, two growing kids in school modern lifestyle. Hours spent driving around looking for someone to gift to were not perhaps the best and most effective way. And yet, I wasn’t exactly sure what was next or how to get over this hurdle. Then, in a conversation with a trusted advisor when I was explaining why I started this project I said these words, “because I love the act of giving and connecting with people.” And lights went off for both of us. Of course, I was not always meant to come up with my giftees on my own! Of course not. The purpose is the connection with others, sharing and the love of giving–things I was carefully designed to care deeply about. So, naturally, God always intended me to include others in this. Like when I received the initial project, this truth was just there and suddenly very obvious.

So what does this mean practically? It means I am going to begin to outsource the “who” a bit. I took a spiritual gifts class at my church and asked them if there was a place for this project at church–something I had always been a bit nervous about doing before because I didn’t want to be the stereotype of a person only willing to serve the way I wanted to. But this wasn’t about my preferences, this was a project I had been given, so I plucked up my courage and asked. I got a resounding yes. So this past week, I did my first giveaway to a wonderful older couple who were so happy with their surprise loaf of bread. The delivery was a total delight, and I got to be a part of something larger. I was filled with the happy glow of purpose fulfilled as I drove away.

I am also experimenting with doing some mailed bread. To that end, I bought packing boxes and mailed my first loaf in the last few weeks to see how/if that could work. Darn you Vernon, Ca for keeping my loaf in some UPS holding station inexplicably for a full 24 hours! However, I am undeterred. I will crack this mailing of bread, and I am open to other ideas too. Who knows, I may someday have a form someone can fill out to ask bread to be made and sent to someone else. Basically, I am a toddler right now and the next steps are a bit unsure, but boy am I determined, fiercely determined, to continue with this project and this purpose I have been gifted. I am sure there will be more to unfold here, but for now, this is where Living Proofed is headed. I couldn’t be more excited.