Discover how Arjun’s journey from poverty to purpose shows Christ-centered hope in the Philippines through local churches, Food Paks, and the gospel’s transforming power.
In April 2019, Billy Odell knocked on a door in Grand Prairie, Texas. He stood on the doorstep with two members of his community group from Fielder Church in Arlington. As they waited, with only two Food Paks and faith that God had a plan for their visit, Billy prayed that he would do his best.
That was Billy’s first Food Pak delivery. That day, he met Carla, the mother of a six-year-old boy, Jorge, who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia. As medical bills began to pile up, the family struggled to make ends meet.
Billy had arrived with a Food Pak at just the right time.
Eight years later, Billy is still delivering Food Paks. His team of two has grown to 10-15 volunteers. During the week, they pray by name for the people they’ve met. “There’s power in praying for people by name,” Billy shared. “I’ve always believed that.”
On Saturdays, Billy and his team deliver Food Paks to children and families in need. Recently, they have been visiting a mobile home park in Arlington.
“Where we’re at right now, we knock on every door,” Billy shared. “The worst thing they’re going to say is no. But this may be someone who really needs God. There may be children in there that really need to be fed, and they need the gospel.”
One of the doors Billy knocked on was Marissa’s. When they began talking to her, Marissa started crying. She explained that her son had cancer and that she had just asked God for someone to talk with and pray with her.
That was the beginning of a relationship that continued to deepen and grow. Marissa’s son’s cancer eventually went into remission. They began attending Fielder Church, and her son was later baptized.
In addition to delivering Food Paks to the Arlington community, Billy also participates in Fielder’s annual mobile food-packing event. In 2018, approximately 1,300 people gathered on a brisk Saturday morning in November to fill 10,000 Food Paks.
Over the last eight years, that annual event has grown. This past November, 13,000 Food Paks were filled, and over 2,000 people participated.
Jared Yates, Executive Shepherd of Operations at Fielder Church, shared about the food packing event, saying, “It’s a way for us to, rather than go inside the building and worship the Lord, we want to worship the Lord through serving our city. So, in partnering with Children’s Hunger Fund, the whole church body comes. We even invite the community to join us. And we’ve got food packing stations set up all throughout all of our parking lots. We have people come who haven’t been to church for months or years, because they want to participate, and they want to serve.”
Every mobile food packing event has its own unique elements where God is present, from the stories of the people who attend year after year to the problems that are solved in a way only God can.
“I’ve done every one of those,” Billy shared. “Even the one two years ago, where we got rained on. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Nobody left. Everybody stayed through the rain and finished the project. It was one of my favorite memories.”
At the end of every mobile event, once the Food Paks are all packed into the trucks, volunteers will stay to lay hands on the trucks and pray over the Food Paks, the pastors and volunteers who will be delivering them, and the children and families who will be receiving them.
Ed Snyder, Senior Director of the Dallas location, shared, “Our eight-year partnership with Fielder Church means thousands of quiet acts of service through the Mobile Food Pak event and the Food Pak ministry led by Billy Odell. They have shown faithfulness, teamwork, and a shared commitment to care for families and kids beyond their church walls.”
On this side of heaven, it’s impossible to know the full impact of each Food Pak filled on a Fielder Church campus or the impact on the volunteers who come to serve on an annual or weekly basis—but God does. We are grateful for the faithfulness of the Fielder Church community, which has consistently demonstrated God’s mercy to the children and families in need within their community.
