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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe make a meal like we would want to eat,\u201d Linda said. \u201cWe just\u2026 we see them, and I think that\u2019s the important part \u2014 that we see them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2020, their weekly practice found a name. One Tuesday, the Brownlees were plating barbecue sandwiches with their nieces when they noticed they had an extra plate and bun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI said, \u2018That means there\u2019s somebody out there that really needs this plate that we didn\u2019t even account for,\u2019\u201d Linda said. \u201cThe kids were laughing, saying \u2018Y\u2019all are crazy.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four plates were left at the end of the night, so the Brownlees took them to some of the kids living in hotels \u2014 another ministry of theirs. There were three kids that they spent time with weekly, and Linda assumed that the final person was one they would find on the way home. That was until she turned around and saw a fourth little boy carrying a ball and a Solo cup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Hey buddy, you want a plate too?\u2019\u201d Linda said. \u201cHe said, \u2018Yes, ma\u2019am.\u2019 He was so kind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Linda said the boy had a disability, so she opened his plate for him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe goes and sits down, and I turn around, and I see my girls in the car. They said, \u2018That\u2019s number 13,\u2019\u201d Linda said. \u201cHe held his cup up and said, \u2018Would you fill my cup?\u2019 And I\u2019m telling you, I sobbed. We all sobbed, and I was like, \u2018Buddy, you don\u2019t know whose cup you just filled.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since that day, the Brownlees have called their work \u2018Mission 13\u2019 because there is always someone they feel they are supposed to go out and visit, someone they could not have accounted for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For years, Mission 13 stayed the same. Every Tuesday, the family made a meal as if they were feeding their own family, plated it, and took it out in the community. They would donate items when they had them and took gas cards for people who were spending nights in their cars. Less than a year ago, their work began to find support. Businesses and community members will donate their extra food, churches will send them potluck leftovers, and any need they find is answered immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe actually had to go buy another freezer to be able to keep a lot of our stuff,\u201d Linda said. \u201cIn the past six or eight months, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve had to fund anything except for containers. But before, we just made a meal like we were going to feed our family.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The generosity hasn\u2019t stopped with food. Linda said they get sleeping bags and blankets left on their doorstep, and people always call to see if they need more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s just from people in our community wanting to help,\u201d Linda said. \u201cIf I put it out there and say, \u2018We need this,\u2019 It\u2019s pretty much there within two or three days.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It isn\u2019t a nonprofit. It\u2019s just a family doing what they can to help the community. It\u2019s a goal that everyone can be inspired by. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are content doing what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Linda said. \u201cWe\u2019re not sure what\u2019s next for us, but we\u2019re ready for whatever. That is \u2014 whatever God tells us to do next.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some families have a weekly game night, a weekly movie night, or a weekly date night. Lebanon knows the Brownlees, however, for their weekly night of service. Every Tuesday, Linda and TJ Brownlee prepare a meal in their home, plate it, and take it out into the community for people without homes and in need. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":22480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/02\/3-1-1024x683.png\")
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