One of the ministries in Edmonton which we support is the Mustard Seed, in Edmonton's inner city.  We historically provide between one and four meals per year. 

We thought it would be good to have a list of insights we've learned from various opportunities to host a meal at the Mustard Seed, so that we can continue to improve.  Here they are, in no particular order...

• mashed potatoes take a LONG time to re-heat; take them down hot already
• frozen chili takes about 36 hours to defrost (at room temperature), and probably 72hrs in the fridge
• if kids go (not recommended), they need one adult (preferably a parent) whose sole job is to be with the child
• roast beef is difficult for people with poor teeth to chew
• dessert is a nice bonus, but make sure you take enough - desert also needs to be portioned out individually before the meal begins
• challenge participants to ask God to point out a particular person to place on their heart to pray for
• the debriefing time is important for the people who go to talk and pray through what God was doing in them as they serve - this time is also valuable if there has been any sort of incident during the evening (especially for the kids)
• phone ahead of time to see if there is any need to take condiments - often they have TONS of it already there (like mustard!)