Missionary Monday - Banana Bread

I baked several loaves of banana bread last week.... and...

By the way, have I mentioned my new oven? The Lord blessed me with a new oven a couple of weeks ago! I have been without my very own stove/oven for 5 years. Yes, I did have my very own here, but... it is quite a long story.... Maybe I'll share the story on here one day. So, I have either used ones that were provided in rental apartments or done without. That is, until a few weeks ago. I am still getting used to my oven (it only shows the degrees in celcius and has several settings I am unaccustomed to), but I can tell it is going to be a beautiful friendship. So, back to the banana bread... Like I was saying, I baked several loaves of banana bread last week, and it reminded me of several years ago and scores of "mini loaves" that I made on a regular basis for awhile. We were helping to start a new church, so I would bake loaves and take them with us on visitation to give to people we were able to strike up a conversation with.

So, did we build a church on banana bread alone? Of course not, but I would like to think I helped a little. {smile}

The funny thing is, I was always asked for the recipe. Then later, those who tried out the recipe would come to me discouraged that their loaf had not turned out as good as what I had made. After awhile I figured out that "one cup" for them meant they would just grab a tea cup and fill it up with the ingredients. "One teaspoon" for them also meant just grab a teaspoon from the utensil drawer, fill it, and dump it in. Then, most people did not even own a loaf pan, so they would just bake it in whatever they had. After so many alterations, the recipe was doomed to fail! After that experience, I learned to start giving measuring cups and measuring spoons as gifts along with the recipe.

So, about that banana bread.... Sometimes we missionary wives with small children (like me right now with my two-month old and three other homeschooling children) cannot do alot that would be classified as "missionary work." But, if we get creative, there is actually so much that we can do for the Lord right from our own homes!

Is there anyone you need to bake banana bread for to invite to church? Easter Sunday is coming and someone just might need a little friendly, hospitable "persuasion" from you to visit your services!