Long hours, tired feet, a face covered in sweat from the steam and your hands tainted from the soot that forms on the hot metal. This is life in a kitchen. The resemblance of a kitchen with the boiler room of an old ship or train is huge. The boiler room is what gives the power the ship needs to keep going forward on its journey. Without it the ship will not go anywhere.
In contrast to this dark comparison, the kitchen is also said to be the heart of every place and organization. It is a bowl of warm soup on a rainy day, a home-made birthday cake, the slightly toasted and crunchy rice at the bottom of the pot, or the sweet smell of French toast that makes you forget a bad day. The kitchen is everyone’s favorite place, where people gather to talk about the most trivial topics or the most important matters of life.
We often get entangled in everything that happens there, in the food or the friends eating with us that we forget that the people working in the “boiler rooms” are that, people, like you and me. They have families, problems, hobbies, things that bring them joy and things that sadden them. These people are the ones that keep this heart beating and all these things are possible by them, they are the ones behind the scenes, they don’t want to be the focus of attention.
Many cooks are introverts and might not even care about getting the attention, but their labor is one to be acknowledged and honored. That is why this month’s newsletter is to honor Katy. In the absence of our other cook, Melina, for the past year Katy has been the one that makes delicious food every day for us. She was the one who woke up early in the morning so that we could have a good breakfast to start the day, the magician who out of nothing prepared plenty, the one who sacrificed many of her own interests out of love to keep this boat going forward. She is a mother to Dylan, a daughter to Don Samuel, a friend to many, a follower of Jesus and a nurturer to all.
She is of a calm and quiet spirit, but at the same time a warrior with many stories that perhaps if you come to the base, you might be able to hear from her. And it is safe to say on behalf of everyone in VidaNet that we are thankful and greatly blessed to have her with us as part of the Great Commission, one plate of gallo pinto at a time.
If you feel called to give monetary support to Katy, visit our donate “Friends of VidaNet” tab and encourage her as she encourages all who come through Casa VidaNet’s doors.
By Steven Bolaños
Vida220 Program Coordinator
Well done and so important Steven! Give Katy a big hug for me!!