Interview of Carter Morris, October 21, 2020

Carter Morris, transcript, October 21, 2020

Morris:

I lost you there.

Moss:

I'm doing well. How are you?

Morris:

Good. Well, I say I'm good. I, uh, on Tuesday, uh, had some congestion as you could probably tell right now. So, um, anyway, went to the doctor and found out that, uh, I have COVID.

Moss:

Oh.

Morris:

Yeah. So right before the big gala and event on Saturday. So, um, yeah, so, and then my whole family, uh, we're all quarantined and trying to stay as safe as possible. And so anyway, I'm feeling it a little bit this morning. I, um, I, so, yeah, so, like I said, I, um, I don't know, I don't know how many people are gonna see this in the future, but, uh, that is a part of it, but, you know, feeling pretty good and, uh, and, uh, you know, low key symptoms so far, but, you know, still trying to be very, very safe.

Moss:

Well, I thank you for doing the interview, especially with you having COVID.

Morris:

Yeah, well, like I said, I I'm fortunate right now that it is a very mild in impact on me. And, uh, and, and so I, uh, you know, we're still trying to do the things that we need to do to get ready for Saturday and, and, uh, as well as just be ready in general. So I was going to pull up some of those questions. I know you're probably gonna ask them to me, but, uh, I'll pull them up over here. So,

Moss:

Um, okay. So can you start by just telling me a little bit about Grace bridge and Master Cares, and what your role specifically is?

Morris:

Yes, absolutely. So, um, so my role is president and CEO. So we have a nonprofit, public charity foundation, uh, that we run and operate here. It's based in the U.S. And, um, it has two aspects of serving families locally and globally. And so everything we do locally is underneath our Grace Bridge umbrella, which consists of a food pantry and an eye care clinic, disaster relief work that we do, we have community gardens, and then we also provide a number of special services, uh, to help families in need, uh, whether that be with, uh, toys, uh, at Christmas or school backpacks, uh, going back to school. And, um, we also provide, uh, the basic necessities, uh, at our food pantry, which is food and personal care products. But then also if people need clothing or if they need furniture for their home, um, because of a transition that they've been in, we provide those items as well, which is led us to our kind of our fifth thing that we focus in on. And that's our resale stores. And then, um, in Uganda, Africa, uh, which is where, um, Master Cares is based and been before, um, you've served in both places before. Um, but ultimately, uh, there in Uganda, we have a school with 600 children in it, it's a leadership school. So, uh, we, we offer all of the, uh, primary functions of the school as required by the country of Uganda. But we also have a computer lab, a biology lab, a, uh, um, uh, a full, uh, library, a music and art center, a regulation sized soccer field. And so it is really a school that is a cut above, especially in Southern Uganda where it's located. Uh, then we have a working ranch and a vocational school, uh, where we teach, uh, families who are not of school age, uh, how to ranch for profit and how to, um, better their family through best practices, uh, of ranching and, um, primarily with chickens. And I'm a chicken rancher, I guess you could say, but, um, but anyway, and so, uh, then we have our hospital and our hospital is an 11,000 square foot hospital with four, uh, surgical centers. And so we've seen a number of moms and babies saved because they didn't have to travel an hour to have a C-section. We also have a malnutrition clinic inside our hospital. Um, and we see a number of children, especially in these days that come through that are severely malnourished. Uh, then we also dig two water Wells a month over there, and we have, um, we have two churches that we've started. Both Grace Bridge and Master Cares, though we're not a church or a religious organization, we do model the way we care for people after the life of Jesus Christ. And, uh, and so therefore we do offer, um, the opportunity for people to learn more about God's word. And, uh, and of course, uh, we do that both in the U.S. And, um, in, uh, Uganda. And so, uh, we have a couple churches over in Uganda that we've started, and then primarily in the U.S. We partner with churches that already exist. And so, uh, so it's been, uh, it's been a lot of fun to see all that has happened. And, uh, um, as a, as a leader of the organization, um, uh, I follow Christ as my Lord and Savior and, and he's led me down this journey and it's, it's very, uh, amazing just to see the things that He's done and the doors that He's opened along the way. So, yeah, so, so I think that's the nutshell version of it, for sure. And so I get to oversee, um, both the work here, um, locally and abroad, uh, the founder of our organization, um, Mr. Charles Loper, he and his wife under their family foundation is how we got started before we started our new foundation. And so he primarily spends his time in Uganda. Uh, they, they have a place that they get to go stay over there for six months at a time. And, uh, he's the chairman of our board of our, of our public charity. And, uh, he and I together oversee the work. And then we have an incredible staff team here in the U.S. And in Uganda, um, that makes sure that the work happens day to day. So even there in COVID, um, it has been, um, we've been able to continue to do the things that have been allowed in the parameters of, uh, all the restrictions. And so, even though we haven't been over there and we haven't been taking trips over there, um, the, the work has not stopped. We've been feeding families and feeding our sponsored children and taking care of their families. And, uh, the malnutrition clinic in the hospital have remained functional as long as, as well as the ranch. And, uh, we've been digging water wells because those are all essential services. So, so God has been really good to us on that.

Moss:

Um, can you tell me a little bit about what sets grace bridge apart from other nonprofits in the area?

Morris:

Yeah, so, um, so, um, we are, uh, really well, uh, you know, we, we, we serve in an incredible area we're based in North Texas. And so, uh, there are a lot of great, um, non-profits and, uh, I would say one of the things that we uniquely focus on is everything we do is designed to build a relationship. And so, uh, as you can probably imagine, like a lot of people, uh, during, uh, the pandemic, um, you know, it's changed the way you interact with people where our, our interaction was very heavy on sitting down and getting to know the person and building a relationship because we believe, um, that a relationship is the conduit for change. And so we have a tagline called hope served here, and, uh, that is, that is our motto. That's our tagline. That's what we say about everything, but we also have, uh, three other things that we'd like to say is that we're family serving families, uh, people caring for people, family serving families and companies impacting communities. And all three of those phrases are, are intensively wrapped around relationships, right? And so, uh, in the social distancing we've, we've had to adjust and pivot our, um, our model a little bit. So in the early days it changed. Um, and now we've gotten to back to where we can use the fluid shields and, and really engage people curbside as they pull in to get their, their food. And then in Uganda, the, the teams have been, uh, really creative on how they, uh, we're hoping to be able to, um, to, to still meet the needs of praying with people or, or just getting to know people, because like I mentioned earlier, uh, we believe the conduit for change is a relationship. And so as we serve families in need and provide these basic necessities and services, we want to do that through a relationship because we want, we want to know what the deeper need is. We want to know what the long-term need is. And then we want to be able to connect, to be able to meet that need, um, on a, on a very personal level. And so I love that our volunteers get that; our team members understand how important relationships are. And so that's, that's what we focus on.

Moss:

Yes. Um, and what part of your background, um, led to your position and work with Grace Bridge and Master Cares?

Morris:

Yeah, well, uh, so I actually grew up in Tennessee. I went to another, uh, college down the road from you and union university. Um, and so I, uh, my undergraduate degree was in psychology. Um, and then I, uh, was on a ministry track at an early age. Um, I was serving in student ministry, uh, when I was in the area there, um, before moving to Texas to go to seminary at Southwestern. But, um, you know, my background was, um, I believe that, um, as each one of us are created in the image of God, uh, we all have this amazing opportunity to use our gifts, our talents, our hands, our feet, uh, to impact other people around us for the good and, uh, and for personal walk for His glory, for the glory of God. And so, um, and so I just had always made it a part of my, um, uh, philosophy in how I was going to do student ministry, uh, when I was younger. And, and in the early days of living here in Texas, that we were going to engage people, uh, and meet their physical needs, uh, as we were trying to share with them about how much God loved them. And so I started working with, uh, Prestonwood Baptist Church back in 2001, and just kind of fell into, uh, a missions coordinator liaison between the student choir and, and then my philosophy just kept expanding because, uh, we were able to do missions in Mexico. Um, we went all over the U S we went to Hungary and, and parts of Europe to do missions. First international mission trip was to Acuña, Mexico. My second one, this was a personal mission trip was to Romania to work with the Romani people group there, uh, the gypsies, and, uh, just always had a, had a love and a passion for mobilizing, uh, the church and to mobilize to go and serve. And so in doing so, I continued that pattern on until 2010 and, uh, in 2010, uh, Mr. Loper, now we're serving together at our church locally. And, uh, we were helping a friend of mine who did these food baskets, at Thanksgiving and Christmas. And, uh, the question was asked what happens to the families the other 10 months out of the year. Nobody had a good answer. Mr. Loper had a good answer. He said, we should start a food pantry and Carter should help. And I was like, hmm, I don't know about all that. I was getting ready to work on my doctorate. And, uh, some other things and little did I know God had different plans. And so I think, I think a couple of things, um, obviously, um, it was a part of who I was before I had the position. Um, and so I think out of just leading in my person, um, those around me encouraged me to, uh, take a more formalized role. And, uh, my wife and I, Julie, and our kids, which, you know, well, um, they, uh, you know, they, they agreed that this was something to commit our lives to. And so in 2012, we committed to start doing this full-time and, and that's really what led to it. So, you know, I think it was a personal practice. And then I had some, uh, formalized opportunities of mobilizing groups of two and 300, uh, students and people, um, and, uh, some, just some good life experiences that weren't necessarily planned out. Um, and yet, you know, that opened the door and then the third or the second thing would have been, you know, just understanding that, you know, there was a need in, and wanting to meet a need and feeling compelled to meet the need. And then the third thing was just the openness of my heart to do, you know, whatever, uh, God had set before me. And, uh, and so I took that step of faith to do that. So I think that maybe answers the question, you know, in, in undergrad, I mentioned undergrad earlier. I did spend a number of, um, my, my credit hours in, in leadership classes and, uh, leadership administration, um, uh, a dear professor of mine that I had, uh, Roger Gladwell, um, really poured into a group of students, just, um, you know, these leadership books that I still use today. And so as I look back on that learning, um, I saw an opportunity to apply all of that and, and that excited me. So I think, I think that's another thing that as I opened my heart up to it, and I'd seen things that I learned years ago, and then I'm like, I can apply every one of those principles here. And so there's just a fulfillment in that that got me pretty excited.

Moss:

That's awesome.

Morris:

Yeah.

Moss:

Um, so what experiences have most shaped you as a leader?

Morris:

Yeah, well, um, you know, I think, gosh, you know, I, um, I'm a huge proponent of mentorship, um, in, uh, in, in, in my personal walk discipleship. Um, I've had some incredible men over the years invest in me. Um, I've also had people give me opportunities to, to, uh, fail actually, to here here's a chance do this. Uh, if you succeed, it's going to be great if you fail, it's going to be okay. And, um, and so I think that, uh, uh, because of those opportunities that others have afforded me and that, uh, God has afforded me to have, um, I would say probably some of the greatest things that I've learned has been through things that didn't go quite as planned. Um, and, and, uh, and seeing life as that opportunity to learn from those, those mistakes or, or even just, you know, things not turning out the way you expected. Um, you know, I, I try to teach my team all the time that, you know, we're going to have a good plan, but we also need to understand we operate in a very dynamic environment. You cannot, you know, we, we would have never guessed last Saturday after serving hundreds of families on a Saturday, that we would have 24 brand new families show up that we'd never seen. Uh, just wasn't what we were necessarily expecting, but we were able to pivot and respond and love on them. And there was great reward in that. And so being dynamic, being flexible, knowing that, um, you can have all the best plans in the world, but, but making sure that, that you, that you are ready to move and roll with whatever is going to come your way as something I think is very important. And especially in the nature of, uh, of what we do in, in serving and in the, the relief efforts, because, um, you know, if you, if you're really rigid on your plan, um, you could miss an opportunity to serve somebody. Uh, and so, so I would say I've learned that through other scenarios where I've tried to make everything fit in this box and it not fit correctly. And so, uh, so anyway, that being said, it's just, um, one of those deals where, uh, I would definitely say my failures have, have taught me a ton and, and looking back, my failures have been, um, more of it just not going the way I thought it would, and yet, you know, learning from those opportunities. And then the other thing I would say is learning from others. Um, I have an older sibling, um, who's eight years older than I am. And, and, uh, you know, it was interesting all my life. I'd kind of watch him and go, "oh, okay." You know, learning from his life. Right. Um, and, and so it's, uh, is definitely one of those things where, where, uh, uh, you look at it and you go, um, you know, you definitely can learn a lot from others and, and you know, those that you have in your life that allow you to learn from them. It it's, it's so good. It's so good

Moss:

For sure. Um, is there a person that has influenced your leadership the most and if so, what impact have they had on your life?

Morris:

Oh man. A person?

Moss:

You can talk about multiple people.

Morris:

Yeah. Um, well, you know, I mentioned, you know, I mentioned Roger Gladwell in my younger years. Um, gosh, I was a part of the, uh, the Royal ambassadors, which was a small group kind of inside my church growing up. Um, and I think about the men who were in that, that group, just teaching, um, teaching us, you know, uh, how to tie knots and just how to be, how to be outdoors and enjoy the world that God created. But at the same time, not just teaching us these little trades, but teaching us respect and admiration for God as Father and Creator, which also translated to respecting men, you know, older men that were, um, that were, you know, in, in our community. Um, you know, my parents have had a huge influence on my life. Um, um, they, they work hard and, and, uh, you know, salt taught us the importance of family and the importance of, uh, just loving one another unconditionally. And so I think, I think that's something that's, that's huge. Um, I have, uh, I've had, you know, just team member after team member that I've served with on churches that have, have encouraged me, uh, throughout my years. And then, and then I would say, you know, Mr. Loper, um, Charles has been a, a huge influence in my life, uh, over these last nine years that we've been doing Grace Bridge and Master Cares together. And then I have a few other men in my life, uh, that, that have, um, invested in me continually, um, uh, that just, you know. I wasn't really prepared for a list, but you know, what I think of is, is, uh, Ron Pile, we, we serve together in a couple of capacities and, and what's great is, is, uh, these men are, are 20 years plus my senior. And, um, and, and to, to get going back to what I had started with about learning from those who are ahead of you in life is so important. Um, because they they've had failures, they've had experiences that didn't go as planned, they've had huge successes, um, and that, that we can learn from, and, and I really enjoy that. And then there are also, uh, these are men who have committed their lives to following Christ. And, uh, and I love listening to them talk about their journey with God, um, as it influences mine. Yeah. So, I don't know. I think did that answer that question?

Moss:

Yes.

Morris:

Okay. All right. Good.

Moss:

Um, so going back to something that you talked about a little bit earlier, um, how have you learned from some of the obstacles and challenges that you faced in life either personal or professional?

Morris:

Yeah, well, I would say some of the obstacles, you know, have been, um, what I have thought in the moment was an obstacle, but was a divine delay maybe, um, in the sense that as a, as a, you know, as a person of faith and as a, as a follower of Christ, I mean, you know, you can see an obstacle, uh, in a couple of different ways. One, it's an obstacle. Um, is this something that is going to disappoint you or something that is going to get you down, or is it a divine delay and that God's going to do something else? You know, for instance, one of the things we've been trying to do for four years now is to build a permanent facility for the food pantry in downtown Celina. Um, we've had a donated building. We now rent multiple buildings because we need more space, but every time we've gone to build a building, it has, uh, led to major roadblocks. Some of them are funding. Some of them was, well, we were going to build this building this way. Well, now we need to be built this way, or now our model has changed a little bit or a lot during this season. And we've realized that we can do more if we do this. And so, so I see it more now on this side of it, the obstacle that it was really a divine delay in the sense that God's got a better plan or there's a different plan than what we had originally set out to do. And so, um, so those, those obstacles that that's one example of an obstacle. Um, you know, as I mentioned early, we live in a, kind of a dynamic environment in what we do with the nonprofits. And, and so, uh, when you travel abroad, now, there's just things that will happen. I mean, there's just no other way to do it. You know, I don't know if you remember during our, our mission trip training, but I would tell you don't anticipate just participate because there's definitely going to be things that are going to go into change or a bus is going to break down, or we're going to get there and the local families are still in transit because, you know, they don't operate on American time and they don't have reliable transportation. And so, so there's, there's just different pieces of that puzzle that create obstacles yet are opportunities, uh, to really see, um, something maybe even better than you had imagined. And so, uh, I've really grown over the last 10 years, insane obstacles as opportunities. Um, because before that, I think I had much more control over the environment, you know "control" over the environment I was in. Um, but at the end of the day, uh, it's, it's it, I think it's something that you continue to learn in. And so, um, the other thing is, is, you know, moving from a more of a ministry background where I was on staff with a larger, you know, I was on church staff with a larger church and, and we had a lot of, um, incredible people that handled the business side of the church. Um, most, most people don't realize the amount of business requirements that go into running a nonprofit or a church. And, uh, and so therefore I was, uh, just able to, um, um, learn that very quickly when I stepped out from my church role and took on the role of running the whole organization. Uh, there was a lot of things that I immediately realized. Wow. Um, I don't know, uh, I wasn't, I didn't take a bunch of business classes. Um, you know, I ran a small business when I was in college, but, you know, I haven't really done that in a, in a while. And, and so, uh, you know, having those kind of obstacles, um, that stretch you or make you rely on other people to come in and help you do, um, really teaches you to, um, you know, uh, build a good team and, and trust, trust in people that come to work with you. So, yeah.

Moss:

Um, so going off of that, um, what would you say the importance of like delegating tasks to other people is?

Morris:

Very, um, very, in in fact, it's probably something that, um, that over the years that I've wrestled with the most, because, uh, you know, starting an organization, being a small organization, doing the small things, you, everybody has to wear multiple hats. Well, we've been in that period of time coming up on 10 years of where we've been small and we've been able to do bigger things, but we've still been small in, in our, in our structure and in our staff. And so, and so therefore we've had to, um, you know, adjust and pivot. Well, now we're starting to be able to build a team and even a management team that removes me from a lot of the day-to-day stuff. And so, so trusting and delegating is something that I really equate it to, um, like working out or any other exercise, the more you do it, the stronger it becomes an asset for you, the least the less you do it, um, the more of a burden it is. So, um, again, I don't use that analogy .'cause I work out really well all the time or ever, but it is a good analogy in sense that if I were to run upstairs and jump on my treadmill, then it would definitely tell me, Hey, you haven't been practicing this for the last year or six. And, um, and then the, uh, the other side of that is, is that if I did it for four or five days in a row, it would be easier. Right? And, and so the same thing with the delegating is that I think every leader, um, probably walks through that and some people are naturally good at delegating and they will walk into a room and they can do this. Ona project, I feel like I had done that quite a bit, you know, getting people involved and then delegating, but in the structure of an organization where you're trusting this team member to do this aspect all the time, the same way you do the aspect here and do the aspect here, that's definitely something that you grow into. And that, I think you, you, you gain strength and almost like preparing for a marathon, right. You're just, you're, you're working on your, your, uh, longevity.

Moss:

Yes. Um, and what are some action...? Oh no.

Morris:

Oh, sorry. There was something in front of my screen.

Moss:

Okay. Um, so what are some action steps you believe are essential in enabling others to be successful?

Morris:

Yeah, I, uh, well one is clear communication. Um, you know, I you know, we, we have, uh, spent quite a bit of time in the early part of 2020, and throughout defining job descriptions. Um, early on it was, Hey, we're going to bring a team member in who's willing to work hard and do anything and everything. Well, as we've grown and as we've tried to get better in certain aspects of our organization, I realized that clear communication about expectations and, and giving that team member a defined area that they're to operate in is it's been, has been so, so good. Um, and freeing for some to, to have that. Um, and so, um, and again, I think that's been a transition for me as the leader going okay, we've, we've been in a startup phase, we've been in a small phase, and now we're being, uh, entrusted with more. And so to do that, to really enable team members to be successful, uh, is to do that. And then the other thing that, you know, we're learning is, is evaluation, you know, to give good evaluation on a regular basis. And if somebody is not, um, performing or, or, or flourishing in their area, um, you know, it's, uh, you may need to move to a different location within the organization, or give them an opportunity to do something different, or provide them with some training that they might not have ever had to help them do that. Um, and so, so the communication, the good feedback, and then obviously, um, you know, trying to equip everybody, not just with how to do their job better, but, um, caring for them as a person, as a whole. I mean, that is one thing at Grace Bridge and Master Cares, we're concerned with the whole person, you know, we don't want to just fill somebody's belly with food when we know that they're struggling emotionally and spiritually. We don't want to go to Uganda and just give someone a loaf of bread when what we really need to try to do is teach them how to grow the wheat, mill the wheat, and bake their own bread, so they can provide for their family and sell it to others in the community. And so in the same way, we have to try to look at our team members. If we have a team member, who's doing a job, then we need to equip them to do it. And so yeah, again, you know, the pandemic changed a lot of things that was on my plan for 2020, along with everybody else. Um, but some of the plans that we had as an organization, uh, to do some of these things in 2020, because of where we are in our life history as a, as an organization, um, we're running a little behind on that again and, and, and rightfully so, but we've learned some other good lessons along the way, uh, for sure.

Moss:

Um, what would you say the balance between personal and professional life is for you and why is that important?

Morris:

Yeah, well, first of all, there's no one that can be a husband to my wife, Julie, but me, and there's nobody who can be a father to my kids, but me. And so I remind myself of that daily. Um, I would say in the nature of what we do, you know, there, there's a, there's a business side of the organization that I mentioned earlier and there's business that has to take place during the day, right? But most people as a volunteer driven organization, I've talked a lot about our staff, um, that gets to work with us, um, but we have hundreds of volunteer staff that serve with us all the time and they have jobs during the day. And so they start thinking about Grace Bridge and how to serve and get involved in the evenings and on the weekends, or when we're getting ready to go on a trip. And so you really have to fight hard in this array of, of nonprofit work, like what we do to, to constantly fight for that time, balance that time. And, and I talk with Julie, my wife all the time about it, um, to keep me in check because, um, what we do is so important and what we do is so good and so rewarding, but at the same time, we, can't not, um, I, you can't sacrifice your family for any of that. Um, because I think one day, if I look up and I say, well, I wish I could have been a better dad, or I wish I was there for my kids during this time, this time, this time I can't ever get that back. Um, and then, you know, to be there for Julie and to say, Hey, this is, you know, no matter what, when I stood on the altar with her and I made a covenant before God to her in marriage is, is not to put her second, but to always put her first or second, only to God in my life, and then, and then our children. And so, so knowing that when those priorities get out of alignment, uh, you know, to bring them back and then to have those conversations with your family. One of the things I do love about what we get to do is that, uh, our kids get to serve with us and we get to do that as a family. So that helps, uh, some, and not everybody is afforded that opportunity, especially in their work or, uh, in the organization that they run. We get to do that. Julie got to go to Uganda for the first time in February of this year. And so, um, so it's been really good to see those things come together, but, um, but I think it is a constant battle. I do think it's something that you, you have to be reminded of just like you would be, you know, trying to sharpen your skill set on, uh, whatever business topic or leadership topic or whatever new tool is out there to make you, you know, do your job better. Um, you have to be as concerned and on point about, um, prioritizing, you know, your time. Um, our time is our most valuable commodity. And once it's spent, you can't get it back and where you spend it, you better make sure it's going to count. And so we, we have to make sure that our time with, with our spouse and our family, uh, remains important in that. And again, uh, there are seasons, uh, like we're going into a super busy season. You know, we have our gala coming up, we have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas. And, and so those are the busiest times of year. And if we're not careful, then those things can get out of order, uh, really, really quick.

Moss:

Thank you for sharing. Um, what do you want your legacy to look like?

Morris:

Yeah, I think, I think that's the same, um, almost the same answer is that, um, you know, I want, I want people to say of me that, you know, Carter Morris loved Jesus and followed Him. He loved his wife and he loved his children and taught them to love God. Um, that's, that's what I want my legacy to be. Um, and for people to see that, um, when, when we say that we love God, we're going to love people and we can't truly love people, um, if we don't really love God because, um, you know, love between people is not always reciprocated. And, you know, if things reciprocated, uh, sometimes people are like, well, I don't want anything to do with that, that, you know, and, and that's not what we've been called to. That's not what I've been saved for. And so, um, and so, you know, my legacy of, of, you know, with Grace Bridge and Master Cares and, you know, the time I've served on church staff, um, I love hearing stories of how we've impacted people's lives. It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear those stories of impact, um, and, and I love giving glory to God for it. Um, but you know, at the end of the day, I just, you know, I want people to know that, um, more than anything I loved, I loved God and I loved, uh, I love Him and He loves me and I love Julie and I lead them well, and that's the type of legacy that I want to leave behind. And, and in that journey, uh, getting to set that example for other people through the work we do at Grace Bridge and Master Cares, um, it's a, it's, I call it a big bowl of fruit salad. Uh, it's just, it's just, uh, it just, it's very rewarding at the end of the day, for sure.

Moss:

Um, so finishing up, my last question is, um, can you tell me a little bit about some of y'all's events coming up and how those have been impacted by COVID?

Morris:

Yes. So, uh, so, so we, you know, we were doing bimonthly food distributions, um, in person, come in, sit down, meet with a family encourager, uh, all that changed, uh, back in March. And we went to a drive-through model, which is something that we've not ever really done. Um, and so because of that, we were, um, you know, we were, um, on pivot to figure that out. And so we basically took the Chick-fil-A model and said, hey, we're going to do it the Chick-fil-A way. We're just going to put everybody in a drop there. And, uh, and so we we've, we, we pivoted on that and, uh, the drive-through model has been great. And in 2019, we serve 3,300 families. And as of, uh, just this last week, we're at about 7,500 families this year, so far. And, uh, yeah. And so the Lord has really increased our area of service. Uh, we've been, you know, a part of the farmers to families initiative where we've been serving the produce food that the, um, the president's stimulus package had provided for families. So we've been helping with that as well, too. And, um, and yeah, and so that changed. And then in Uganda, uh, because of the country and the health care system over there, um, and them dealing with things like Ebola and other, uh, outbreaks, I mean, they shut the country down. I mean, it was shut down completely. And so, and as soon as we could start helping in some capacity, we were doing a, um, we started feeding the families, um, from the school and delivering food to people's homes, uh, that couldn't get out that we had contact with. And so, um, and now they're slowly starting to open things back up. And, uh, and praise the Lord they, they didn't have a huge and severe impact in Uganda because of what they did though. And though like a lot of places, uh, it destroyed the economy. Uh, you, you gone as economy was already in a wreck. And so it's, um, it's gonna take years for this to recover over there, for sure. So, um, so yeah, so, so that, that, you know, we had to stop running trips. We couldn't take trips over to Uganda, which were, um, you know, again, we have almost 200 team members over there. And so our trips were more benefit-add. It wasn't what we like the work was happening every day. We would just go in and help perpetuate the work that was already happening and not the other way around. Um, and so, um, so the trips were fun. We took, you know, great resources for our school and, and everything, but we didn't have to, uh, have the trips to make sure the work kept going. So with everything opening back up, the work will start back the way it was for sure over there. So, so I think that's, uh, if you want to repeat the question, I might think of something different, but I think that's, I think I answered the question. Yeah.

Moss:

Yes. Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you. I really appreciate it.

Morris:

You're welcome. You're welcome. Well, thank you for the invite, and it's always good to talk about what God's been doing and, uh, and it's always good to get to see you and your family as well, too, when I get to bump into them.

Moss:

Yes. For sure.

Morris:

Okay. Well, thank you.

Moss:

Yes. Thank you so much. Have a nice day.

Morris:

Okay, you too. See ya.

Moss:

Bye.