I didn’t realize so many blessings would come from simply baking chocolate chip cookies. I thought my time and effort would just help raise a few dollars. But I was also uplifted and inspired in my own work.

Before I baked the cookies, I felt down. Thanksgiving was a few days away, and there would be two less people at our family gathering. This was only the second Thanksgiving after the passing of my dad and older brother.

I had bought the cookie mix six months earlier to bake for a gathering in memory of my brother. Chocolate chip cookies were one of his favorite sweets. But my family didn’t get together on the anniversary of his passing. Our hearts felt heavy, so we each grieved and remembered him in our own way.

I knew the cookie mix wouldn’t last until the next anniversary. So, I decided to use it for a fundraiser in support of missionaries. As I baked the cookies and thought about the fellowship that would happen at church, I realized the cookies could still honor the memory of my brother.

A smile came to my face as I pictured my brother’s smile. He would be delighted to know that the cookies I baked in his memory would support the preaching of the gospel not only in Texas, but also around the world. I could imagine him saying, “God can even minister to people through cookies.”