(K-LOVE News) — It takes just one act of God to bridge a community and their biggest needs together.
12-year-old, Sebastian Beal, is that act of God who saw a need and jumped at the chance to change it. His idea of fun? Helping those who need it most.
Sebastian and his mother, Selena Cardona, attend Aldersgate Methodist Church in Abilene, TX, where they provide resources to those in the community needing extra help and assistance.
One of their programs is their food pantry that remains open and accessible. Sebastian looked to his mom and saw an opportunity to do more with it. He regularly, with the help of Selena, keeps the food pantry stocked and full, and when there is ever a spare moment, Sebastian continues to do more.
“He is getting complete joy out of this, and it is bringing me complete joy because he realizes many people do not have what we have,” Selena says.
Not only has this become a bonding experience for Selena and Sebastian, but other area teens are taking notice too. “He got his friends involved with it, anytime we bought one friend along, his other friends started calling to tag along,” Selena says.
She expresses it was important to know that her son is paving the way for other children in the area to do the same.
Sebastian is light-years ahead of his age, and his mother believes it comes from a place of viewing the world through a different lens. At a young age, Sebastian has come face-to-face with many who have fallen to homelessness, hunger, and poverty.
“One guy hadn’t eaten in two days, and it crumbled my heart into pieces.” This all comes just a year after the passing of Sebastian’s father, and his mother says this initiative also fills a missing piece of their life. However, even with a tragic loss, Selena says there is so many things to be grateful for.
“We are so blessed by God, and I want to take these blessings and pour them into someone else who needs it most," Selena says.
God is moving in this community, and if Sebastian and Selena can be a part of that movement, they are willing to go the extra mile to make it happen. “It just feels like the right thing to do, and when I do it, it feels like He (God) is just watching down on me and it makes me feel better,” Sebastian says.
What’s next for mother-son duo? The community of Abilene is growing and offering more options for the less fortunate, and Sebastian and Selena are just getting started. Ahead of the new school year, they have already held a free clothing and backpack drive and are hoping to continue stocking up their churches ‘refrigerated’ food pantry.
Selena hopes that someday she can turn her passion into a full-time job. She hopes to someday start a sanctuary that caters to the most vulnerable residents of Abilene.
But for now, she is leading by example and starting the next generation at a young age to do the same. “No matter who you are or what you’ve been through, love and compassion is what makes the world go round," she says.