Building Family Bonds by Serving at the Mission – Andrew & Briana

Visit the Family Home any Saturday and you’ll find father-daughter duo Andrew and Briana Lannon serving in the kitchen. For years Andrew had been feeling God tugging at his heart to get involved with helping homeless people, but he kept resisting. Because he went to church most Sundays and worked hard to support his family, he thought that was enough. But when Rev. Richard Spellman started coming to his office every day, praying with him and encouraging him to read the Bible, Andrew’s life changed forever. In 2018 he prayed, “Lord God, how can I best serve You?” and on his computer screen was an ad for a local shelter, inviting people to volunteer. Andrew remembered he had toured the Mission in 2006 and liked the fact that it’s a Christian ministry, so that’s where he serves today. His daughter Briana, a high school senior, works alongside her dad every week, serving food, washing dishes, taking out the trash, whatever needs to be done. “I like coming here,” she says. “My favorite part is serving food, because I can talk with people and get to know them. I like to spend time with my dad.” She is inspired by the life of Mother Teresa, who exemplified service to others. Andrew encourages everyone he knows to find a place to volunteer and give back. “If you volunteer once and like it, make a commitment to serve each week for a month, and it will become systematic. You feel empty when you miss.” During the week, Andrew works at his law firm, Lannon Land Litigation Local Law, but he spends his weekends serving others. “It’s my number one priority,” he says. No longer “choked by the cares and riches of this world,” he has found his joy in serving others.