I fell in love again last night at Community Connections and I wanted to share with you the why. I met a man by the name of John about two weeks ago and he is a relatively new to the program and yet he has a great compassion to want to volunteer and serve others. Several times he mentioned to me and the registration staff that he enjoyed coming so much because of the love the volunteers showed to the people; I believe kindness was the actual word he used.
As usual I was blessed several times as I served last night;
God has a sense of humour that way. He takes the way the world works and turns
it upside down. Another one of those times was when Cathie one of my co-workers
also pointed out the shear generosity of those who have great need. One of our
clients was kind enough to offer another bus fare as he mentioned he could not
stay too long because the transfer he had would run out.
At the end of the evening I had an opportunity to drive John
home as he himself had no bus fare. It was great getting to know him and his
life story. He himself is a walking miracle, for there was a time in his life when
he was pronounced dead. John explained to me that he used to ride horses for a
living and was a jockey, totally understandable as he has the perfect stature
and accent for it. His story however turned from inspiring to tragic as he
describe the day in which he became disabled due to a fall on the track. His
ribs were broken, his lungs punctured and he was crushed by the horse he was
riding. He doesn't know how but they were able to get his heart going again. Of
course there is some permanent damage from this accident, but it is evidenced
in the physical only as his spirit is so big.
He joked with me that on that day neither the devil nor God
wanted him. It was at this point that I fell in love again. I explained to him
that of course God wanted him and in fact wants everyone to come to him, know
him, and have a relationship with him. I asked him if he knew that God was delaying
his return so that none should die without this relationship. He didn't give me
a reply to that question, but he did say that he would consider coming to one
of the services on Saturday or Sunday.
I fell in love again at the beauty of an individual experiencing
that love of Christ which begins in the tiniest of places and in the smallest
of things. I sensed in this man a great yearning in his heart and spirit as we
spoke together on the five minute trip to his home. I was amazed at the quick
and deep connection that we were able to make. I know that the Holy Spirit was
at work and it was a wonder to be a part of that. I have been serving with
Community Connections for almost five years now and have seen the ministry
experience great change. I write this letter now to APC and the church members
in order to tell them that the harvest is great but the reapers are few.
Although we have more volunteers than ever, what we truly
need are people to do what I did with John. We have to connect with these
people one on one, get to know them, understand them and listen to their life stories.
We need to let them know who God is, what he is like and how they too can have
a relationship with him that will change them forever. Currently we have enough
people to serve their physical needs, but we could use more people to talk them,
get to know them and share not only the gospel, but Christ’s love for them. I
know that 2015 is the year of invitation, but I challenge you today to prepare
yourself for the ministry of 2015 by participating and interacting with people
now. The love we feel with Christ is the love we need to share with others and
I invite you to help the Community Connection Ministry to do just that; connect.
