a day of service and an invitation to serve.....
I did a thing today. Claire and I went to serve at The Gospel Mission in Sioux City, Iowa. She had an assignment to do for her social work class that focused on spending time with a vulnerable population. She had hoped to do this assignment in Haiti over spring break but the political unrest in Haiti prevented her trip. She chose to spend her time at home instead and found many, many purposeful things to do. Gosh I am so proud of that kid. She can be efficient, serious, humble, moral, whimsical, simple and honest.....and brave.....all in one day. The amount of time I was able to spend with her this past week and a half is obscene. I shouldn't get to have that much time now that she is 19 and doesn't live here anymore. I am very grateful.
We arrived at 9am at the facility and spent about 2 hours putting second hand clothing on hangers, buttoning and zipping and straightening garments. And we talked and we talked and we talked some more....we talked about her future, her goals, her hopes, her fears.....her classes, her friends. I was remembering things that had happened that involved the Gospel Mission and told her a few stories I had not thought of for awhile......in that cold warehouse.....just the two of us.....sorting clothes.
Next we went to the room where the meals were served. We put on hair nets and gloves and got our assignments and set up to serve the meal. We served around 100 guests who all came in from the street, from their jobs, from their shelter spots and we could smile and honor their requests most of the times....yes to salad, no to rice, more on the plate please? Maybe? Where is George? Ask George? He can decide if you get a slice of bread or not....a meal to go for your friend or not......
Lastly we went to meet with the staff that run the womens/childrens facility.....lovely women who pour their hearts into loving on people who may be in their darkest season of life, their lonliest day, their most broken moment.....we heard these women say that their main goal always is to present the gospel of Jesus, to offer salvation and the love of Christ, to every person they encounter.....a powerful act of evangelism....a mission field right where they work. We got to visit with a woman who was just coming in to shelter and hear a bit of her story and see her pain and her need.....and we took a moment before we left to pray with these beautiful people who are the hands and feet of the love of Jesus in this broken, broken world.
Then we went to Target and got Claire some things she needed. We came home and Claire packed up to go back to the dorms and finish her freshman year.
What is this holy space I get to occupy? How is it that I get to wake up and do such important work with and for Jesus? I am overwhelmed. I am humbled.
The sun shone today and the snow melted some more and it feels like spring is coming.....and the hope in my heart is almost bursting. If I can raise a child like Claire and do amazing things like what happened today, in spite of my flaws and failures as a mom and as a human and as a Christian....thanks be to God Almighty....we can all look up and have hope.
It is like that with God. Spending time with Him....is rather like what happened today. You enter in to the warehouse and sort some clothes, remember some things, ask some questions, learn some things. You go to the dining hall and you serve....and you see the broken and the contrite of heart, the needy and the lost and you get to see all those needs being met as the power of Jesus feeds you....the bread and the wine, the body and the blood.....and then you go that inside place of intimacy, where the women and children find sanctuary, and you get offered that cup of grace and mercy and acceptance and salvation. You cry and you repent and you do business with creator God.....and there is a place for you there to rest, to heal, to learn and to grow.
May we all live the Gospel Mission. Amen and amen.
I want to bless these special servants. I want to thank them for letting Claire and I come and spend a day in their world. Would you want to join us? Maybe come up with some Easter baskets of treats and sweets, for the staff? Some way to bless the folks who come to stay there? I don't know but it feels like there should be something we could do. Let me know if you have ideas.
We arrived at 9am at the facility and spent about 2 hours putting second hand clothing on hangers, buttoning and zipping and straightening garments. And we talked and we talked and we talked some more....we talked about her future, her goals, her hopes, her fears.....her classes, her friends. I was remembering things that had happened that involved the Gospel Mission and told her a few stories I had not thought of for awhile......in that cold warehouse.....just the two of us.....sorting clothes.
Next we went to the room where the meals were served. We put on hair nets and gloves and got our assignments and set up to serve the meal. We served around 100 guests who all came in from the street, from their jobs, from their shelter spots and we could smile and honor their requests most of the times....yes to salad, no to rice, more on the plate please? Maybe? Where is George? Ask George? He can decide if you get a slice of bread or not....a meal to go for your friend or not......
Lastly we went to meet with the staff that run the womens/childrens facility.....lovely women who pour their hearts into loving on people who may be in their darkest season of life, their lonliest day, their most broken moment.....we heard these women say that their main goal always is to present the gospel of Jesus, to offer salvation and the love of Christ, to every person they encounter.....a powerful act of evangelism....a mission field right where they work. We got to visit with a woman who was just coming in to shelter and hear a bit of her story and see her pain and her need.....and we took a moment before we left to pray with these beautiful people who are the hands and feet of the love of Jesus in this broken, broken world.
Then we went to Target and got Claire some things she needed. We came home and Claire packed up to go back to the dorms and finish her freshman year.
What is this holy space I get to occupy? How is it that I get to wake up and do such important work with and for Jesus? I am overwhelmed. I am humbled.
The sun shone today and the snow melted some more and it feels like spring is coming.....and the hope in my heart is almost bursting. If I can raise a child like Claire and do amazing things like what happened today, in spite of my flaws and failures as a mom and as a human and as a Christian....thanks be to God Almighty....we can all look up and have hope.
It is like that with God. Spending time with Him....is rather like what happened today. You enter in to the warehouse and sort some clothes, remember some things, ask some questions, learn some things. You go to the dining hall and you serve....and you see the broken and the contrite of heart, the needy and the lost and you get to see all those needs being met as the power of Jesus feeds you....the bread and the wine, the body and the blood.....and then you go that inside place of intimacy, where the women and children find sanctuary, and you get offered that cup of grace and mercy and acceptance and salvation. You cry and you repent and you do business with creator God.....and there is a place for you there to rest, to heal, to learn and to grow.
May we all live the Gospel Mission. Amen and amen.
I want to bless these special servants. I want to thank them for letting Claire and I come and spend a day in their world. Would you want to join us? Maybe come up with some Easter baskets of treats and sweets, for the staff? Some way to bless the folks who come to stay there? I don't know but it feels like there should be something we could do. Let me know if you have ideas.
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