Serving in Detroit


So today we went as a family to 2nd and Selden in Detroit to serve people in that neighborhood. I met two people that struck my heart. I met others, but these two will stay with me for some time. Victoria and Tracy. Two african american women. The girls, superstar, and I got in our van and took some hot soup and a LOT of our extra coats. Nice coats, but how many does a person need, I mean really. So we got there, and shoeless mike was there along with people from various churches. Food, shelter, fire, clothing. First we walked around the neighborhood inviting people to come and share food and get clothes if they needed them. There were quite a few that came and went. But at the end, Victoria gave me a hug and said "God bless you." The smile on her face, and the bagfull of stuff she took with her was fun to see. Tracy was a bit more reserved, and may even have some type of affliction. But I invited her to eat, but she didn't want anything. As we stood there, she pointed out a striped shirt that was hanging that 'looked nice', so I said let's go look at it. I pulled it off the gazebo (see the picture), and she said 'oh yeah, that's nice. That would be great to have.' So I folded it up, put it in her bag, and she thanked me profusely. I didn't even do anything but serve the two ladies, and they smiled and giggled.

I even saw one of my students from school there with his parents-that was cool. I can't wait to talk to him on Monday. His dad was the one that brought the generator to keep the food warm. It was great to have the girls there to see what others have and don't have in the world. I can't wait to go again, and experience the kingdom in action like I did today.

Why is it that we don't do things like this everyday?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Too, Too, Too Much Fun

Alright. So you're sitting in front of your computer right now. And you're saying to yourself at about 8:00 pm: "Huh. It's been dark out for nearly three and a half hours now. What else can we do for fun?" Well, sir, we have the answer. Take a look at this.
Read more

Big Difference.

I heard my superstar say this to the girls this week: "Discipline sounds like something that is bad, right? But really, it isn't. It means to push yourself to doing something. Like journalling, reading your bible, spending time with God. That is a spiritual discipline. See how that isn't a bad thing?" For nearly four years now (you can get the full story if you look back to 2007 postings), I have certainly elevated my game in the area of spiritual disciplines. Reading the bible more than I ever did before, truly engaging with what God's desire is for my life, not just when it is convenient, trying to spend time being still and listening to what God has to say to me, and one thing I never really understood why superstar did it - journalling. I really started engaging in my morning "Java with Jesus" when I began to work for my company in the D. I would get up early to drive down Alter Road to the little park where the lake turns into the D river.
Read more

10 years in a day

So my days are beginning to run together, and the timelines in my brain are blurry after being on the ground at CEM for three days or has it been four? Either way, let's just say that one day in India is like ten years. That is a pretty good description of what reality is like here. Pastor said that sandrews said that on a trip here many years ago, and I was shocked by just how accurate of a statement that was. A day here can bring life events that you might be exposed to once in ten years living the way we live in the US of A. Here, life is hard. No matter what. As we drove to a 'village church' yesterday, we were what one team member describes as 'in the boonies.' (What does that mean exactly?) We saw things that I don't even know if I would have seen in 10 years living in the US. Men harvesting sugar cane and loading it on trucks. That sounds like a very simple sentence, and a very simple thing to do. But when it is in the upper 90's, and ther
Read more