I’m going to be blunt. Ministry has been hard for my team and me this month. It has been inconsistent and very hectic. We already have a lack of comfort and we have now been away from everything that we know for 3 months; we are begining to notice. There has been one ministry that has stood out amongst a multitude of others this month and that ministry is the local homeless shelter. My team and me have to be there by 9 AM in order to help prepare/serve breakfast and prepare/serve lunch. A ministry that, in reality, lasts about 4 hours and feels like much longer. Today, for example, we were told to serve bread and coffee. We were told to not give out certain bread until later. We were told to put said bread behind the table and to not let anyone take it. When approached by a gentlemen in dark sunglasses, he took one look at me and pushed passed me to the forbidden bread. I asked him multiple times to, “Please stop. Please don’t”. He took the bread and turned to me and began to yell in a language that I didn’t understand. He pushed past me and I stood there shocked. I turned towards my team, the shock from the situation quickly spreading across my face. I was scared and confused. He then returned with another man and yelled at me, again. Come to find out he actually “works” there and he is allowed to take the bread. I didn’t know this because he wasn’t wearing an employee shirt or anything. He was just a man that wanted to take the forbidden bread. He wasn’t wearing a work shirt because the shelter didn’t want him officially on staff because he suffers from a severe drug addictions. I then apologized to hopefully bring some peace and order to the situation and the man began to mock me and my apology. It was rough. Two days ago, I was helping in the kitchen and accidentally dropped a huge tub of boiling water on the ground and one of my poor squad mates slipped and fell into it and was burned. She then had to have soy sauce rubbed all over her legs because of it. I’m sorry but, never did I see this coming when I signed up for the World Race. I should have because it’s reality and it happens all the time but, I made the mistake of having unbelievably high expectations. Which, have been exceeded. Yes, my expectations for the race have been exceeded. It’s like in Ephesians 3:20 where Paul talks about how God will always exceed our expectations because His plans are always so much better than ours.
My expectations have been exceeded in the sense that even in the midst of chaos,confusion, and mess, Jesus still shines through. I see Him in the way that these people with so little still bring so much pure joy to the table. There is this one woman, Kim, that leads the shelter’s choir. For the past few days now, she has asked us to help lead some songs to entertain the group. We have done some silly songs, some Christmas songs, and some worship songs. With every song we do, I see more and more of Jesus. These people come to the shelter to find exactly that, shelter. The world has turned their backs towards these people; the untouchables. Those that have been rejected by society. Those that, because they are different, are counted among the outcasts. In Psalm 31:20, David reminds us that God, “…[hides us], [He] shelters [us] in [His] presence, safe from the conspiracies of mocking men”. What an excellent (and very tangible) example of how we are able to seek and find shelter in the Lord. If these people, that have been shut out by the rest of the world, can seek and find physical and spiritual shelter in Jesus, then I wholeheartedly believe that we all can. Jesus is the ultimate provider. He is constant, faithful, and good. If I have to be yelled at everyday, and kicked out of that kitchen multiple times for dropping scalding water, in order for one person to find Jesus, then so be it. If I have to continue to be exhausted because of inconsistency, then so be it. This is the life that Jesus has called me into.
Being here for Thanksgiving was a little hard as well because I was away from family for the first time but, again, being able to be around these people that have a constant thanksgiving in their hearts but, no roof over their heads was insanely eye opening. It meant the world. I’m so thankful that God has called me into this life and provided for me every step of the way. Psalm 31:14-15 says, “I’m Glad to say ‘You are my God!’. I give the moments of my life over to You, Eternal One.” I don’t think I could have said it any better. Jesus has shown me, again and again, that there is no pit so deep that His love is not deeper still.
In this time of thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday being just yesterday, I do hope that the spirit of giving is still alive because I need it to be (Lord know). I am about $2,500 away from my goal and the deadline is coming up very soon. If you would like to, please donate to my mission and partner with me on this journey. By you supporting me, you will be supporting God’s calling over my life and you will be supporting the countless amounts of others that I am able to be here with and help. Thank you so much for already giving me something as valuable as your time. I do hope that the Lord continues to speak to you and show Himself to you in your everyday life.
Blessings, Presley.
