Over the last few months, my team and I have encountered a lot of different kinds of ministries and ministry opportunities. Mostly, ministry has so far consisted of evangelism and manual labor. We’ve done everything from evangelizing to drug addicts on the street to painting a picket fence for a soup kitchen. But this past week in Delaware, ministry hit a little closer to home.
My team and I spent a little over a week in Lewes, Delaware, where we volunteered with a few different ministries that were feeding the homeless population and helping them create a more sustainable life for themselves. One of those ministries was called “Love Inc.” As we came to find out, the “Inc” doesn’t stand for incorporated; it stands for “In (the) Name (of) Christ.” They have been aiding the people of Delaware, helping people find work, feeding them nutritious food, and spreading the wonderful news about Jesus and His incredible grace.
On our last day partnering with them, the ladies on my team had what we call a “Beauty for Ashes” (BFA) event. These events are held for women and focus on trying to get women to open up about their stories, find healing and freedom, and encourage them to support one another. They are usually very powerful and end up having a huge impact on the women involved. However, as you can probably imagine, men are not usually involved in these events. In an attempt to respect their privacy (and allow them to have a safe space to share their stories), my teammate Jacob and I ended up helping out with a different aspect of ministry: manual labor.
Love Inc., as it happens to be, is currently trying to expand their building, and me and Jacob got to be a part of that process. We would spend most of the morning digging trenches so that the ministry would eventually be able to lay down all the necessary pipes and electrical lines for the building. At the start of the morning, our host pulled me and Jake aside and asked us, “Did your dads ever teach you how to use a shovel properly? And did they ever teach you how to swing a pickaxe?”
Oh, boy. If only he knew!
My dad was a man who worked a lot with his hands. Of course he taught me how to use a shovel! My brothers and I would spend a lot of our time growing up helping him with all sorts of projects around our house (and even some of our rental properties). A pickaxe? Not so much. We never really had to use them before. Thank goodness for my ministry experience in Peru last year or I might have had a more difficult time.
The entire time I was digging, I kept thinking about my dad. It’s kind of incredible to think we can feel a closeness to people even after they pass away. In that moment, I felt like I was back working with my dad. But you know what? I don’t feel pain thinking back on these memories anymore. Instead, I feel a sense of peace, knowing my dad was probably grinning from ear to ear from his new seat (the BEST seat) in heaven. “That’s MY boy,” he would probably say. “I taught him that.”
Thanks dad. These blisters are for you!
As for you, my beloved supporter, be blessed!
AG
