I have been saying, “my world race starts now” since very early on in my application process. I have tried my hardest to live out the idea that we do not need to go on a big mission trip to be the hands and feet of Christ; that we can love and serve right here, today, in our own communities. However, last night that idea finally became reality, and my world race truly began.
As a designer I have been trained to story-tell. That is how you design and sell an experience or product to a consumer, executive, or instructor, however writing like this presents a challenge for me, a challenge I am excited to take on, so bare with me while I try to share the beauty of the following story.
Last night my mentor Will and I planned to meet at the Antioch Church prayer room at 5:30, which we did. We spent a few minutes talking to a few friends in the church office, then went into the prayer room where we soon realized we were both hungry and that there would be a prayer meeting in the room in about 20 minutes so we didn’t have much time. So what did we do? We decided to head to Chick-fil-A to have our meeting instead. On our way out of the building a man by the name of Shawn stopped us and asked if we could pray for his sister. Will and I both looked at each other and said, absolutely. Shawn had been on the streets of Tempe for a few weeks, but was recently saved and baptized back in March. His sister Rolanda had just arrived in Tempe yesterday after hitch hiking from New Mexico with her boyfriend Weylan. Shawn wanted Rolanda to experience what he has experienced through being saved. We spent a few moments in silence waiting for a word from God and then prayed over them. After praying Will asked if they were hungry, which they were, so the 5 of us promptly got in Will’s car and headed to Chick-fil-A. As we ate we learned more about them and continued to encourage, learn more about their plans, and looked up shelters and brainstormed places in the area that would be hiring. However at this point it was 6:30 and the realization that they would be spending another night on the streets set in.
Keep in mind this entire time, they never asked anything of us, they simply asked for prayer, and without pride accepted our love. Shawn, Rolanda, and Weylan did not look homeless, did not smell, and spoke excellent English. It was becoming very evident that they are currently at a tipping point. One path leading to permanent homelessness, and the other path leading to a job and home if they had just a tiny boost. Neither Will or I could offer up our homes to stay at but Will without hesitation offered them a hotel room so they could rest, shower, and be ready to start out tomorrow on the right foot and attend the venues for help we had suggested. They were shocked but accepted Will’s offer. We checked them into the hotel room and went up to the room for a moment with them. We shared the gospel and love of Christ, but made it very clear that they had no obligations to us, no need to agree with what we shared, and that we simply wanted to love them through the food and hotel room for the night. However, after sharing the good news, Rolanda and Weylan wanted to accept Christ as their savior for the first time, and Shawn wanted to reconfirm his acceptance. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the room was so authentic. After accepting Christ, Rolanda asked us if we could pray for her daughters, which we actually used as a means to give her tools on how to pray, and she ended up praying out loud with all of us about her family, struggles, and anxieties. After three hours together, Will and I drove off thanking God for all that he did last night, praising his brilliance. After sharing this experience with my mom last night she was moved to have me offer taking Rolanda shopping for some hygiene products since I said we would be seeing them for breakfast in the morning. So this morning Will and I woke up to meet them for breakfast, where we got to hear about how they continued to pray together last night. Rolanda was beyond thankful for what my mom had offered her. I got to share how my mom helps women through her business and inspire her through my mom’s willingness to give and continue to pour out love.
So what does all of this mean for you and me? Well first of all it has nothing to do with Will or I patting ourselves on the back, in fact it has nothing to do with us at all. It has everything to do with God moving people, time, and experiences for his glory. It means that if we truly open our hearts for God to use as his hands and feet, he will. It means people are saved, cared for, and loved right here in our own city. It means every waking moment is an opportunity to serve. It means that if we take a breathe from our busy lives, schedules, and commitments, the possibility of opportunities we could have never imagined open up. It means that if we can get over our fear and pessimistic attitudes towards the homeless, God can impact individual souls. It means that we don’t need reassurance that Shawn, Rolanda, and Weylan actually accepted Christ last tonight, because that is between them and their creator, our only responsibility is to share and love. It means our excuse of not giving because we cant see where our money goes when we donate to a charity is void, because we are highly capable of giving in situations where we can see exactly where it goes. It means that the last 3 days I have spent in stress and anxiety over the fact that there are only 10 days to finish preparing my thesis have been a ridiculous and selfish waste of time and energy. It means that I know I was created to love others, because I feel fuller than I have in weeks. When we actually let the what-ifs, buts, and doubts go, we can give and experience incredible things.
So what does your world race look like? Because the current moment is all we have, and we don’t need to wait to travel half way around the world to start loving others. How can you respond right now? Please be praying that we see Shawn, Rolanda, and Weylan at Antioch this coming Sunday. Be praying for my sanity as I finish the last two weeks of my college career. And lastly begin praying through whether you feel lead to support me in any further way because as soon as graduation has passed I will be hitting the ground running with fundraising, and building my support team. Thank you for reading and keeping up with this crazy journey, it is my hope that each post moves just one person.
