Discombobulated, disconnected, anxious….these are the feelings that have been rattling around in my head and heart during these strange days of the Covid virus. And so I was excited when I saw on the The Nehemiah Foundation online platform a way to be matched to help people in need during this time. Here was a way to serve, something to do…..a weekly event to put on my calendar! And maybe this would be a way to feel a little bit “normal”.
Yet, this match of “helper to person in need” has been used in my life to remind me that at whichever end of the spectrum we find ourselves (helper or recipient), there is work that God is doing in each of us.
My job has been easy, requiring very little work and just a bit of time….delivering meals to displaced folks being served through the Interfaith Hospitality Network, who found themselves having to move from the shelters into hotel rooms during the social distancing mandates. Through the experience, I have been humbled by these sweet folks who have reminded me that while our whole country is currently feeling discombobulated, every day in every community there are folks who struggle with the insecurity of life’s brokenness. So, I give a big thank you to each of them who have been so kind and gracious.
I also give a big shout out:
- to Bob and the other “guest supporters” who, even in the midst of their displacement, have made sure that their neighbors get their meals each evening,
- to the young parents who are trying to keep their little toddlers occupied while stuck in a one room hotel room for days on end,
- to the weary workers at places like Salato Deli who work so hard to serve our community and provide the wonderful food that gets delivered each day, and
- to the great team at Interfaith Hospitality Network who walk alongside their homeless friends with such loving-kindness.
Are we still discombobulated? Why, yes. But are we disconnected? Do we need to be anxious? No! Jesus is in our midst working in each of us….both the helpers and the homelessness….to remind us that all we truly need is Him.
from a humbled helper
