When a sandwich works a miracle

Back in January, at one of the very first opening Sundays of our new church plant, the kids and I didn’t know what to do with ourselves after the first service ended. Justin was staying for second service to lead the student ministry, and we hadn’t yet established a rhythm for our new Sunday routine. I thought about sticking around and seeing if the kids and I could be utilized on one of the serving teams or just connect with people in the lobby, but it seemed mostly covered.

As such, we made our way out to the car– the kids started complaining about how hungry they were and suggested we stop for lunch (of course our church has to be situated near two well-known golden arches). I said no, which meant more complaining and arguing. As this is ensuing, I keep driving, and we pass by the same scene we saw as we pulled into church that morning: a homeless friend on every street corner at the closest major intersection to the church.

It was then that I knew what we were going to do. I turned the car around, pulled back into the parking lot, and grabbed some church fliers complete with service times and location from the lobby. We then headed for Arby’s to buy a few extra roast beef sandwiches. At this point, we had to be strategic in how we were going to pull up to each individual in need: we would have to drive out of our way on Interstate 465 and then come back so that we would be at the right exit ramp, and do the same in the other direction to meet with the other individuals.

With a way to fill their bellies and a flier to invite them to church, it was a small blessing and a way to say yes to the promptings of my heart. My three kids participated in the pleasantries, with smiles and “have a good day!” and “Jesus loves you” being shouted from the back window as we pulled away.

The very next week, my 8-year-old ran up to me after service with the biggest smile; she was super excited to tell me that Don showed up for church! Taking me away from my current conversation, she pulled my arm over to where our new friend was sitting in the lobby. He had come to the service we had invited him to along the side of the road the week before. The following week, he showed up again, and then again and again.

Since then, Don has gained a whole community of friends, a church community who believes in him and cheers him on, he was baptized in the spring, he has become regularly employed with work that matters, and has moved from a tent to sustainable housing. The truth is, my family met three homeless people that one Sunday in January. For some of them, the blessing was probably limited to a sandwich and a church flier.

For Don, it was so much more, and the difference was in his consistent “YES.” Don was eager for change. He was willing to say yes, and then to say yes again and to continue to invest in his own story. Just a few short months after Don’s first Sunday at Mercy Road Church, he is investing back into the community it serves just as they have invested in him. He spends three hours on Sundays taking public transit from his new housing community back to church to arrive an hour early, help with the outdoor signage, get the auditorium ready for guests, and greet people into our little community. Not only so, but his story has also become the catalyst for monthly community dinners hosted for the homeless inside our church building, and the inspiration for a crazy big vision of forming a unique tiny home community for those experiencing homeless. The factory where these tiny homes will be manufactured was just established this month.

All this because of a tiny yes to the prompting in my heart, which turned into a tiny gesture with the encouragement of my kids. It was reciprocated by more difficult yeses from Don (just walking to church in the dead of winter with a bad leg was a feat) and was fanned into flame by the generous love of a church family. Not every small act of faith leads to such dramatically obvious results, but it makes all of them worth it. You never know where it will lead.

Feeling discouraged by the hopelessness around you? Not sure where to start or if you can make a difference at all? Be obedient to the Spirit’s prompting and trust in Him to do the rest.

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POSTED BY

Jenna

Jenna Kruse is a teacher but not in a classroom. She loves to think outside the box and inside the Word and is daily in need of an attitude adjustment. She is a wife to Justin, a mother to three school-aged children, and a mentor to teenagers and young adults. You can learn more about the heart behind her blog HERE.

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