Pinelake singles serve with open hearts

By Emily Sharpe

Our plans for that day depended on the weather. We were going to be mobilized into the community....weather permitting. A leader from Mission First thought it would be great to show up at someone's door, rain or shine, to show them the love of Christ through any kind of weather. But...I was wondering just how much rain my group could take...myself included!

The day started off a little rough. It definitely looked like rain, and that, mixed with the fact that we were going to have a small turnout, weren't really sitting well with me. I was a little discouraged as I made my way to Primos to meet the other four. My spirits were soon uplifted as I sat down with everyone and I thought, you know, there is no reason to worry, God is going to provide exactly what we need. Not long after that, Jared informed me the two women sitting at the next table were actually part of our group. That was quick! Already our numbers were increasing. Jared thought there may be another one or two people meeting us at Mission First. Things were already turning around.

When we got to Mission First, we had another four volunteers. How awesome is that!! The four had quickly turned into ten!! God was really putting together a team for us. We circled up and a leader shared some Scripture from that mornings Life Journal. The passage came from Luke 10:25-42, The Parable of the Good Samaritian. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' We were pumped and ready to go! We prayed and were on our way, and we were on our way. We headed to the shed to grab gloves and a rake, and then made our way down the street. What a sight we were!!

Plans had been made prior to our day of service, so we set out on a mission. We knocked at the door as the others began to rake the yard. It took a little while, but finally someone opened the door. It was Mrs. Mary. She was a little taken back by two strangers at her door so early on a Saturday morning. We talked for a minute, and then she agreed to let me come in so she and I could get to know each other a little better. We sat down to chit chat, and our talk quickly turned to God. She revealed to me that there was some sin in her life that was keeping her from going to God. I told her that we didn't have "to get right" to go to God, we could go to Him just as we were. We prayed together and then went outside to check the progress of the group. They were almost finished. It is amazing how quickly you can get something done when everyone chips in. Mrs. Mary stayed outside and watched as we finished up, and others were able to come meet and talk with this precious soul.

To end the day, we huddled together in her front yard to pray for Mrs. Mary and her family. Mrs. Mary was so overwhelmed that she began to cry. She could not thank us enough. We hugged her and said our goodbyes. We were two seconds away from walking out of her yard when a few of us felt a drop of rain. Remember that all week the weather men had been predicting it to rain Saturday morning...and there had not been one drop. We all stopped and looked at each other as we realized that we had been exactly where God wanted us to be at exactly that moment. I don't think I have ever been in a more perfect space of time - framed down to the second by the rain! God is so good.

Some people don't understand the desire to help others in the inner city. I just wish I could take everyone to meet Mrs. Mary.