Soli Deo Gloria

My wife and I decided to help out with our church back when Katrina devasted New Orleans and outlying areas. Our church put together a couple of feeding days where we setup a tent and fed people here in South Carolina who had been put in hotels. After handling a couple of Saturdays we got together with a friend of ours and decided to work with a few of the local hotels housing Katrina evacuees and continue to feed them at least once a week.

Over the course of several months we became attached to many of the evacuees - to the point that we were sad to see them leave to go back home to rebuild their lives. Some of the evacuees decided to stay here in South Carolina and rebuild their lives and homes here. Some liked the idea of living here, others due to health or financial reasons could not afford the trip back.

This is where our story begins. One of the evacuees we worked with was quite a handful. She was nothing less than a hypocondriac - everything under the sun was wrong with her. When people would come to feed her and the other they would cringe when they saw her hobbling on her walker. Volunteers knew they were about to hear "I can't eat that! I'm allergic!" or the ever popular "What is that @#&*^". Needless to say she wasn't winning any popularity contests.

This is where my wife and I step in. Let me preface by saying that my wife is probably the most gentle, kind and loving person I will ever know. And like she oftens says she's also commonly a "freak magnet" attracting all kinds of people to her that otherwise people would shun. I believe this is God's way of working in people's lives - He knows who will be best to help and be of service to others - and my wife graciously takes that call to service.

At any rate, Debra (our rowdy evacuee), began to spend more time with me and Angie. One night when a group of us were there at their hotel feeding them dinner I noticed that she wore a ring with a pentagram on it. I asked her about it and she told me that she read tarot cards and made a living in reading fortunes. She immediately said "Are you going to preach to me too?". Honestly, I was. My first instinct was to grab my Bible and start thumping it telling her of all the evils of witchcraft. Then I listened to what she said to me. If everyone else who were volunteering immediately took a defensive approach to her what good would I do? Obviously only push her farther away from us.

What I ended up doing is simply saying "I care for you and I wish you would consider not wearing that ring." Instead of a defensive response from here I got more of a blank stare - I believe she truly didn't quite know what to say.

Over the next few months my wife and I continued to work with Debra - taking her food, taking her to doctors appointments and even rushing her to the E.R. on Christmas Day - and that turned into an all nighter. :-) Slowly we began to earn her trust. She was beginning to see something different in my wife and I that she was missing from others. The awesome thing is that it truly was nothing we were doing - it was just a simple love and attention that was blowing her mind.  We were doing what Christ asks us to do of all people - to love and care for them.

A few days after Christmas we stopped by her hotel room and brought her a couple of small Christmas gifts - things for her home (which she would soon be moving in to) and some household items. It was at that time that I flat out asked her if she knew Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour and looking over at a gideons Bible in her hotel room she said "yes". She said that she accepted Christ as a child but had played off her Bible as a "charm" among a library of other books used in her profession.

Several weeks later she moved into her new apartment. Not long after I noticed that she no longer wore her pentagram ring and I asked her about it saying how glad I was to see she had decided to no longer wear it. She responded that she is going to church and is now wearing a pretty diamond ring a friend of hers gave her. On her table in her den now sites a Bible - and this time with no tarot cards or good luck trinkets beside it.

Last week my wife and I dropped by to take her to the grocery store and to Wal-Mart to let her get groceries and some house hold items. When we got there to her apartment she opened the door and immediately handed me a card. Now I need to stop here and note that it was extremely rare to even get a thank you from her - much less a card. (Not that we expected a thank you - we didn't volunteer our time to receive anything in return but everyone loves to get a warm smiled with a thanks attached to it. :-)) The envelope was addressed to my wife and I and on the back was scribbled "I hope you like the smell." Like a small child she had sprayed the envelope with an air freshener. Funny how endearing little things like that are!

When I took the card out the front of it had a passage from Psalms on it with a beautiful mountain scene behind it. The card was written with many corrections and you could tell that time and thought went into each and every word. She made it a point to let us know about the Bible verse on the card. (Again, so endearing.) Written inside was a message to us describing how much we mean to her and how thankful she is that we are her friends. At that moment I felt as though our job was complete. As many times that both my wife and I felt like giving up on Debra we realized what God was doing in our lives and with Debra.

I learned a valuable lesson in ministering to others who need the Lord. The last thing most people need is a screaming sermon or someone preaching at them. Sure, there are times when the Word should be used to rebuke and discipline but it's evident that allowing the love of Christ to shine from you in everything that you do will make the biggest impact on the lives of others - especially those yearning for Christ's love.

We still visit Debra and will continue to visit with her as long as the Lord is willing. I believe we've found a ministry for my wife and I - one where while helping those in need we allow Christ to work through us as we serve others. After all - isn't service what Christianity is all about?

Daily Walk