Homeless and Hungry

"Homeless and hungry. Anything will help."

The dilapidated cardboard sign stared at me from his shaking hands. A telephone pole on the corner held a second sign handwritten in black marker. "God Bless You."

Sometimes God asks me to give something, and sometimes he doesn't. This was one of the former. I got home, put a few things together, and headed straight back out. 

As I got to the corner I saw him, still standing there in his thin sweatshirt, hood up, holding the sign asking for help. I reached the corner and opened my window. He came over, folded his sign and took off his hood, and graciously received the bag I offered. I saw his face...he was young, but it was old and tired. As I continued through the intersection he opened it, and when I turned around to return home I saw that he had dropped to his knees and was praying. 

He remained that way until I could no longer see him. 

How often do we receive good things from God and hardly take a second to say thank you? This man opened a bag holding a small pile of one dollar bills and a king size Twix bar, and dropped to his knees in front of the world to thank God. 

I can say only that I am humbled. 

Australia: This is Just the Beginning

Australia. 

I've been saying I will be going for quite a while now. . . though only recently put in the application.

People have been wanting the story, so here it is in a nutshell.

When I was little and all through growing up I can remember only a few things that I wanted to do. I wanted to be a mommy (of course) and I wanted to share Jesus with people. I still want both, and both will happen. However, sharing Jesus with people is something I can do right now . . . . . whereas being a mommy will have to wait.

I graduated highschool having already traveled to the Dominican Republic and to Zambia on international mission trips. At the time, I was 17 years old. Though our stories differ, I remember my mom giving me three options: go to college, be a full-time missionary, or have other long-term plans for my life (marriage). I was 17. Full-time-overseas-missions is kind of out of the question as a minor. So is marriage. That left me one option and though I really never wanted to go to college, off I went. 

Cornerstone was a great school, and I learned so much there. I met people who have become an integral part of my life and I have no doubt in my mind that I was supposed to be there for the 2012-2013 school year. However, in January 2013 I began to have doubts about whether or not I should stay. 

At that time, I had changed my major from social work to "undecided." A perfect step in the right direction. Not. Ok, so I had no idea what I was doing with my life. 

I had a mini crisis as I tried to figure out what I was doing. YWAM crossed through my mind along with other mission opportunities, but I was in school and it would have to wait until I was done. There is no time for 6 month long mission school training and college at the same time.

Eventually, I decided that I was in school, and that wasn't going to change. I may as well resign myself to that fact and get on with life. I changed my major from the ever-popular "undecided" to double in psychology and ministry. I made myself excited about it and continued learning all sorts of fun things. 

Honestly, I did enjoy school. I miss it terribly sometimes. But, as it goes, I came to another fork in the road that March. God again began to lay it on my heart that maybe, just maybe, there was another plan for me. 

I don't know where these thoughts came from. I brushed them aside as so many annoying flies. Soon, it became too much. I actually had to think about it. Then Mom asked me if I thought I was really supposed to be in school. Flood waters broke loose. Yeah, there were some tears, but mostly it was just thoughts. 

I remembered a few things. 
*I didn't ever really want to go to college.
*I was working on a second choice major, because my first choice (which I knew I didn't want to begin with) didn't work out.
*Missions are what I wanted to do. I didn't need a degree for that, necessarily.
*Debt is a terrible road block when it comes to doing anything in this life.
*YWAM kept popping up...

I wrestled with God for a whole month before coming to terms with Him. We had decided by mid-April that I wouldn't be coming back to Cornerstone. To be honest, that was a really scary thought. All I had ever known was school. I'd been in school as long as I could remember. Oh well, I guess. 

I had heard and I had decided. Something people can tell you about me is that once I decide something, that's probably how it's going to stay. I began talking to people about all the details wrapped up in un-enrollment. This included everything from housing to laptops to deposit fees and the key to my mailbox. 

By the beginning of June I was officially no longer a student. I had returned my laptop and all terms were settled. Camp was next on the list, but I had no idea what to expect after that. 

Summer came and went, and though that would make it sound uneventful it was anything but. However, it is not extremely relevant to this part of the story and so it can wait for another day.

I returned home from camp many weekends over the summer and then finally at the end for good. We were moving, and I needed to get a job. I also needed to find a church to attend. I had been gone nearly a year and no longer called any one church home. 

As I struggled to figure out what God had next for me in this crazy adventure called life, I thought of things I hadn't been able to do while in school. I had wanted to get involved in equine therapy programs, and I wanted to go places and Love people. Of course, YWAM came up again. And again. And again. I met people who talked about it. I went to church and the pastor talked about it. I talked to more people--and they had been a part of it. Others knew people who went somewhere with YWAM. I never brought it up myself, but still people would begin to talk about YWAM. Always YWAM. 

I think I am a fairly intelligent woman. I can take a hint. So I started researching YWAM more thoroughly. I mostly looked at Zambia to see what I could find there. Africa holds a special place in my heart, and I believe it always will. However, I kept being pulled to look up Australia. 

Funny thing is, I had heard of people going to Australia with YWAM and I always thought, "I have absolutely zero interest in going there." God's humor...gotta love it.

I got an email a few days later from a woman who works with YWAM Townsville. I must have put my information into some form on the website. To this day, I don't remember doing so. Still, she emailed me, and then called me. She has continued doing so, and did again today. 

At that time, I was just looking. She helped me think about it and decide what I would want to do. It was a lot of praying before I finally decided what I wanted more information on, though at the time I wasn't willing to say I wanted to go yet. 

We talked more and more, and kept praying for answers and guidance. God finally gave it. I was supposed to start planning to go to Australia in July 2014 with their Pacific DTS. 

My contact called again and urged me to put in my application. I declined the request, saying that, no, God wouldn't let me forget if I was supposed to go, and yes, if I was supposed to be there God would handle it--even if that meant short notice on the application.

I continued waiting. I began to tell a few people that I was going to Australia. Then I told more. I doubted at times, but Joshua was there believing for me the whole time. And once I told others, they stood there and believed with me that I would go as well. I thank God for my family of believers that has stood around me and continues to stand around me as He sends me off.

One day, a friend of mine told me that he had something to give me. It was a surprise and I needed to come see him to receive it. It had to wait a while, but eventually I saw him. The tease he is, he waited until I was about to leave before placing an envelope in my hands. He then turned and bolted off down the hall--into the guys' dorm, no less. In other words, I couldn't follow him. 

I looked down, and in my hands was that envelope. Honestly, I didn't notice it was a bank envelope, but it was. I opened it, and inside I saw $334.17. (I think I remember that number correctly.) He had saved his last paycheck from the summer simply because God had said to. There had been no reason why--just "save it." So he did. When he came back out, he explained that to me and that God had said that it was for me.

I was speechless. 

Days later, I was in church listening to the sermon. I don't remember what it was about, honestly. All I remember was that it was completely unrelated to what God said to me.

"Turn in your Australia application."

It was enough for me. Ok, God. I'll get right on that. I found references and took a picture. The rest was complete already. I turned it in the next day. 

His timing is perfect. Days later, I was at a bonfire with YATEC. I didn't realize it, but they all gathered around the place where I was about halfway through the evening. Then a friend of mine began to speak. He addressed everyone, and said something about a friend they wanted to thank and help out a little bit. I honestly wasn't paying very close attention. 

He said my name. He handed me an envelope which he explained was from all the people gathered there. It contained $622. For Australia. 

I was nearly in tears, and could hardly speak, but they had me tell this story. It ended with me saying that the application would require a deposit of nearly over $800 only weeks after it was accepted (I knew it would be--God had said so). I didn't know how it was going to come together, but I had trusted that God knew what He was doing. I hadn't asked for money, and God still hasn't said to send out support letters. I don't know if He will or not. All I know is that when He says something is going to happen, you had better believe that it's going to happen. 

I got a call tonight from my friend over in Townsville, Australia. She informed me that there was a folder laying on her desk. This folder was special. It contained the acceptance information for Alainya Slakes into the YWAM Townsville Pacific DTS program for July 2014.

If I said I was not excited at this news, it would be the biggest lie of the century. I got off the phone with her and bolted through the gym with the biggest grin you can imagine stretch across my face. I slid to a stop on my knees and threw my hands into Joshua's. He looked into my eyes and I told him I'd been accepted to Australia. As I threw my arms around his neck he lifted me off my feet and spun me around. I'm sure I squealed in glee. I bounced up and down as I told all my friends there that I was going. 

I didn't doubt it. In fact, when she told me that I was accepted I said I knew I would be. That was complete truth. But to actually hear it? Now, that was exciting.

Friends, I'm going to Australia. And God is going to continue to do amazing things--now, until then, once I am there, and forever afterwards.

Praise the Lord!

It's Always the Small Things

Just as much as the kindnesses of one can heal brokenness, the thoughtless words of another can break a heart to pieces. 

I wait on people. It's what I do. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again. Nothing is going to change in that for a long time. 

Today, we were short-handed. No big deal, really. The girls and I handled it, busy though we were. We have good heads on our shoulders and can handle a bit of stress and multitasking. I was waiting on 10 tables for a good part of lunch, to give you an idea. Usually, we do half that. 

It was fine--a good day as days go. Sure, we were breathing hard and had to run to keep up, but a little bit of exertion isn't bad for anyone's body or brain. I actually enjoyed it. 

Once the rush calmed down I started on dishes. I was up to my elbows in greasy dishwater having mostly cleared out what was left of the lunchtime dishes when a co-worker came down on me across the counter. 

"I don't know what you've been doing for the past hour," she said as she waved the daily list at me, noting that I hadn't completed a single item on it, "but you need to get to work." 

I paused for a second, took a breath, and then called out her name. She stopped and looked at me. I said, "I have been working. This whole time. I have been waiting tables, making shakes, rinsing out the recyclables that were left behind the counter, doing dishes. I have been working." Then I stopped and let her go. Once she was gone I cried. 

I'm not allowed to cry at work. Emotions aren't allowed to come into the workplace. But I didn't care at that point. I cried into the last of the dishwater as it went down the drain, and I cried in the napkins as I refilled them. You couldn't tell tears from rain as I took out the trash or from mop water as I cleaned the floor. 

Honestly, what she says doesn't change anything. I am still going to work just as much and as hard as I do. I guess what I want to say with this is, don't only try to do good things as I asked you yesterday, but also realize that each word you say carries weight. Sometimes you don't know the story behind why--why a person is crying, why they didn't "do" as much as they should have, why . . . why anything. 

Please, for the good of the world and the hearts of the broken people in it, take a minute to think about your words. Small things have such a huge impact. It's always the small things. 

I Waited on an Angel

Sometimes it's the little things. . . Scratch that. It seems to almost always be the little things that mean the most. Those "random acts of kindness" that just brighten your day and remind you that there is a bit of good left in the world after all.  

Yesterday, I waited on an angel. It's my job to serve, and so that's what I do. Sometimes it's tiring and thankless, and, I'll be honest, I just don't want to do it anymore. 

She came in and sat down in my section. I sighed a little sigh inside almost wishing she would have sat somewhere else. I'd have welcomed the break in serving to do anything else--though there were no "choice" tasks remaining on the list. So anyway, there she sat, and I went to her. I mustered up my last real smile and made myself less important than the task at hand. 

I took her order, as is usual, and set about to getting her something to drink. When I came back with it to take her order she had begun to read a tiny book. I asked her about it, trying to make friendly conversation, and we chatted for a bit--probably longer than was strictly allowable--before I went away to place her order. 

She had told me that it was a book of quotes and sayings she kept in her purse for times when she was waiting and would read it hoping to find inspiration. 

Each time I came back with her food, to check on her, to clear dishes, give a refill, etc, we talked a bit more. Sometimes she would say that she had read something fun or inspirational and other times she would say there was nothing new. Once, she quoted a page back to me. It said: "Make yourself necessary to somebody."

She explained that, to her, that meant that we need to live our lives with purpose. That to simply go about living day-to-day just to get through it wasn't enough. We have to live as though we are living for a reason--and to do that, we need to find a reason. 

Writing this, I am realizing that I didn't really hear it that way yesterday. I just thought she was a nice lady with some tid-bits of wisdom. But thinking back, I realize that it was just what I needed to hear. 

Honestly, I have been going about my days hoping that they would end. Soon. Any one of you who reads this could easily tell me that simply isn't the right way to live. And you would be entirely correct. 

Make yourself necessary. . . How do I do that? How did she do that? All she did was come into a new restaurant, take out a book, and talk to a waitress, but she helped me change my outlook on life. In 30-odd minutes, she changed a life.

Shouldn't that be our goal each day? Make every encounter life-changing. In every interaction, show the world who Jesus is. 

As I went to clear her table, I picked up a napkin off the tip thinking it was trash. There was something hard inside, so I opened it. Inside it was the tiny pink book of quotes and a note that simply said, "Enjoy! (=" 

To my angel: You made my day, you changed my life, and hopefully together we will change the world.