This morning I arrived at Love and Care Ministries’ kitchen sharply at 7:15am to serve breakfast. It was really good to see my new friends again – they have really welcomed me in and made feel like I’m part of their team. The breakfast crowd seemed a little light, but steady. Once we finished breakfast, it was time to start working on lunch.
At 10:00a.m., Mark Hewitt came by to pick me up – we had plans to go visit Love & Care’s Merkel, Texas location and Clyde, Texas (home of Craig Loper and Elaine Edwards, among others) location. Mark is the Executive Director and founder of Love & Care, and we have been friends for more than 15 years. It was good to catch up with Mark and to ask him some questions about his ministry. At lunch, we talked about our faith journeys.
My big question for Mark was, “How do we make a bigger impact on our friends – how do we help the homeless and poor move beyond their current status?” He was very candid with his answer. He said that he had thought about this question often, but he felt strongly that God simply wanted him and his ministry to love the homeless and the poor, not to try to fix them or their situation. He said, “Sure, there are those who want help to move out of their situation, and for them, we do everything we can to help them.” But he emphasized that, for most of them, they need Jesus – He is the first thing they need to find in order to move beyond homelessness, addiction, alcoholism, prostitution, etc.
I explained to Mark that what he saw with our friends is exactly what I saw in India seven years ago. The only way that the extreme poverty in India could be resolved is with the help of Jesus – He is the only way when it comes to impossible situations! As a side note, our friends who come for breakfast and lunch at Love & Care are significantly better off than most of the people I met in India.
I closed my day by having a long conversation with my good friend and pastor, David McQueen. We shared and talked about all that was going on with my sabbatical, and as usual, he gave me some really good perspectives on what I had been experiencing. It was really good to have some time to have an intimate conversation with him.
I would have to say that I am entering the best phase of sabbatical – where my eyes, my ears, and my heart are open, and I have the time and capacity to really listen and converse on a much deeper level. I’m finding myself again because I’m not strapped for time and I’m not worried about the next meeting on my agenda. It is very freeing! As John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Blessings, Kris