Relationships lead to more people on the team to serve! By having more people on the team we can reach more people for Jesus.
Before our most recent My Jerusalem I had lunch with a good friend of mine, Malcolm. After lunch we visited a couple of homes that volunteers would serve at during My Jerusalem. As we drove into one neighborhood we saw a few children playing. We took note of the mobile homes these children (and many other families) lived in and how they were in need of repairs.
Pulling up to the home we were visiting Malcolm said, “it’s good that y’all help these people.”
I responded, “We are helping them!”
The elderly couple that lived in this house sat with us under a rotting porch roof that was on the verge of collapse. He said, “I have been working on our home trying to fix it, but I am too old to get the work done.” As we visited with them we made notes of several other repairs that needed to be made for the home to be safe and secure. To name a couple, there were roof leaks and a deteriorating front door that could no longer lock. The elderly man went on to tell us that they could not sleep peacefully at night specifically because of that door. I encouraged them that they would not have to live in fear much longer, and that we had a group of people coming to repair their home. They were filled with joy and excitement!
We said our goodbyes and returned to the truck.
Malcolm said to me, “It’s so good that y’all are helping that elderly couple.”
I said again, “We are helping them.”
That’s when he began to understand that he was not just an observer, but a partner in the work. He said, “That’s right… We are helping them. I’ve got to get used to that!”
The following Saturday hundreds of people came out to serve to repair broken homes and restore people. The elderly couple’s home was repaired by a great group of volunteers.
Additionally, there was a block party in Malcolm’s neighborhood that he helped organize where close to 200 people came out to fellowship and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! See a quick video highlight of the day below.
Check out the video! The guy who shoots the basketball into the goal? That’s Malcolm!
We give God glory for what He is doing in Malcmo’s life. Malcolm’s language has changed. He now says “We are being used by the Lord to help those in need and to reach them with the good news of Jesus Christ!”
Be a part of the “We.”
In the coming weeks groups of people will be going back to the homes and neighborhoods to follow up and build relationships with the people we met during My Jerusalem. Please e-mail info@theway2serve.org for more information about being on a follow up team or for information on other ways you can serve in our community! We can make a difference together!
