I just got off the phone with a woman from the Congo DRC who was literally squealing with joy when she found out that she could buy food.
Let me back up for a moment.
I met *Bellice a few months ago through Dwight at In Search of Sanuk. He said that she was an asylum seeker living on her own and could really use a friend to hang out with. So I started inviting her to gatherings at Newsong and checking in on her periodically. It didn't take long to figure out that she was barely scraping by, often unable to afford food to eat. One time I talked to her and she hadn't eaten all day. I bought her food before service and she kept offering to share it with others! At that moment I felt so selfish because I knew that if I was in her position I would have scarfed it down without a second thought.
As the story goes, the police raided her building a couple months ago so she had to move to a safer place. She now lives significantly further away which makes it difficult to get together with her. I called her today to check in and when I asked, "Do you have enough food to eat?" she responded with, "Oooooh how did you know that I have no food?!"
She had been given a little extra money this month by In Search of Sanuk but was not sure if it was supposed to be for rent or food, because she didn't have enough for either. So immediately she asked if she could use it for food because she has nothing to eat. I made a quick call to Dwight to get a better picture of how much In Search of Sanuk has been helping her every month and we determined that I need to do an assessment with her because she clearly needs more help, but of course she can buy food!
When I called her back to tell her that it's okay to buy food with the extra money she literally squealed with joy. I had never heard anyone so excited to be able to eat before. It wouldn't have surprised me if she was jumping up and down. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! God bless you! I am so happy that you are in my life! Thank you so much! I am going to go to the market right away! I am so happy! I am going to eat right away! Thank you so much!" she continued to exclaim between squeals and giggles. Wow, my heart was undone. This woman was SO excited about something so basic. She was overjoyed at the opportunity to eat. That's something that I take for granted, often grumbling when I can't eat something that I like or when I don't get enough.
It wasn't only her excitement for a basic necessity that touched my heart. It was her thankfulness toward me. I couldn't comprehend why she would thank me. I didn't do anything! I didn't produce the money, give it to her, or buy the groceries. I was merely a messenger and a friend. Then I realized that being a messenger and friend is part of the process; it's part of the greater picture. Without that messenger and friend she may not have eaten. We each have a part to play in helping others. Sometimes it's big, and sometimes it's small. Sometimes what we think looks small is actually big. Rarely if ever are we able to see or comprehend the full extent of how God is using us in a given situation. The people that have supported In Search of Sanuk did not get to see the excitement on Bellice's face or hear it in her voice. When they gave to this organization and prayed for it, they probably didn't know that they would be enabling this starving woman to eat. But they saved her life and will forever be a part of her journey.
Let me back up for a moment.
I met *Bellice a few months ago through Dwight at In Search of Sanuk. He said that she was an asylum seeker living on her own and could really use a friend to hang out with. So I started inviting her to gatherings at Newsong and checking in on her periodically. It didn't take long to figure out that she was barely scraping by, often unable to afford food to eat. One time I talked to her and she hadn't eaten all day. I bought her food before service and she kept offering to share it with others! At that moment I felt so selfish because I knew that if I was in her position I would have scarfed it down without a second thought.
As the story goes, the police raided her building a couple months ago so she had to move to a safer place. She now lives significantly further away which makes it difficult to get together with her. I called her today to check in and when I asked, "Do you have enough food to eat?" she responded with, "Oooooh how did you know that I have no food?!"
She had been given a little extra money this month by In Search of Sanuk but was not sure if it was supposed to be for rent or food, because she didn't have enough for either. So immediately she asked if she could use it for food because she has nothing to eat. I made a quick call to Dwight to get a better picture of how much In Search of Sanuk has been helping her every month and we determined that I need to do an assessment with her because she clearly needs more help, but of course she can buy food!
When I called her back to tell her that it's okay to buy food with the extra money she literally squealed with joy. I had never heard anyone so excited to be able to eat before. It wouldn't have surprised me if she was jumping up and down. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! God bless you! I am so happy that you are in my life! Thank you so much! I am going to go to the market right away! I am so happy! I am going to eat right away! Thank you so much!" she continued to exclaim between squeals and giggles. Wow, my heart was undone. This woman was SO excited about something so basic. She was overjoyed at the opportunity to eat. That's something that I take for granted, often grumbling when I can't eat something that I like or when I don't get enough.
It wasn't only her excitement for a basic necessity that touched my heart. It was her thankfulness toward me. I couldn't comprehend why she would thank me. I didn't do anything! I didn't produce the money, give it to her, or buy the groceries. I was merely a messenger and a friend. Then I realized that being a messenger and friend is part of the process; it's part of the greater picture. Without that messenger and friend she may not have eaten. We each have a part to play in helping others. Sometimes it's big, and sometimes it's small. Sometimes what we think looks small is actually big. Rarely if ever are we able to see or comprehend the full extent of how God is using us in a given situation. The people that have supported In Search of Sanuk did not get to see the excitement on Bellice's face or hear it in her voice. When they gave to this organization and prayed for it, they probably didn't know that they would be enabling this starving woman to eat. But they saved her life and will forever be a part of her journey.
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