It Takes a Team, Risk, and Time

It takes a team...

The connection coordinator who took note of the need, the liaison who disseminated the eBlast, the family who responded and donated the crib - they all worked together to allow me the opportunity to meet this new family that day.

I had been looking for a chance to personally serve, so when I heard that a friend of mine was donating their crib to a Compassion Network client, I jumped at the opportunity to be the one to deliver it. After coordinating a time for drop off, I was excited (but also a bit nervous) at the thought of meeting a complete stranger. What would I say? What if it was awkward? Would there be a language barrier? What if it didn't work out the way I was hoping?

Little did I know...

I drove to the humble apartment complex and waited until she and her teenage daughter came to meet me. We carried the crib to her apartment, and I asked her a few questions - about her kids, how she was feeling, and when her baby was due. I chided her as she tried to help carry the crib parts. She ignored me and offered me tea. I quickly accepted for the chance to hear more of her story.

We talked for an hour, and I listened to her journey that in many ways reflected so many others including my own. She told me how she and her family came to the States seeking a better life, one of safety and a future for her kids. She expressed the hardships of being in a new country and having to learn the language, the sacrifice of starting over and leaving a fairly comfortable life in her home country, and the embarrassment of many times being misunderstood because of the language barrier. She timidly admitted that she thought her English was "getting better." I thought it was fabulous and barely noticed the barrier! I assured her of it, and she beamed.

It takes time...

For an hour, I felt at ease and was mesmerized in conversation. I could have stayed longer, but I knew that this visit would not be my last. Before I left, we briefly spoke of our faith. She is Muslim, and I am Christian. I told her that as a Christian, sometimes I have nothing else I can offer other than prayer. She allowed me to pray for her - so I did. I prayed for her husband's job, her teenager's struggles at school, her elementary daughter and toddler son, her unborn baby, and her health. She thanked me and mentioned how long it had been since she had had a conversation like this.

"No one has time for conversation or shows interest in people's stories anymore," she said. I felt compelled to tell her that God loves her, that she is special, and that she is doing a good job. I asked for permission to follow up. She said yes, and I gave her an "air hug" from 6 feet away. I don't know who was blessed more…but I'm pretty sure it was me!

I left that apartment complex and went back into my world. For the past hour, I felt that I had entered someone else's. Because I did. And it was heavenly.

These interactions don't usually happen by accident. More often than not, it takes a team (of willing volunteers and donors)… risk (to step out of our comfort zone)… and time (intentionally carved out of our busy schedules) to meet a need and open doors for conversation and connection.

So join the team! Take the risk. And make the time...to reflect God's love to someone in need.