A sweet week at Love In Action

Mama Tuck and Virginia served up some delicious food inside Love In Action’s
Connected Coffee Cafe this past Thursday.

As I write this blog post, I’m sitting in a Birmingham hospital cafeteria wishing I hadn’t eaten that bacon, egg and cheese croissant. I’m not much on burnt croissant with paper-thin bacon. Where’s the real, thick bacon?

I look to my right and see a gentleman sitting at the table next to me looking like he is enjoying his biscuits and gravy. I should have ordered biscuits with gravy.  I wish I would have ordered some gravy to bury this croissant.

My friend, my young brother in the Lord, is in surgery as I sit here sipping my hot coffee beverage watching the cool rain bounce off the pavement outside and water what looks like would be the perfect Christmas tree growing just outside the cafeteria windows.

As I wait, watch the rain and watch people meandering through the cafeteria line, I find myself thinking about this past week of ministry at Love In Action. It was one of the busiest weeks we’ve had. The needs in Dothan are many, and I’m thankful God blesses us to help.

In three days, we served 440 plates of food; helped 140 individuals and families with food, hygiene items and clothes (around 200 people total); and took care of 16 patients at the Samaritan Clinic. Martha, Pamela and Dan will serve more food today as our friend and LIA volunteer Stan Sullivan hooks up our mobile kitchen to his Chevy Silverado and drives to sites where people are hungry.

We’ve encountered some knuckleheads during the week as usual, but who hasn’t been a knucklehead in their lives? I know I have, and I’m still not immune to being a bonehead. God loves us all, no matter if we’re knuckleheads, boneheads, hard heads, or act like a nincompoop.

Through all of our imperfections, God has worked mightily through our staff and volunteers this week. We saw a young homeless woman, who is new to Dothan, come to Jesus this week. She wasn’t sure if she would go to Heaven when she dies and wanted to know without a doubt. We are praying and encouraging her to take the next steps now of becoming a disciple of Jesus.

We met another homeless woman who is also new to Dothan. Her husband just landed a good job, but an old Buick with faded and flaking paint is still their home. As happens often, a promise of a good paying construction job with benefits brought them to Dothan. It never materialized. With no home to return to, they didn’t have much choice but to stay in Dothan and make the best of it.

While her husband started his new job yesterday, she sat out to find food, gas money, direction ... any help available to get them through this tough stretch. With tear-soaked eyes and a look of frustration and defeat, she walked into Love In Action.

She left smiling with hope for her and her husband. She was hungry, we gave her plates of fried chicken, butter beans, turnip greens and cornbread. She was thirsty and we gave her water. She needed clothes, so she was able to pick out some nice clothes. Kind of sounds like Matthew 25:35-40, doesn’t it. That’s the scripture Love In Action was founded on 19 years ago, and we will always obey God’s call to help and love the “least of these.”

She also received a full tank of gas. While that’s not in Matthew 25, it was a vital need for them.

We saw a homeless man reconnected, and we pray restored, to his family. He gave his life to Jesus last week, and when he talked to his dad this week, his dad told him to come home. He should have just pulled out of the Dothan Greyhound bus station, a.k.a. Flying J, heading home. What a fast restoration story! Nothing is impossible for God.

Those are only a few of many stories from this week. To God be the glory! I thank God for my wife and ministry partner, and for Pamela and Dan. They are awesome people to do ministry with. I thank God for all of our wonderful volunteers. They are all truly incredible people.

I’m so thankful for everyone who donates financially to Love In Action. Without people’s generosity, these stories coulnd’t be told. And, to those who donate items we need such as beanie weannies, Vienna sausages, tents, socks and underwear, to name a handful of items, thank you.

It’s amazing seeing how God brings people together from many different walks of life, and in different ways, to make an eternal difference in the lives of the homeless in Dothan, Alabama. Our God is truly awesome!

Well, the rain has stopped for now. I guess I need to get up from behind this keyboard and throw the burnt remains of my croissant away. Oh, three women are now sitting at the table next to me with a big King Cake. I wonder if they will share? Another woman has a brownie. Where was that when I ordered breakfast? Dessert for breakfast? Sure, why not?

The brownie looks sweet, but not as sweet as this week at Love In Action.