God Will Grow Whatever We Give Him

Marianne on mission with CBC to Bánica, Dominican Republic, Feb. 2017

This January I found myself praying, "Jesus, make me a sheep. Baaah. Look Lord, I am a sheep. BaaaAAAHHHhhhh." It was a goofy prayer but I had become very concerned about Jesus' parable about the sheep and the goats found in Mt: 25, and I wanted Jesus to know for sure where I wanted to go. To my surprise I found myself volunteering several days a week at the Lamb Center in Fairfax two months later.Commissioned by Christ introduced me to the Lamb Center, a day drop-in shelter for those experiencing homelessness, in November of 2018. I had just returned from Piura, Peru and I was facing the inevitable question, "How can you bring the mission experience home?" I didn't have many ideas so I decided to cancel my Netflix account and start volunteering with a service organization dedicated to the poor. I'd been to Bánica with CBC before and I knew it offered local missions on the weekends. CBC introduced me to the Lamb Center on a one-day Saturday mission trip and I signed up to be a volunteer from there.I only volunteered occasionally for the first year whenever the Lamb Center needed a few fill-in volunteers on the schedule but that started to change this spring. Many regular volunteers needed to stay home to remain safe and healthy during the Coronavirus stay at home order. Meanwhile, local churches suspended worship, fellowship, and outreach services so Fairfax's vulnerable residents relied on the Lamb Center more and more. As I picked up more volunteer shifts at the Lamb Center I felt that God was saying, "This is where I want you right now. You will grow here."The work appears simple. I wash clothes, fold towels, pour coffee and hand out sandwiches. Sometimes simplicity offers the best opportunity for love and trust and encounter because there's a lot of room for growth around each task. How much sugar do you like in your coffee? Which granola bar is your favourite? Do you prefer soap or body wash? What are you looking for in your next pair of socks? Each question reveals a little bit more about the person in front of you - their needs, their concerns - how they need to be loved.It's been pretty rainy over the past few weeks in Virginia and when I listen to the rain part of me knows that a man I know by name is sleeping outside. I wonder if his socks are wet. He has material needs and I cannot provide for all of them. I also don't know enough, nor will ever know enough, to have the exactly perfect words to say to him. And I cannot stop the rain from falling. I have to trust God that the Lamb Center will cooperate with God's perfect plan of love, and that God will shelter my words so that I don't speak with insensitivity or become accidentally rude. The rain sometimes falls on the righteous but God can and will provide for all of his needs and mine.Serving at home can also be a bit more challenging than serving overseas. Regular volunteer work means that I get to say hello to everyone I've met. When I cross the Lamb Center parking lot I sometimes get a smile or a wave from a guest waiting outside. I'm recognizable and I recognize those individuals we serve regularly. Encountering your neighbors means that you don't leave them behind in photographs and memories. You'll see them again and we are not anonymous.I love overseas missions trips. I never thought I would have such a rich experience so close to home but it's hard to think of a better way to spend three months of quarantine. God has opened my eyes to the reality of the Gospel in practice and now I'm left with the same question I had at the beginning. How will I allow this experience to change me? Maybe that's a good question for all of us. What would we leave behind from this spring and what would we keep in our lives? Making one small change now can yield fruit next year and it doesn't matter how small our offerings are. God will grow whatever we give Him.Marianne (in the middle) at the Lamb Center

By Marianne, CBC Missionary to Dominican Republic, West Virginia, Lamb Center