By: Pauline Tremmel, Livermore Baptist Church, California
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due. When it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘go and come back tomorrow I will give it to you.”
-Proverbs 3:27-28
I cannot speak for all 150 volunteers in the ARBCA group, but I can well imagine that everyone was like our Livermore group — excited and anxious to get to Lakeshore to work. Most of us come to this disaster area willing to spend and be spent in ministry from the people who have lost so much. We are “green horns” coming into the area and work being done here - where the local volunteers are seasoned (maybe grissled) veterans. One of the benefits and blessings of the week has been spending time with the Lakeshore residents who day in and day out come to the distribution center to work. These people are like us — volunteers — but over the last two years they have spent countless hours helping to provide for their community. They have seen a lot and they are tired. They have lost homes , but they faithfully come to help.
A sad outcome of years upon years of service to the needy community is that they not only see the best of people, they see the worst — people abusing the distribution center, people lying about their situations, people angry and taking it out on volunteers. It’s hard to keep the vision when they frequently see the worst coming out. There are two sides to every story and stress causes people to act in ways they normally wouldn’t, but we have learned a lot about the nature of man from the stories we’ve heard this week. Hopefully, we have been able to give the local volunteers a renewed sense of goal and vision that we are Christ’s hands and feet here in Mississippi, serving Him first, then the needy. Maybe they need us as much as we need them — we are in this together to encourage and learn.
Pray for these dear volunteers who will continue working when all this ARBCA team returns home — that they will find joy in this long term ministry, a renewed vision of service and practical ways to apply Proverbs 3:27-28. Theirs is not an easy task — but it is on blessed by the Lord.
**Pauline has been the team-leader in the distribution center all week, and those involved in cleaning, organizing and distributing have done a fantastic job!
Thanks for the updates on your ministry trip to Lakeshore! It is so hard for me to believe that the devastation has lasted this long! I know intellectually that it exists, but I haven’t made the emotional connection! When you said that the volunteers are tired after 2 years, it really hit me! The romance of it has long since worn off! Now, they are motivated by Jesus. Is our weakness, He is strong. After two years of day in and day out, I bet Jesus’ strength is evident daily.