She Is AMAZING!

This week I was afforded an interesting perspective that left me in awe.  As we help our neighbors recover from Hurricane Harvey, one of the things my wife Lori and I have determined to do is to provide lunches and cold drinks to the homeowners, volunteers, and workers in our neighborhood.  Hundreds of homes were damaged by the flood waters so every day there are many working throughout our neighborhood as this community recovers from the hurricane.  We've had an outpouring of donations and volunteers to help us provide supplies, tools, food, and drinks over the course of the last few weeks.

While Lori and I usually ride side-by-side on a golf cart (loaned to us by Conroe Golf Cars), on this particular day we had a large load of donated lunches that could not all fit on the golf cart.  So, I tagged along behind her in our car loaded with hot meals.  As I followed her, I watched.  I watched as she honked the horn and yelled,

"Do you need a cold drink? I've got hot lunches today!"

While there are new volunteer faces everyday, the homeowners she sees everyday are the same.  She knows them all by name.  She knows what they like.  She knows their stories.  She knows what they need.  She listens to them.  She talks with them.  She cries with them.  She prays with them. 

I watched as she waved to them as she drove down the street.  I watched as they smiled as she approached.  I watched as she never just handed out food or drink.  She had to talk to every last one of them.  Some longer than others but all were left with the sense that if they needed to talk or share, they had somebody that was there for them.  At one particular house, a young lady came out to the street to meet her.  While I could not hear the conversation, I could tell the young lady was upset.  She cried a little as she shared what was on her heart.  Lori just listened.  5 minutes went by.  10 minutes went by.  I lost track of time to be honest, but it was a long visit.  A very long visit.  A county worker showed up that needed to talk to the young lady otherwise I'm convinced Lori would have been there much longer.  When she was done, she jumped back in the cart and off she went to the next house. 

I'm not sure how long this trip was but it was quite lengthy for sure.  It was Lori's second trip of the day in that little red golf cart and she was in no big hurry.  For Lori, this is not just about rebuilding structures.  It's about people.  It's about loving people.  It's about encouraging those who need encouraged.  It's about listening to those who need to talk.  It's about praying with those who are overwhelmed by it all.  It's about providing some form of normalcy to those who have very little "normal" right now.  Someone wanted a Coca-Cola, another wanted Cream Soda, so Lori helped make it happen.  

She doesn't try to do everything.  She finds out what people need and she then leans on the many volunteers who are able to meet those needs.  The people volunteering throughout this process have been amazing.  Lori, gets so excited when she connects someone who has a need with someone who can meet that need.  I cannot think of one need that has gone unmet as volunteers step up to meet needs when they are made known.  We've witnessed cars being donated, appliances being donated, lawn services donated, clothes, food, supplies, and on and on the list goes.  For the better part of a month, our house has resembled a Walmart or Lowes more than a house because of all the donations that have poured in.  And with every donation, Lori gets a little choked up because she knows that somebody on her daily route will benefit from the generous gifts of others. 

It's early on Saturday morning as I write this and she is already on her little red golf cart driving throughout the neighborhood.  Somebody donated strawberries and somebody else donated bananna bread.  She is confident that there are neighbors out there who would love to have some delicious cold strawberries this morning along with some home-baked bananna bread.  I'm not sure how long she'll be gone, but when she drives up, she'll be grinning from ear to ear and have some incredible story to tell me. 

I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to drive behind her and just watch this week.  I'm glad I got to just watch her do her thing.  She is definitely love in action.  She is the hands, feet, ears, and mouth of God.  If you are wondering what God the Father is like,  look no further than this lady I am honored to call my wife, driving around in a little red golf cart loving on her neighbors.  She's bringing a ray of hope in the middle of hopelessness.  She's bringing light into an otherwise dark situation.  She's bringing a meal, cold drinks, and a caring heart.  She's my wife, and she is AMAZING!

PS...not only was she grinning when she returned from her morning out serving her neighbors, she burst through the door singing.  And yes, she had some stories to tell!
  

Tim is the lead pastor at Westlake Fellowship in Montgomery, Texas. If you live in the area, join us Sunday mornings at 10:30 am at 19786 Hwy 105 Suite 120 in Montgomery (beside Magnolia Diner).

If you would like to donate to help us in our efforts to minister to those affected by hurricane Harvey, you can donate here: westlakegive.org