Good day and happy Tuesday. I’ve got a story for you. A God story.
Yesterday being a sunny but chilly day, I decided to take my walk late in the afternoon to let it warm up as much as possible. I walk the same route every day, it’s a meandering loop around the neighborhood and it’s right at 3 miles. It takes me right by a neighborhood YMCA, in fact it sits at the end of our street. We see it every time we pull out of our house. Before we left to serve God, we lived in this same neighborhood, several streets over. I walked this same circuit back then. We lived in that house for 10 years, so I’ve probably walked this circuit at least 1,000 times, no joke. Yesterday played out a little different.
So, if I’ve walked this path1,000 times, then I’ve passed this YMCA the same. I acknowledge it’s there, but I don’t focus on it. So true in our lives. The familiar becomes mundane if we let it. Well, you’d think after passing this YMCA 1,000 times that I’d notice that there’s a dumpster right there in the parking lot. Yesterday I couldn’t help but notice it, it had a full set of football 1st down markers sticking out of the top. You know, the bright orange 6 foot tall poles that read 1,2,3,4 that tells you what down it is. And also, the marker “chains” that keeps track of the 10 yards per series were sticking up. It was a flood of blaze orange. It was quite the beacon and drew my attention. I can’t say why but I decided to walk over. I mean how often do you see this?
Now, I’m normally not a dumpster diver but from what I saw just on top, I started to dig around a bit. It looked like the YMCA had cleaned out a storage building in a big way and it was FULL of youth sports equipment. Batting helmets, baseball bases, t-ball stuff, soccer goal nets, softballs, just all kinds of stuff thrown in there. Now my curiosity is peaked so I dig a little deeper. But first, I look over my shoulder to see if anybody’s around. I mean here I am digging through this dumpster like a bum right? (why are we so concerned with what other people think of us?) Well, the coast is clear so I keep digging. I come across a big cardboard box, buried about half way down. I pry up one of the top flaps and there sits a case full of youth soccer balls. They’re all brand new, in the plastic and had never been inflated. The box was stuffed with them! Huh.
Well, I take mental note and guess what…I keep on walking. I have no idea what I would need with any of this stuff, so I just shrug it off and get back on with my walk. My walks are my favorite time to ‘daydream’ with God. I just walk, pray, and me and God talk. Just like if my Dad were to come out from Combine and walk with me. I’m sure we wouldn’t shut up the whole time, we’ve got a lot to share and talk about. Well, these soccer balls were still on my mind, so I asked God about them. I’m not always the sharpest knife in the drawer, so He has to lead me in rather obvious ways sometimes. He tells me, “Dan, I gave you a sign that lead you to that dumpster.” (It was literally a sign in that it was a bright orange yard marker that read ‘4’!) He said, “It’s 2 weeks before Christmas and there’s a case of brand new soccer balls in that dumpster, do you think that any kids would like to have those soccer balls for Christmas?” Yes, God I do. “Make it happen Dan.”
I turn around in my tracks and hustle back home. Margie has the truck, so I hop in the Miata and speed down the street to the dumpster, top down. I back up to it, pop the ‘huge’ trunk on the Miata and start stuffing soccer balls in the trunk. A lady pulls into the parking lot, slows down and gives me an awful look. I smile and wave. I can just see the pity on her face as she sees me digging through this dumpster tossing the contents into the trunk of my car. This is a completely different side story...judgement. Do you think she passed judgment? Do you think she looked down at me? Do you think she knew I was rescuing these soccer balls to give them to children for Christmas? Oh, if she only knew the whole story. It makes me think about how guilty I am of this very same thing. Passing judgement on people without knowing the whole story.
So, I drag these soccer balls back home and spread them out in the driveway to see what there is. There are 70 brand new size 2, youth soccer balls. 70! They are all deflated, which is the way they ship them. Every soccer ball is decorated with the flags of the world. (how appropriate once God reveals where they will go.) I start asking God about the best way to get these to kids that would be blessed by them the most. At first, I think I’ll inflate them all, fill up the bed of my truck with them and drive over to the mall and give them all away. Not a bad idea, but God gives me another idea. We are all called to be a contributing member of our local body of believers and God gives us spiritual gifts that we are to use to help the body. I decide to text Stu, our missions pastor and really good friend to see what he thinks. I text Stu, “I just came across 70 new youth soccer balls, got any ideas how to bless some kids?” His response is immediate. Tomorrow night is the last night of ESL, bring em’ up and let’s give all the kids soccer balls.” What an idea.
Now to better understand this impactful idea, let me tell you about ESL classes (English as a second language) at Southcliff. Directly across I-20 from Southcliff sits the Fountain apartments. The Fountain apartments are home to one of the largest middle east refugee communities in North Texas. In fact, the US government leases the whole thing to house these refugees. Most of them had helped the US military in some capacity and their lives were in danger in their homeland, so they were brought here for their safety. Southcliff started a ministry called World Friends Ambassadors and Margie and I helped out with it before we left to serve overseas. It was a powerful moment for us. These were people from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan as well as many other nations. They were in a new world, scared, afraid and some persecuted by many in this new land. People that didn’t understand them. People that didn’t WANT to understand them. They needed to see love. They were all new to the US, most had never been out of their country and many did not speak a bit of English. But they wanted to learn. Southcliff started a class and offered it to the residents of the Fountains for free. A huge benefit is that the students could walk to the classes. A huge benefit because most of them did not have a car, much less a license.
God has grown the ESL program at Southcliff into the largest in all of Tarrant county in 5 years. Amazing. Margie and I also volunteered at these ESL classes before we left. We just served wherever we were needed, and it happened to be with the kids. Margie and I would go up on Tuesday nights and work with kids from all over the world. What an experience that was. To be able to share the light of Christ with kids from all over God’s planet. Most of them had never even heard the name of Jesus Christ.
Now these refugees are not living high on the hog. The government offers them modest assistance for the first 6 months they are here and then it stops. After that many work jobs for minimum wage. Wal-Mart, Target, Sprint, wherever they can fit in. We visited with a man that was a licensed physician in his homeland that was working in a Wal-Mart warehouse stacking boxes. The kids we worked with were very modestly dressed and wanted for much. These are the kids God meant these soccer balls for.
There are so many lessons here. One of the most amazing is how God speaks to us. I’ve passed that dumpster over 1,000 times and every time, kept on walking. But this time He gave me a sign. Literally, a marker, a bright orange pole sticking out of the top. God said, stop and come over here. But even then, I kept on walking, wrapped up in my own schedule. But I didn’t shut down God, I kept asking Him for clarification. And He answered. You see, not everything in our lives will make sense, even after God gives us a big orange sign. We have to keep on talking to Him. Conversations are exchanges and exchanges take time. Some take minutes, some hours, some years, and yes, some a lifetime. Keep talking, God is listening. And keep listening, because God is speaking.
So, this afternoon, I am cramming the soccer balls back into the trunk of the Miata, putting my portable air compressor in the front seat with me and heading up to the church, top down. I’m gonna inflate all of these soccer balls and tonight will be the last ESL class of the Fall. They’re having a Christmas celebration and the peoples of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan, mostly Muslims, will hear about the Birth of Jesus Christ. And those sweet, sweet kids, that know so little of the gift that was given them 2000 years ago, will get a gift tonight, where there might not have been one. A soccer ball.
Praise God for His closeness to us. He is always so near. I am so thankful that the God of the universe wants to walk with me and talk with me. I am His and He is mine. I pray today that God is closer than He's ever been to you, as you listen for His voice.
God told me to share this story today, we will continue in the book of Philippians tomorrow. God bless.
Comments