Remember the story about Jesus trying to get some time alone to grieve after John the Baptist was beheaded and the crowds just following him like the paparazzi?
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14: 13-14
When I read this story, I like to think that I would be like Jesus and welcome the needy crowd with open arms. However, reality has shown that I actually would feel justified in locking my doors and pretending I’m not home because “I deserve a break.” Thankfully, two Sojourn community groups took the path of Christ this week and served a family with an unexpected and urgent need.
Andy walks into Sojourn Community Church and let’s the leaders know he just found out he is being evicted. Not next month. Not next week – but tomorrow! If you aren’t familiar with the procedure for evictions, it goes like this: Sheriff comes to your door, then all your possessions get thrown onto the sidewalk. And in a neighborhood where crime is high, it’s like a yard sale without the sale. Needless to say, Andy needed help to find people to get his belongings somewhere safe so he wouldn’t lose them to weather or thieves. And he needed it done that day. He said he had been to other churches in the area and no one was able to help. They, like Sojourn on any given day, probably just didn’t have the man power to help him. But, through God’s grace, the Rogers and Hobacks community group had the man power and made the time to help Andy.
Sojourner Lesie Hoeback says, “Andy and his wife have 3 small kids and just one small car, so he said there was no way they could move everything by themselves. So, Matt Harner rented a U-haul truck and our group and Brandon & Bethany Rogers’ CG headed to his house around 6:30 to move Andy and his family to a very small efficiency apartment at Wayside Christian Mission. We helped them finish packing everything up, played with their extra-loving and super-friendly kids, brought the wife and kids Subway for dinner, all while we loaded everything into the U-Haul, 2 pick-up trucks, and a few cars and took everything to their new “house.” It was all we could do to get all of their stuff into this small apartment, so I am not sure how Andy, his wife, their 3 small kids, and their cat are going to live there! Once we piled everything inside, there wasn’t even room to lay down the mattresses, much less really walk around! But, nonetheless Andy talked about how they were blessed to have a place to go and so blessed to have people help them move all of their stuff. We told them we were glad we could help and glad their family would at least be together. We asked if we could pray with them before we left, and they said that would be great. Brandon prayed for their family and thanked God that He gave us the ultimate example of love through sending Christ to die for us, and thanked Him for giving us a chance to show His love to others.
“Nathan said yesterday that Andy told him he was going to bring his family to Sojourn now. We hope and pray that through showing God’s love in a tangible way in Andy’s time of need, he and his whole family will come to know the overwhelming love of Christ and learn to lean on Him through the trials and challenges of life.”
Was it inconvenient? I’m sure. I bet they had dinner plans that night after a long day at work. Was it awkward? Of course. Who naturally wants to go into an inner city neighborhood and move a strangers belonging to a homeless shelter in the freezing cold? But thank God they answered the call to a small sacrifice that night. God has used this small token of love toward Andy to show His love for this man and his family. Andy stated he wants to come back to Sojourn and wants to bring his wife. Whether he really will at this point and time doesn’t really matter. Whether he comes to Sojourn or another church doesn’t matter. What matters is Andy saw the hands of God via His people when they cared enough for this stranger to stop their lives for a night and help him move. Perhaps he will step foot into a church and further learn about God’s love for him. His situation isn’t fixed, but his broken heart might have one stitch closer to healing.
Lindsay Eubanks is a longtime member of Sojourn, a wife, mother and Occupational Therapist. Lindsay , her husband Jesse and their daughter Evangeline live in the Shelby Park neighborhood in inner-city Louisville where they are trying to learn to be better neighbors and love God more.
