I don't think people realize how blessed their lives are. This
past summer I have had many friends go on mission trips to places less
fortunate than where we have come from. Some places were out of the country,
across seas, & others were right here in our own backyard America. My good
friend Karlie is heading to Africa in January 2016 to work with a group called
The Mercy Project. She is following my friend Tyler's younger sister, Katey who
is going to be working with the same mission. My friend Ally goes to Port Au
Prince, Haiti every year to give back to an orphanage that has cleared a
special place in her heart & I love to follow her story about her journey
& her realization of God's love. York's beloved Beth Brock & Troy Kelly
just headed to China to teach English for the next year. So many beautiful
people are doing so many beautiful things for our Lord's Kingdom. I am so
thankful for people like Karlie, Katey, Ally, Beth & Troy who are willing
to go out & stretch themselves to their thinnest, to give up the luxuries
they hold so dear & be the clay that God is so excited to mold. I am
thankful for those who daily serve where hands are needy & food is scarce,
where the water has deadly bacteria & the sun scorches their skin, but
everyday praise the Lord continuously.
How are you contributing?
How am I contributing? How are we servicing our Father? How am I
being a fisher of men?
I have struggled with knowing the right way for me to full
heartedly serve my God. I don't know if my efforts in praise & worship are
ever enough. Because unlike my mission driven friends & family, I've stayed
put for all nearly twenty-two years of my life. I find my peace here in the
Midwest. But that doesn't mean I can't go & be a servant for the
Lord.
Constantly, I ask myself, how am I serving?
I work as a server in the food industry. From about 11:30
until around 9:00 every Tuesday through Friday and then Saturday nights, I'm
running hot plates of food to tables, refilling glasses of various beverages,
rolling silverware, taking out trash, cleaning windows, along with a variety of
other tasks required of this position. My feet hurt every day. My back hurts
every day. My clothes get dirty. I spill things that make the floor dirty. But
every day I leave my job thankful.
My favorite couple comes in every day, Rollie & Annie. Though
I don't always see them or speak with them, I know they've been in. They are an
older couple who just melt my heart & bring me so much joy. I have never
seen them not smile or say a cross word to the other. Out of habit, I always
ask them how they are doing & Annie will always without a doubt answer,
"thankful."
They are my daily reminder to be thankful for my own life. They’re
my reminder to be a little nicer to the rude customers sitting at the corner
table. They’re my reminder to refill drinks with a smile, even if it's after
midnight or after a ten hour shift.
So today, I ask you to be thankful. I urge you to take a look at
what you have, to evaluate the life you live. Are you thankful? Are you
grateful? Are you filling your days with love?
I’m
thankful for my boyfriend. For the love that we get to share freely. I’m
thankful for his new job & that he gets to go back to school & coach
speech. I’m thankful for the puppy he bought me, even if she annoys me or tries
to sit on my lap as I type this on the broken computer that I have, but am also
thankful for. I’m thankful for the caffeine in the coffee I’m drinking. I’m
thankful that our friend is loaning us a car to drive so that each f us can get
to work every day. I am thankful for my bosses & how well the little town
of McCool Junction has treated me for the past couple of years. I am so
incredibly thankful for my family. My parents are a beautiful example of love.
My sisters have taught me to share. My brother has taught me to work. I’m
thankful for my “brother” Raymond who is always the first to jump up &
greet Joe & me when we come back to visit & for my brother-in-law who
is providing for my sister & being a spiritual leader in our family &
church congregation. I could go on & on about the big & small things
that I have in my life. My service to God is through thankfulness.
To the
God who is faithful, I am thankful.
To help
support Karlie and Katey, here are their GoFundMe links
Karlie Mountjoy:
http://www.gofundme.com/sy2z98ng
Katey
Cox: http://www.gofundme.com/y4vwd24
& Please
remember to pray for those who are willing to work as the Lord’s missionaries
& servants.
Peace
& love.
B.
