That Monday when
I woke I was at a loss for my future and what I was going to do for work. I
knew by the end of the week that I’d either be fired or have to quit. I love
the ministry work I do for the homeless and in that community I have grown to
love and cherish the individuals I’ve come to do life with. Now it seemed
I was done, packing my bags and heading for greener pastures as I resigned myself to being victim of the underpaid career of ministry.
The week
prior I had asked for a couple days off and didn’t get it. Instead I spent those
2 days out of the week acquiring a mere 3 hours of sleep and logging over 600
miles on my wife’s little Yarus. When the upcoming schedule came out on that
Friday I found, yet again, the two days I asked for off I was put on to work.
However this time I wasn’t going to make it in and I knew that no matter what,
I was heading to St. Louis – with or without a job.
Sounds like
I needed to get my priorities straight but this had been going on for some time
now. I was disgruntled in my job at the Mission and with the cut back in hours,
the below poverty level pay coupled with the consistent inconsistency led me to reevaluate my
career move from construction to ministry. I was looking for work long before I
made the decision to be unemployed by that Friday.
So with the
idea of having to explain to a lot of people why I was tapping out of the
ministry, Monday brought with it more than its usual "Monday's stink" stress. After my devo time
(That’s what I’m calling it now) with J.C. I began to make phone calls, put in
applications on line and make the much dreaded decision to go back into busting
my back in construction. I was content with the idea that I tried ministry, I
was good at it and loved doing it but my time was up, I must now resign myself to a
life of back breaking labor.
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| 705 Virginia, Kansas City, MO |
Then the
phone call came. Somehow the Board of Directors at Hope Faith Ministries saw my
resume and liked what they were reading. In an impromptu meeting I found myself
at the facility around 2pm doing a walk through with one of the members of the
board.
I was familiar with Hope Faith. I knew that it was a day center where the
majority of clients that stay at the Mission spend their time
and I had volunteered with my Gospel Community from Redeemer Fellowship there.
What I didn’t expect was the outpouring of love shown to me by the men I had
grown to love and serve. “Jeff!” they screamed as I rounded each corner. I spent
most of the walk through talking with clients more than my interviewers.
When the
interview was done I didn’t expect much. I have minimal experience in
management and at most I considered myself to be a good fit to run security
there. I got home and called Beki to tell her how it went. It came as little surprise
to her that the men reacted the way they did when I walked into the facility. I
have grown to build a lasting relationship as a staple within the homeless
community of Kansas City. I know that it is only by God’s grace on my life I’m
able to speak into theirs. But to be offered a job during Hope Faith's huge transition was a leap.
Not but a
few hours after I left the interview, I got a call from one of the board
members asking me to come on as the Operations Director and Missions Team
leader. I was blown away. That’s an understatement, no, I was in awe of how big
God showed himself in that moment. Beki and I had been in fervent prayer over
the last month about financial blessing and keeping myself in the ministry all while being able to provide for my family. Then it was like God showed up in a big way and
through Hope Faith showed himself faithful to this lowly servant of his. By the end of the day I had 3
additional job offers: 1 from construction and the other 2 from Lowes and Home
Depot.
Now as I fit
my way into this ministry the expectations on me are great. I’m now a leader, a
manager, in a position to make big changes that will further Hope Faith into
the future in helping our cities homeless and less-fortunate. All of this through
a deep commitment to work hard, live pure and leave the rest to God.
Knowing the path I came from and seeing my life unfold as it has, I'm still in awe as I sit here writing about a God who still is so faithful it's surprising. From drug addict degenerate, to prison inmate I would be counted in the statistics as a wasted life. Yet on the other side of that I'm now Director, preacher and faithful husband. And that's not without thanks to all the people who have invested in my life. I think the next blog should be a list of all those who have made this moment possible, because without Dr. Hughes, Ralph Maser, Shawn Sanchez, S.E. Moore, Ben Boyd, my Dad and the many other great men, I wouldn't be who I am. So I guess, not only has God showed up in a big way but all of these men and more have to.
