What am I thankful for?

What am I thankful for? Hmm…first and foremost God. Of course my family, friends, and oh yea my job!

What about my job am I thankful for? I could probably write the longest blog ever if I were to share EVERYTHING! For your sake I will focus on the relational part of my job.

I work in the Development Department and we develop relationships with donors and of course these relationships are very important to and valuable to me. I also value the relationships with the residents here at Water Street Rescue Mission. These relationships make me smile, they make me sad, they make me angry, they make me cry, they make me laugh but most importantly they let me see the work of God.

Here is an example:

I got to meet a resident by the name of Richard. Richard helped us out during one of our events. One day, I saw Richard in the dining hall; he was not his usual chipper self. I looked at him and asked him if he was struggling he said “yea, how did you know?” and I responded “No need to say anymore I will pray for you.”

About 3 days later I was getting out of my car headed into work for the day and I heard a voice calling around the parking lot “Ms. Evelyn, Ms. Evelyn! Do you have a minute?” He then proceeded to tell me that he has an eleven month old son, who will be turning 1 in about 2 weeks and that he will be visiting him for his birthday, he hasn’t seen his son in 6 months. He also shared that the main reason he is here at Water Street Rescue Mission is because he wanted to be a better father to his son, a father his son can be proud of. We concluded our conversation with me promising to pray for his visit.

I headed to my office and the minute I stepped into my office something hit me. Does this man have a gift to take to his only son for his first birthday? The man does live in a shelter, he is basically homeless. I went and spoke with Steve Brubaker who is Director of Residential Programs. I knew we had a “gift closet” for the children somewhere here. He directed me to the right department and I was able to pick out several birthday gifts for a 1 year old boy.

Several days later I asked Richard to meet me at my office and shared with him that God has blessed him with gifts for his son. Words can not express the look on this man’s face. He was actually speechless. I saw this grown man tear up. I saw this man witness God’s love. How blessed am I to be part of this? How awesome is that?

How many of you can say that about your job?

Thank you Jesus for giving me a place that is more than just a JOB! Thank you for the relationships I have with my family, friends, co-workers, donors, residents and most importantly YOU!

-Evelyn Rankin, Development Department