Volunteers

On October 6, 2005 I was sitting in a meeting in Houston, Texas. The purpose of the meeting was to allocate resources that had been donated to alleviate the suffering caused on the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina.

As the meeting was coming to a close, one of the participants talked about a "Rapid Response Team" that could respond within 24 hours of a natural disaster.

He went on to describe a trailer that contained all of the supplies necessary to respond to these kinds of crises.

Feverishly I wrote down the contents dreaming of how I could find the resources to obtain a rapid response trailer. The idea of having a trailer and being a "first responder" in these crisis seemed like an exciting prospect.

On Tuesday of this last week I received a phone call. When I answered it, I was overwhelmed.

"We have a Rapid Response Trailer for you. It is fully stocked and ready to roll. All you have to do is go to Kansas City and pick it up."

Whew! I couldn't believe it! But it was true. I felt like the Psalmist David who said, "he will give you the desires of your heart."

October, 2005 until July, 2008 was a time of preparation.

Here's the catch...."all you have to do is go to Kansas City and pick it up..."

So I stood in front of my church family and shared the story of how God was at work.

At the end of the service, the response was overwhelming.

"I can go and get the trailer, just let me know when."

"I have next week off, and I can go to Kansas City."

"I'm up for a road trip, when can we leave?"

"My son and I have a week off and we would love to go to Kansas City"

I just got a phone call from a person who said, "my next door neighbor will go to Kansas City and get our trailer." Now what makes this offer so interesting is that the neighbor does not attend our church, but was moved to volunteer to help.

As I recounted all of this over lunch, my daughter looked at me and said, "Dad, we don't have because we don't ask." Sounds strangely like words in the Bible.

So I am grateful for the ways that God provides....and I pray that the resources entrusted to me will wisely be used for His Kingdom.

Thanks to all who volunteered.