Sometimes our contribution has been small.  Andre’ had been clean and sober for 6 months when he told us that he got a new job.  We celebrated with him, and asked if there was anything he needed to help him get started.  He told us his job was at a bagel bakery and he had to get up at 3:30 in the morning.  He asked for an alarm clock. Three months later he was off the street. The last time he saw us he said that alarm clock was a job saver and a life saver for him.

In other cases, all we offered was encouragement.  Because of a series of tragic events in his life, Reggie had quit trying to make it in mainstream society.  But the encouragement of young people over the course of 2 ½ months gave him the desire to try again.  Within 6 months, he had his own place and his own car.

And there were times where we did something big.  Through Impact the Valley, we took part in rebuilding the downstairs of Donna’s house. She had used the money she planned for the renovation to survive after being diagnosed with MS and finding she could no longer work.  

I’m not saying this to boast about what TOP has done, but to give some examples of how all of us can make a difference in the lives of others.  The process is simple, but not always easy.  There are setbacks and disappointments.  People we help may keep pushing their “self-destruct buttons” or we may suffer the greater pain of letting somebody down when they really need us.  

And, yes, I could also post here a longer list of names where the outcomes have not been so positive.

Is it worth the risk of our time, resources and emotions?  Absolutely!  Every success refuels us to persevere through the trials and struggles of ministry with the poor.

And it’s not just the people we serve who are transformed.  Our volunteers experience their own transformations.  People who began as the objects of our desire to serve have become our friends.  Sometimes friends for a season and other times friends for life.

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