The youth group from a Methodist Church in Forest, Virginia served about 50 homeless and low income people at Miller Park in Lynchburg. It was a beautiful afternoon. Little did I know it would become a day I’ll never forget.
We served Bethany (name changed) almost every time we had done ministry. She was a young, single mother who came out of an abusive relationship. Child Protective Services took her three children and placed them in foster care. She had a number of issues to deal with but was working to meet the requirements get her children out of foster care.
My heart broke as she shared her heartache over not having her kids. But her biggest concern was for her kids. They were separated and frequently moved to new homes. Her oldest son had to move five times in less than a year.
I asked her if we could pray for her. She eagerly accepted. The church’s youth pastor and three of their youth joined me. We stood in a circle, held hands and began to pray. Often youth aren’t comfortable praying with people, but one of them, Caitlyn, said “Hey, God, it’s me” and lifted up Bethany in a heart-felt prayer that moved us all.
By the time Caitlyn finished, Bethany was sobbing. Caitlyn hugged her and began to comfort her as the tears continued to flow for several minutes afterward. The whole time, Caitlyn held her and softly spoke comfort to her. After a while, smiles and a joyful conversation replaced the tears.
The two of them sat together for over a half hour, building a bond of friendship and touching each other’s lives in a very special way. Bethany later told me how much Caitlyn’s comfort helped her. Sometimes she despaired of ever getting her children back, but her time with Caitlyn refreshed her.
This sort of connection doesn’t happen on every trip, but it happens enough that I get to see how we can make a difference. I think more than anything else that I do with TOP, being able to see these wonderful connections is what makes me eager to get to work each day.