My Time on Minnie Street

NINE YEARS AGO, I TOOK A STEP OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S CALLING AND VOLUNTEERED FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE MINNIE STREET. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT THIS STEP WOULD CHANGE ME SO PROFOUNDLY INSIDE AND OUT.

I BEGAN INNOCENTLY ENOUGH BY DRIVING KIDS FROM MINNIE STREET TO THE OLD CHURCH CAMPUS. THE HALF HOUR RIDE BACK AND FORTH WAS EYE OPENING AS I GOT TO KNOW THE KIDS IN MY CAR AS WE TALKED ABOUT THEIR LIVES AND THEIR FAMILIES AND I SHARED STORIES WITH THEM ABOUT MY LIFE.

I HEARD ABOUT THE DIFFICULT CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THESE KIDS LIVED AND TRIED TO SURVIVE. 7 OR EIGHT PEOPLE TO A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT WITH PARENTS CONSTANTLY WORKING AND UNAVAILABLE TO THEM. THEY TOLD ME OF THE CONSTANT FEAR THAT THEY LIVED UNDER THAT THEY WOULD BE EVICTED OR ARRESTED OR NOT BE ABLE TO PAY THE BILLS.

YET DESPITE ALL THEIR TROUBLES AND PROBLEMS, I HAVE NEVER HEARD A WORD OF COMPLAINT OR DISCONTENT AND HAVE FOUND THESE CHILDREN TO BE THE MOST JOYFUL AND CONTENTED PEOPLE THAT I HAVE EVER MET. THEY TAUGHT ME MANY LESSONS ABOUT BEING CONTENT IN ALL MY CIRCUMSTANCES.

AS I BEGAN TO TEACH AND INTERACT WITH THESE CHILDREN, I TOOK THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TIME I SPENT WITH THESE CHILDREN SOMEWHAT LIGHTLY UNTIL ONE DAY A CHILD SHOWED ME WHAT IMPORTANCE THE CHILDREN HAD BEEN PLACING ON MY CONDUCT AND TEACHING AND INTERACTING WITH THEM.

IT WAS A HOT SUMMER EVENING FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO. 7 OR 8 KIDS WERE SITTING IN A GROUP WITH MYSELF AND ANOTHER TUTOR. WE WERE ASKING QUESTIONS OF THE CHILDREN. WHAT DOES HEAVEN LOOK LIKE? THE CHILDREN GAVE VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS. THEN I ASKED ONE OF THE CHILDREN, DANIEL,

"WHAT DOES JESUS LOOK LIKE?" HE REPLIED: "HE LOOKS LIKE YOU MR. CHRIS."

I WAS STUNNED. I LOOKED AT THE OTHER TUTOR AND SAW THAT HE WAS STUNNED AS WELL. IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT THAT I REALIZED FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT WE WERE TRULY THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF JESUS THAT THESE CHILDREN HAD. THEY HAD BEEN WATCHING US TO SEE WHETHER OUR ACTIONS MATCHED THE LESSONS THAT WE HAD BEEN TEACHING.

I WAS HUMBLED BY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THESE CHILDREN HAD SEEN JUST A LITTLE GLIMPSE OF JESUS THROUGH ME AND THE OTHER TUTORS THAT THEY HAVE LIVED LIFE WITH OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS.

GOD TAUGHT ME A PROFOUND LESSON THAT DAY THAT I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN . UP TO THAT TIME, I WAS UNDER THE NAIVE ILLUSION THAT GOD COULD NOT REALLY USE ME UNLESS I WAS A PASTOR OR AN EVANGELIST OR CARRIED SOME OTHER WEIGHTY TITLE.

THAT DAY I LEARNED THAT GOD’S ECONOMY IS THAT UNLESS I CAN USE YOU IN THE SMALL THINGS, YOU ARE NO GOOD TO ME.

I HAVE NEVER AGAIN TAKEN THE LESSONS I TAUGHT LIGHTLY AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONSCIOUS THAT THESE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING ME CONSTANTLY TO SEE IF MY ACTIONS MATCH UP WITH MY WORDS. I PRAY CONTINUALLY THAT I WILL NOT BE FOUND WANTING BY ANY OF THE CHILDREN.

MY TIME ON MINNIE STREET HAS NOT BEEN WITHOUT MOMENTS OF EXTREME PAIN, FRUSTRATION AND DESIRES TO QUIT. I HAVE HAD ONE CHILD THAT I MENTORED FOR OVER EIGHT YEARS BE MURDERED BY A RIVAL GANG. I KNOW KIDS THAT ARE IN JAIL NOW THAT I FIRST MET WHEN THEY WERE IN FIRST OR SECOND GRADE. I HAVE SEEN KIDS DROP OUT OF SCHOOL.

THE BATTLE THAT RAGES OVER THESE CHILDREN’S HEARTS, MINDS, AND SOULS HAS NOT BEEN WITHOUT CASUALTIES. ON MANY OCCASIONS, I HAVE WEPT WITH FRUSTRATION OVER MY INABILITY TO SAVE ALL OF THESE CHILDREN.

MY THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN FILLED FROM TIME TO TIME WITH DESIRES TO JUST GIVE UP. THIS MINISTRY IS TOO HARD. THERE ARE TOO MANY PROBLEMS.

IT IS TOO MESSY. THEN GOD ALWAYS REMINDS ME, IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?

"YOU SAID YOU ARE AVAILABLE TO ME, DO YOU REALLY MEAN IT OR DO YOU CUT AND RUN WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH?"

THEN I REMEMBER, "HE LOOKS LIKE YOU, MR. CHRIS!"

I AM NOT RELEASED FROM MY POST. THERE ARE MORE KIDS COMING INTO THE PASTURE. READY TO SEE, HEAR TASTE AND FEEL JESUS CHRIST.

THIS IS MY ASSIGNMENT. I AM HIS MESSENGER. HE IS MY BOSS. HE IS MY LORD. I OWE HIM EVERYTHING. HE HAS SENT ME. I WILL NOT LET HIM DOWN.

HOW DO I SUM UP MY FAITH ADVENTURE ON MINNIE STREET. ONE WORD:

LOVE: EXPRESSED,GIVEN,RECEIVED,STATED, FELT,DEMONSTRATED.

HIS LOVE FOR ME AND MY LOVE FOR HIM.

I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!

No part of this site and/or the contents herein may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All rights reserved. Requests for permission to reproduce or disseminate any part of any material on this site should be mailed to: Permissions Department, Bill Dahl Redmond, OR.