I spent the day serving with new friends side by side. Prepping tableware, serving lunch, sorting donated foods, doing dishes, reminding hurting folks that there is a God who loves them.
Usually I leave any type of serving opportunity feeling filled up and blessed. However today, I confess, I’m heavy hearted. So many of the homeless and low income individuals who came in today are so steep in addiction or lack of worth that they couldn’t even look at me in the eyes.
My heart breaks for the story of brokenness, hurt and addiction that is behind each face.
Each loved dearly by the God of the universe. Yet, it appears that they don’t know that.
Our goal in going to serve at Loaves and Fishes today was to be the hands and feet of Jesus to each person so that they might know that they are loved and not forgotten.
However, when I shared with one lady that we came to serve because God loves us and we want to make sure that she knows that 
He loves her too, she stopped her walker and looked straight at me, and asked, “Really?” Half in disbelief. Half holding onto hope.
I touched her hand and reassured her, “Yes, He does.”
We continued our meaningful conversation in the middle of the buffet line between the salad and the fruit. She walked off mumbling about how she misses prayer and misses church.
As with so many tragedies in our midst, I come back to prayer. Lifting up these valuable people, hurting, addicted, displaced and the like…with a heavy heart 
