Coming Together…

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Picture it..

Heartside Park..

Sunday afternoon during Project Grab-a-Bag..

(Hmm…soundin’ a bit like Sophia from The Golden Girls…I like it!)

We’re pluggin’ along…have already served our 119 sack lunches….a good 4 gallons or so of lemonade…about 150 popsicles….

We were on to games … prizes…and fun….

Then…I look over and this big ole bus pulls up!

I see box after box pulled from the back of it…

People everywhere…

Then a few come up under the pavilion where we were – passed out kool-aid, granola bars, and bbq sandwiches.

I have to admit…at first, I was a bit confused…and was kinda hoping that they weren’t going to come in and take over what we had going on. 

Human nature I guess…to feel that way…to feel a sense of ownership over something you care so deeply about…over something you work so hard for…and devote so much time and money into…..

Quickly, though, I moved past that – putting myself back in check and realizing that this is a good thing.  That this only further helps our homeless and that, together, we can be even more impactful.

As I saw the majority of our homeless patrons run to the bus – taking a break from our games – I realized that they were passing out clothes too. 

Still…I hadn’t a clue as to who they were or what was going on so I went up and introduced myself, explained who we are and what we’ve been doing each Sunday. 

I learned that they’re from the Vriesland Church in Zeeland (about 30 miles West of us here in Grand Rapids) and that they, too, are trying to be of service and come out every 4th Sunday and have been since this past September.  They bring with them boxes of donated clothes, beverages, snack bars, and they make 80 bbq sandwiches for each time they come out.

It was wonderful…especially to see them come over from Zeeland….to want to learn about and be of some assistance to this group in so much need. 

I was then introduced to Jan who heads up the church’s Hope Bus Mission and we had a great chat about what we’ve both been doing and trying to do in the lives of our community’s homeless. 

She loved the idea of getting them engaged in various social activities, playing games with them, getting to know them…learning from them.

And it was reassuring to see that their mission, too, is “to share, to care, and to be there.”

So with that, we exchanged information and are working towards collaborating efforts on the 4th Sundays of the month – getting their volunteers involved in our games – helping us with food – and so on.  This comes to us as a great blessing as they are financially supported by the members in their church, allowing them to put on outreaches like this one, without as much cost constraints as we currently have.

I now feel a little better about not being able to put on our Project Grab-a-Bag event on July 26th (the 4th Sunday) - knowing that they will be there, as usual, while we’re out doing some mission work at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

I trust that this is just the start of many more great things … of coming together as one … focusing on the key mission of being there and being connected with our homeless friends.

So August 30th it is!

Our first collaborative effort with Project Grab-a-Bag and the Vriesland Church!