Sue Kirby from Asheboro, North Carolina, has been coming to West Virginia on mission trips for 17 years, and she said that in 17 years of going on mission, she has never seen anything like what happened in Comfort, West Virginia! Sue and Pokey from North Carolina joined four women from East Liverpool, Ohio, for an October mission in Colcord. Tim Stewart was the site supervisor for six hard working women who came on mission to accomplish what they could, and to have a good time doing it.
Sue and Tim were inside the Comfort Presbyterian Church scratching their heads and doing some serious engineering on an indoor wheelchair ramp. They planned to call for the women when they got things ready. Meanwhile there was a drainage ditch to be dug to prevent water from running into the basement of the church — the second of two ditches, and they had dug the other one the day before. No one was particularly thrilled with that job but knew it needed to be done.
After a while of figuring and deciphering and building some framing, Sue and Tim stepped outside for fresh air and to check on the women. There by the ditch stood one … two … three … four of the women. If there were the four women, then WHO was the one in the ditch?
Sue and Tim were introduced to Jerry who raised his sweaty head to say hello. It seems the women came upon some roots while digging the ditch, and they were just too tough. Someone said they should pray. We are not sure just what they prayed for, but they said the next thing you know they were looking down at the road from up on the hill and saw this man walking along with a pick in his hand.
They all called and waved, and Jerry came right on up the hill. It seems he was on his way up the mountain to do a little “Ginsenging.” They all pooled their resources and offered him $20 to dig their ditch.
Sue Kirby said that in 17 years of going on mission, she has never seen anything like it. Volunteers who came to do work PAID someone to do labor.
The women argue that Jerry was an answer to prayer, a true gift from God. Sue argues something like laziness. Tim countered that it was resourcefulness. Both Sue and Tim laugh that they would have dug it for free if someone had just gone into the church and asked!
But the women stand on answered prayer, and I am inclined to agree. I see God in their story in so many ways. Mission is about relationship above all, and these women built a relationship with Jerry. My goodness — they knew all about his life, why he doesn’t have a girlfriend, where he lives…and they told him how they came to work with mission ministry. Later, after Jerry came passing back through on his way out of the mountains, he was empty handed. But thanks to the women he had some wages in hand — perhaps an answer to his own spoken or unspoken prayer.
I see God in the laughter most of all. It is a story they will tell over and over again, and each time they will remember their amazement that after prayer they looked down the hill and here was this guy with a pick in his hand. Now seriously, how often does THAT happen? And they will remember Sue and Tim’s faces of confusion — WHERE did HE come from?
God’s little graces ARE funny. God’s little graces are everywhere if we but look. And God’s little graces need to be celebrated right along side of God’s big graces. Mission is one more way to open our eyes to grace all around us.
And what is more cleansing than a good belly laugh at God’s providences?
Sue Kirby just shakes her head. She keeps on saying that in 17 years of going on mission, she has never seen anything like it. What volunteers PAY someone to do their labor? But I shake my head too. How often do you pray for help and along comes a man with a pick in his hand?
In the midst of laughter and hard work God does amazing things. The greatest gift is the hope that volunteers bring in the name of Jesus Christ.
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