Beautiful Feet

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

-Romans 10:15

Last night, that line of Paul and Isaiah's was used to motivate eager volunteers to serve like Christ at Baltimore's Convoy of Hope. Today, the irony of that statement became laughable as 1,101 of us squished through the mud for 9 hours, discussing throwing away our shoes after the day's use. But, at the volunteer rally it was also stated that "hope does not come without a price," and the sacrifice of a few shoes was well worth the impact this event had on so many lives around the city.

Eighty-plus churches from the Baltimore area came together, across denominational lines, and over obstacles so inclement perhaps only Noah has surmounted them until now. The week of incessant rain contributed to two broken carpal bones, two fork lifts stuck stubbornly in the mud, and at least two extra gray hairs on the heads of the leaders of this huge undertaking. But the Lord was gracious and arranged a picture-perfect forecast for us to host our guests of honor, the residents of Baltimore.

I never would have thought the concepts of "balloon art" and "stamina" would be so intimately associated, but after vying for the Guinnes record for most consecutive hours creating balloon animals, I think our small team made a difference in many children's lives. Even more importantly, the tangible gifts of haircuts, eyebrow waxing, mani's and pedi's, health checks, family portraits, groceries and clothing reached over 3,500 guests with God's love. More than 2,000 were prayed with, and 110 of those made decisions for Christ!

I'm feeling immensely thankful that we had the opportunity to participate in this awesome outreach. And a little sentimental, as this was probably my last large service project with my favorite church in the world, Mosaic.