They That Wait

Patience for most does not come as easily. It is often the one thing we lack and some circumstances without it we aren't able to accomplish very much.

 For most of our visitors at the Free Market, patience, in most cases, is a necessary evil; necessary for the various trials that often occur as a result of living on the street, evil in a sense that although it is required in basically every area of our lives it also difficult to endure.

One thing I can say about the many people who visit the Free Market is that patience is something they have become accustomed to. Is it wrong to say I envy them? Here I have more than what some would have their entire life (of which I am very thankful for), and yet I still find myself wanting more....more of what I don't really need. My patience is thin but getting thicker (God is good), and I have yet to master the altitude of patience that our visitors in the Free Market have. I am in awe of them. I take lessons and aim to be like them. They inspire me. They humble me. In a world where everything is at our fingertips and more this and more that is what we are constantly after, it is refreshing to be among those who lack things in the physical but exude patience in other areas of their lives.

God reveals things to us in his timing. We are not always going to have the answers to every question. I believe it is purposely intended to be this way for if we had the answers to everything then there wouldn't be much use for a God. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." I cannot stress how important being patient and waiting on the Lord is for those who aim to be like him. I have no idea how the visitors in the Free Market have and continue to master this, but I do know that I plan my schedule carefully to be at the Free Market so that I do not miss out on an opportunity to learn from them.

Some could argue that those who are homeless have no option but to be patient, but I could argue that they are not the only ones who struggle and that it is those who are more fortunate who struggle the most with being patient! I for one am constantly learning and I do believe that I have the best teachers...my fellow visitors of the Free Market.

From One of the Crew

The Well is a community of all kinds of different people. Though we are all different, all of us have needs and all of us come to The Well to encounter Jesus in one another. The whole operation depends on individuals who come here to both give life and receive it. We have many beautiful people that make up the mosaic that is this community, this representation of the body of Christ. Allow me to introduce you to one such individual. Kineci is champ. She is here at least two days every week and is always willing to engage guests, get her hands dirty in the back room, or coach and lead newer volunteers. She is a joy to be around and an inspiration to all of us who have the privilege of calling her a partner and friend. I recently asked her to write about her experience here and it turns out that she already had on her own blog! Here is what she had written:

To read more from Kineci check out her blog here

I learned about The Well during a bible study session at the University. I started serving here in October of 2013. Words cannot express the amount of joy I have serving in this ministry. It's an indescribable feeling I have when I feed those who are hungry, give water to those who are thirsty, and clothe those who have nothing other then the clothes on their backs to wear.

The most important part about serving with The Well however, is meeting all of God's people where Jesus met most of his believers, on the streets. You see people misconstrue what exactly it is that we do here. Most of our visitors who come to The Well daily think that they need us and are thankful that we take the time to care for them, it is us who need them though. I need to feed those who are hungry and encourage any who have lost faith.

God is not dead, he is yet alive and through this ministry I am able to do the very thing that God has called me to do. And even though I do not deserve to hear it, I look forward to the day that my father tells me, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"

-Kineci Jackson

I am sure there will be many more posts from Kineci in the near future so stay tuned!