Last week I had a visit from an old friend at the ministry. A gentleman that I met in February of 2012 stopped by to see us. This visit was much different than our first. I recall meeting this particular gentleman at a time in his life when he was frustrated with his job search, disappointed with where he was in life, and desperate for help. After beating the bushes a bit, he was able to find a job with a local construction crew. And yet, even after working for a while, he knew he still wasn’t living the life God wanted for him. We discussed the options, particularly Victory Gospel Chapel in San Antonio, one of our partner ministries (side note: LOV Founders John and Dolores received much of their training in ministry here). October 2 will mark one year since this gentleman made the decision to enroll in this residential addiction recovery and spiritual growth center and boarded a Greyhound bus to Texas.

Now, almost a year later, here he was at Light of the Village. But this time was different. He wore a great big smile and seemed burden-free and peaceful. He told me about completing the program, moving to Huntsville to be with family, and his new job prospects. We reminisced about the people who have crossed our paths and remembered those we have lost in the past year. And he expressed his gratitude to LOV and God for intervening in his life and helping him when he needed it most. But something he said particularly stood out to me.

The gentleman expressed that at Light of the Village, we are “right in the thick of it.” And I was reminded what a blessing it is to be “right in the thick of it” allowing Christ to intertwine my life and my story with the lives of those we encounter for the sole purpose of displaying the Gospel. What a beautiful thing, though rarely easy or convenient! But how much more beautiful is it that Christ has done the same for us. God, in all His splendor, has intricately intertwined Himself to us, constantly loving, guiding, healing, and encouraging.

Please pray for eyes continually open to see those around us in need of love, guidance, healing, and encouragement and the strength to give all of these things in abundance. And pray that through our interaction more individuals will see the One who has been with them all along and will always be “right in the thick of it” with them.

-Morgan C.