My sisters, Ann Marie and Beth, have both recently gone to Covenant College in Georgia. Beth is entering the school as a freshman so this is her first year away. For years now Beth has been ministering to a family of three girls and their cousins (two more girls and one boy). The love Beth showed these children grew quickly and became even stronger when the three cousins moved away. The three who stayed in White Swan are Odessa (7), Sharyce (6), and Anjelica (4).
Beth's last summer here she tried to get the three to feel more comfortable with the other staff members, specifically my siblings and me, so that when she wasn't here, they would continue to look forward to coming to church and we would be able to look out for them until Beth could came back. Sharyce became more open than the others, but gradually Odessa and Anjelica became more comfortable with Ann Marie and Marisol as well. Of course Ann Marie also left for college, so that left Marisol as the only one that they were really comfortable with. However, with the end of the summer, the interns all left and Ann Marie and Beth went along with them, leaving those who stayed short-handed. We had to fill in for the gaps that had been left. We all had our hands tied and that included Marisol, so no one could have one on one time with a child nor could Marisol have on on three time with Beth's girls. The girls came to church only once after Beth left; they wanted Beth and only Beth.
A while back, we received a package from Beth addressed to her girls. My brother was on the van that went by their house to pick them up for church on Sundays and gave them the box sent by Beth. That was the night they came to church again.
"I had to beg them to come, telling them over and over, 'Beth wants you to go!'" David told us.
Yesterday we hosted a kid's club in Totus Park like we do during the summers. I rode on the bus with Veronica to pick up the kids who lived in White Swan, but not in Totus. This included Beth's girls. As they saw the bus pull into their driveway they started jumping up and down in their excitement. I hadn't seen them this cheerful since Beth left a month ago.
Sharyce led skipped into the bus, Anjelica and Odessa behind her. Sharyce gave me a hug and showed me her pink, flowered headband, "You see it, Morgan? Beth sent it to me! From her school!"
Anjelica eyed me skeptically, "How tome you loot like Bet?" It's common for kids to say certain words weird or with a lisp, but the unique way Anjelica speaks is absolutely adorable... and usually extremely hard to understand.
"I look like her 'cause I'm her sister." I replied.
"Her tister?"
I nodded.
"Can you hold me like Bet does, then?"
In the two hours we spent at Kids Club, Anjelica never left my arms.
I gave Anjelica no reason to trust me, she trusted me because I was Beth's sister. So it has been with this entire ministry. The adults, youth, and kids, all started coming because they trusted and loved someone who was associated with the ministry, whether it be a staff member, summer intern, or team member. This trust has grown into a love for the church. Others come as a result of the love shown in the indivuduals who trust us. So you see, this church is growing like a wildfire, with a spiderweb of relationships as it's heart. The love Christ shows others through us is strong enough to pass onto someone else who hasn't felt this love firsthand. That is how this church is growing. It started out as friendships, but those sprouted and branched out faster than anyone had ever hoped they would. When you break it down, you can see that the root of this church is trust.
