An Angel Mowed the Lawn

By Amber Neufeld

Some mornings after making lunches, organizing field trip forms, planning carpools, cleaning up spilled juice, washing stinky jerseys and then shuffling four, chatty, chaotic kids off to school, I get to work already exhausted. This was one of those mornings. Today we had a large volunteer event in the park by the Welcome Hub, with youth and their leaders from Village Church. I wish I could say I was excited but the recent shootings, stabbings, overdoses, and a building fire left me feeling anxious and disheartened. Is there any purpose in bringing people into this mess?

I got to work and sighed to myself, “How are we going to bring 85 youth into this neighbourhood right now? Are they going to be safe? Will this event even have any impact on them or the people they meet?”

My phone rang and it was Shannon, the Volunteer and Donations Manager, who was organizing the event. The concerned tone in her voice echoed my own, “I don’t know how we’re going to do this. The park is completely overgrown with weeds, and I don’t know how we’re going to set up a tent and be in there when we can’t see what could be in the grass.”

We both understood the issues, and the safety concerns, but we decided that we couldn’t cancel a group this size on such short notice and that we needed to push through. Plus, I know our people and how much they enjoy youth, and being cared for, and the energy this could bring into the city.

As the day progressed, I worked hard to increase my momentum and attitude to prepare for the evening’s events. People always give me energy, and I knew that if I could hang in there, I’d at least be able to fake my excitement until the real energy kicked in. Half an hour before the buses were meant to arrive Shannon and I met at the park to set up and survey the scene. I was expecting to troubleshoot and pivot on our expectations, as well as our location. Amazingly, there was a man in the park mowing every bit of the weeds by himself. We were both confused. He wasn’t a city employee, and he didn’t have any markings on his vehicle. Shannon and I stood with our mouths gaping open at this beautiful clear park full of people now enjoying the sunshine. They were sunbathing, chatting, laying on blankets, and enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. There was no unexposed risk, and the park was stunning. God has a purpose.

Shannon looked at me, “Can you believe this?”

I shook my head in disbelief, “Well, if we needed a sign that God is in control of this event, I think we just got one!” We both laughed and proceeded with the setup.

I recognized many of the parkgoers from SUMS’ meal program and was excited to chat with Myles and his girlfriend, Anne, who had been around for as long as I can remember. The extroverted extrovert in me was absolutely loving all these people, the clear lawn, the conversation, and the excitement of the busy park. My energy had kicked in. I finished my chat with Anne and Myles and walked away to organize a couple of early volunteers to finish setting up the tent. I noticed that the man was finished mowing and had packed up his equipment. He stopped by the tent to see what we were doing. He was covered in grass clippings, and I recognized him as a past guest.

I smiled at him, so happy that he had walked over, “Hi Mark, I can’t believe you did this today. It’s a huge job!” I said, “Thank you so much for mowing the park. This is such an unexpected blessing to us. We have all these kids coming to serve the area and didn’t know what we’d do”.

“Really?” he answered, “I woke up today and knew this was important. I was praying that a strong angel would help me finish this and that God would have a purpose for my work today.”

“Well,” I responded, “He sure had a plan for you. And we’re so thankful!”

I realized I needed that sign. I needed Mark to show me that God was in control of this area, this event, these kids, and His mission. When we walked onto the church buses for a safety orientation, I explained some of the violence that had happened recently, I explained that we had been nervous about the youth’s safety at this event, and I explained about Mark and how he had mowed the entire park and believed it was more purposeful than just mundanely cutting down weeds. I could see every word that I said being absorbed by these students as they quietly listened.

The event was impactful. The youth asked amazing questions, interacted with folks that they’d never encounter in their usual day-to-day, prayed with people who were living outside, and cleaned up 7 garbage bags full of garbage. Whalley was bright that evening. There was a lot of laughter and there were 85 students and leaders who walked away with a life-changing experience. This is the next generation of leaders, justice-seekers, and lovers of people. When we release ourselves from comfort and step into something new or different, then we see God’s face and experience life in a way that allows us to know Him in all His glory. I’m so thankful for that experience for all of us. These volunteers touched people in pain, lifted up a hurting neighbourhood, and walked away knowing that the Lord had set this time and place apart for them to experience something outside of themselves. This was God’s purpose. This is where healing starts.

2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”