Summer: How Do You Do It?

By Mike Musgrove

Mark came into the mission today. He walked into my office and eloquently explained that he was perplexed. "I do not understand how you have such an amazing place here. I know you don't get near the funding the government place a block away gets, but your place runs smoothly with care and compassion, while the other place is in chaos and danger. This place is perplexing."

He shakes his head. "How do you do it?"

I fumbled through an explanation saying stuff like, "It's God's work. We build a community. We don't separate ourselves from our guests. We love what we do. We love..." I think I kept adding thoughts because he kept looking at me like I wasn't getting the answer right.

Finally I said, "I don't really know." I then said, "What about you? What brings you here?"

He replied, "A series of bad decisions".

"Can I help?" I said

He looked up and said, "I got myself here and I need to claw my way out." He went on to say that he came from wealth and has been fascinated with history and specifically suffering in history. He then proposed the thought, "Maybe I am here because God wants me to learn about suffering in a way that you can't learn by reading."

"Well I guess if that is what God wanted He certainly has found a way to reveal it to you", I replied.

He chuckled and started to leave and I said "If clawing your way out gets tough then just remember that we're here."

He looked at me intensely, waved his finger at me, and without exchanging words I knew that he had just figured out the answer to his first question.

"Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, and energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give Him the most pleasure." Philippians 2:13 MSG