In the lifestyles imposed on us by the dictates of modern society, we do not often take the time to pause, to reflect on our surroundings, to "stop and smell the roses" as it were. To my surprise, I found such an opportunity during an event which usually blends right in with my hectic life: serving in the front of the house at the River of Life homeless outreach.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely do not wish to imply that the hustle and bustle during RoL represents a negative aspect. Scurrying back and forth from kitchen to table allows a server, such as myself, to interact with many a person.

During my past experiences at RoL, this usually represented the scenario: stand at the door to the kitchen, wait for a signal from the doorman/woman to let us know how many "customers" were walking in, hustle into the kitchen, grab a plate or two, and try to spot where the "customer(s)" in question sat. Often, I only had the chance to exchange brief pleasantries with the person to whom I gave a plate, before I had to run back to the kitchen to grab another meal for a guest.

This time, however, we had quite a bit of time in between kitchen runs, that much of our time "working" was spent standing, waiting, and singing along to the songs over the speakers. (Pastor Peter found time to ask me what band was playing on the stereo system.)

Our team had quite a bit of hands out in front, so we kinda rotated who grabbed plates, and who served who. This resulted in even more waiting for each individual waiter. Basically, it was a really slow night.
(I'm told that it was because most of the working homeless had just received their paychecks, and their motto is "if can, spend.")

During the off-times in between runs, I was able to the sheer diversity of the people coming into the room to get a meal. Most obvious was the way they looked. Some had long dress pants on, some had short jeans on, some tank topped, some T-shirted, some rugged, some looked like they had just taken a shower. (I even saw one that looked kinda like Elvis. XD)
Less evident, but still prominent, were their attitudes. On one hand, a few possessed the confidence to walk right in, unhesitatingly take a cup and fork, and sit right down where they wanted to. On the other hand, most people walked in shyly, took their cup cautiously, and walked to the nearest open seat. Even when conversing with them briefly, a simple "hello, enjoy your meal" from me received a "howzit, brah?" in return from some, from others it was "how are you, my brother? Praise the Lord," and still others said nothing at all.

Through all of that, however, one thing really impacted me: the closeness of the community. If a person could not find a seat, he or she almost always received an invitation from the other side of the table to occupy a vacant seat. When a meal was not finished, the full customer asked the person next to him or her if they wanted the leftovers. Laughter and talking echoed throughout the room.

Serving this group of people, who could grasp what real fellowship and unity was, came to me as a real joy. If the homeless community has one thing going for them, it's their comradeship. For some, it even extends to other people, regardless of who he or she is or where they are from. One man asked me to pray over his family, which really touched me. (In the end, I called Pastor Peter over to pray, because it would have been... a little awkward for me to do it with a Pastor right there. XD)

It was an absolutely fantastic experience. Many would view it from the outside as an "extracurricular activity," but I view it as much more than that. It is a chance to serve the Lord by serving his people. Even if I am not blessed with the gift of helps, it bring me great joy to do something like RoL.

Although, I am hoping for a little more activity the next time I go. :-D