He came to our ministry because he needed a winter coat. People from his small Hispanic church told him about our coat drive, and the coats they had gotten for themselves and their children the week before. He desperately needed a warm winter coat and was hoping he wasn’t too late to get one. The main event was over, but we were still in the process of organizing and storing the winter wear items that remained after serving over 500 people.
I chatted in Spanish with Jordan* while he looked for a coat that would fit his tall frame. He was from a town in Cuba I’ve visited multiple times, and we discovered we had connections in common between his church and one I worked with for several years in his town. We talked about how we both missed the sunny warmth of his island as we could hear the wind outside. He’d only been in the states for 7 months, so he was totally unprepared for what felt to him like bone-chilling cold. I think it was 38 degrees that day. The look on his face when I told him it got a lot colder still makes me smile.
He was delighted to find a heavy winter coat that fit him well, and picked a scarf as well, shivering at the very thought of going back outdoors. As he left, he said he was so grateful to God for our ministry and our willingness to provide him with winter wear he needed so badly. He quickly donned the coat and scarf for a couple of pictures. He also gave me contact info for his pastor here in GR so we can explore ways RPM and this local church can minister together to our local Hispanic community.
Most of us probably take our winter coats for granted, but for the hundreds of men, women and children who came to our coat drive, especially people like Jordan facing their first Michigan winter, the coats, gloves, hats, scarves, and blankets they received were greatly appreciated and treasured gifts.
We here at RPM are so grateful for our partnership with the churches of Classis Grand Rapids South. If you have any questions about future or further involvement, don’t hesitate to contact me. We have volunteer opportunities with our English literacy program for our immigrant community. I’m always happy to help someone enrich their life by guiding them toward ways they can generously serve. Because of your support we are able to serve our neighbors who come from over a dozen countries worldwide.
So grateful to be a fellow servant of Jesus,
Joel B Groat, Exec Director
Roosevelt Park Ministries
Joel@rpmins.org
*We do not use our clients’ real names in order to honor and protect their privacy.
