For many years I had been praying and hoping God would make a way for my boys and me to celebrate his birth by giving.  Not giving in the “presents” sense, but giving in the “doing” sense.  I wanted us to be involved in a soup kitchen, passing out coats to the homeless, or simply visiting those who have no one, while sipping hot cocoa together. 

Christmas 2005 found my baby boy and me on our own.  My family, for one reason or another simply would not be getting together that year for Christmas.   It could have been a miserable time for us, but God had other plans.  My neighbor and sister in Christ, Sandra Greaney volunteered at a place called The Magdalene Project (TMP).  She told me they had several different Christmas outreaches and asked if I wanted to volunteer.   The pace was rapid and the smiles contagious.  I had never seen so many people eager to do God’s work in one place. 

Some women were counting and some were decorating.  There were bins of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash and much, much more.  There were small bags aligned neatly in flat banana boxes with numbers and abbreviated names on tags.  There were tissue paper, ribbons and the most beautiful scarves I had ever seen.  This place was bustling with joy and the presence of God abounded.  I was happy to be there.  Happy God allowed me to be there.  Just a month earlier I was stuck behind a desk, in pain from years of physical problems and the inability to cope with the fact that I could no longer ignore the pain.  I felt helpless and hopeless.  I am so thankful our God is a gentle God.  He not only delicately knitted those scarves through the hands of his people, but he also delicately knitted the cradle in which to catch me when I heard my doctor say I would not be returning to work.

Within weeks, my son and I were at TMP almost daily.  We melded in with the other smiling faces and soon we were to have the experience of a lifetime, they call Church Under the Bridge or CUB for short.  I had never heard of it, but soon we would see that it was more than a name; it was a blessing.  We pulled under the IH 35 bridge in Austin, Texas between 6th and 7th streets.  There was a trailer, a preacher, a mic, guitar, chairs and plenty of people to fill them.  There was love, laughter, the Holy Spirit and praising.  We brought our own entourage too or rather they brought us.  Under the direction of one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, Jennifer Belcher, we set up tables and stacked them with cookies, spiritual tracts/books, soaps, socks, shirts, sleeping bags, and of course, those fanciful scarves and more.   

We mingled with the crowd and listened to Brother Duane preach and share the love of Jesus Christ.  We chatted, we hugged, we laughed, and now it was time for us to share our blessings with them, or so I thought.  My son was a part of an assembly line handing out carefully packed hygiene bags, to all who gathered.  I watched as he lovingly placed the bags in their hands.  I watched as he made eye contact with all that passed.  I watched as he smiled and said Merry Christmas.  I nudged in beside him so that I too could experience the joy of giving.  I wanted to be a blessing.  Yes, you know where this story is going.  While I lovingly placed the bag into their hands, they lovingly received it.  While I looked into their eyes, they looked back into mine.  Before I could say Merry Christmas, they said Merry Christmas and God bless you.  I set out to teach my son what it felt like to give and God set out to teach me, what it felt like to truly receive the blessing of a lifetime, and so it begins…

The winds of change have blown The Magdalene Project in a new direction.  In November 2006, God confirmed with founder, Robbi Sluder that he needed her to operate in a new direction with regard to TMP.  Robbi asked to meet with me and I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  How could God not want TMP to continue?  How could he call Robbi away? Who was going to orchestrate TMP ministries in the way that Robbi so effortlessly did?   Robbi tried to assure me that God had already shown her the plan.  She shared an e-mail in which Jennifer wrote that she felt God was calling her to Bastrop for the youth.  Robbi and Sandra believed this was confirmation of their belief that God wanted me to take over TMP’s CUB ministry.  I was in shock and in total disbelief.  I needed to pray and wanted to run.  Truth be told, I was angry.  I didn’t want to see The Magdalene Project “blow”.  I knew Robbi needed to be somewhere else, that much was clear, but this? 

Thank you Jesus for being patient and gracious!  Thank you Robbi too for being the same.  This is one of those 2 X 4 moments, the meaning of which, I’m sure you can guess.  All these years I had been praying for God to allow my boys and me to celebrate Him by giving and when He answered my prayers, I was almost too busy complaining to hear him.