Lifestyle of Offering

Dear Friends,

What do you think would happen if you gave a homeless man $250? Our team members in Houston recently found out.

They first met Don on a Sunday afternoon in the park. With friends at their church, Ecclesia, our team members spend many Sundays at a local park, sharing home-cooked food. It isn t a feeding program exactly, but more of a family meal with brothers and sisters who don t have homes. They call it Simple Feast. Don is a regular, never without his sketchpad and pencil.

Early in her Mission Year, Sarah noticed that Don appeared to be sketching her and her teammate Andy while they patiently listened to the long, rambling story of another Simple Feast friend. Later, he approached her and gently offered his drawing. It turned out that Don was not only a talented artist; he was a kind and thoughtful friend as well. Before long, Don was a regular at the Mission Year team’s house, stopping by to play a board game, share a snack, or just talk.

Since their church has an art gallery, Sarah and Andy eventually arranged for Don to display some of his drawings at Ecclesia. A few pieces of his art were sold, totaling $250 that went directly to Don. So what did he do? Don promptly donated it all back to the church. Really.

“When Don gave that money,” Sarah said, “I was so humbled that it brought tears to my eyes. I don’t think I would have done the same. I probably would have kept some of the money for myself, justifying it by the fact that art supplies cost money. But Don, who has so little, gave everything. It was so beautiful.”

On my last trip to Houston, I got to experience Don s generosity and what Sarah calls his incredible joy – for myself. He complimented me on our Mission Year team’s approach to outreach. “These young people really are my friends, and I thank you for sending them here. Keep up the good work!” Wow. I love it that our young people were able to draw this gentle man back into fellowship and remind him that he has something to give the world. And I love it that he showed them the truth that Jesus keeps trying to show us:

“Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford she gave her all!” (Luke 21:1-4)

Your donations to Mission Year have made it possible for our team and their church to connect with a homeless man who literally offers all he has to the work of God. Our ‘small’ gifts, when combined with the extravagant gifts of the Dons of this world, make for a truly wonderful offering!

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