The First Church of McDonalds

First off ill say it was a good weekend. Time spent alone wandering the city streets. Reading through hebrews in a coffee house down town. spending hours on the phone with old friends. Having a conversation i should have avoided at all costs. Sleeping in late. Getting back on track with God. Hanging wit my fun friend all day saturday. Experiencing the dark knight (great movie). And going to an anti semi formal party. Goin to church sunday and then going carroling sunday night. Good times. In fact i felt like i could make a difference in the nursing home. So i went back today. I sat and played a few songs and just listened to stories. It kills me that no one listens to all the wisdom in that building. So i went and listened. It was amazing how you could see that for the first time in a long time some of those folks fealt like they mattered. Like someone was actually listening. The church should be the ones listening. Loving people who feel unloved or uncared for. This brings me to Ronnie.

A group of Students from Charter Oak Church went on a short term missions trip to improve some houses in Blue Field West Virginia. The first night we all walked down the street from the salvation army where we were staying to the McDonalds down the street. We must have been quite a specticle all parading in our matching shirts. It was in line that a fairly young man asked me where we were all from. I introduced my self as Zach and he said his name was Ronnie. Then my brother Alex introduced himself and the two of us began to chat with this stranger. We soon found out that he just arrived from Florida to take care of his sick father. It turns out that Ronnie had had some hard times in Florida and had gotten out of a bad situation by attending church. He found Jesus and his life changed. Now about 6 months after becoming a christian he got a chance for a truly fresh start. A baptism of sorts. A new beginning back with his dad in West Virginia.

He had arived just days before and it was a rude awakening. Things with his father were patchy and he fealt alone. Especially after being sorrounded by a community that loved him so much as their brother in Christ. Now he had to stand on his own and his faith was tested. We arrived on a sunday and he told us that he had gone looking for a church that morning to fill the void left by losing his church. But the church he tried turned out to be snake handlers! One look at that venemous reptile and he high tailed it out of there.

So here he was. Alone in a new city with no friends. No one to help him through things. We all layed hands (all thirty or so of us) and prayed for our brother. On a whim i had brought my guitar with me ( great things happen when were in tune with the spirit :) ) I played some tunes and mark (our pastor) played some tunes and we all sang. We prayed that Ronnie would feel at home in this new place. It was amazing and so there we were. 30 kids. a pastor and a man desperatly in need of love. Praying and Praising the Lord out side a McDonalds on a beautiful summer nite. The last thing Ronnie told us before we left him was that he went looking for a church sunday morning but God lead him to one sunday nite. :)

Ronnie spent the rest of the week laughing and playing eating praising and dancing with us and the other teams there for ASP (apalacian service project... the mission trip we were on). We all grew to love our brother Ronnie dearly and he still keeps in touch and we keep him in our prayers.

(Ronnie is crouching in the front with just a few of his new friends from McDonalds)

My prayer is that we can all be open minded. And have open hearts. We are the body. So let our arms give a warm embrace. And let our feet carry those around us when theyre down and out. As Mathew 25:40 reminds us "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Lets go show some affection . some compassion . just talk to someone. hear their story. its a hard life when you think your all alone and no one is listening. Make someones day. Hear their story. Show them they matter. Let them know that God cares, and as a follower you do to.