Our Stories
Serving at Tent City 4
By Paul Lanum | posted 05/08/2008
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:16-18)
When my mom and dad told me we were going to Tent City to serve dinner, I thought I was going to be bored to death. I guess I didn't really know that I would actually have to work. That morning at Perrigo Park, I sort of just goofed off. Once I got to Tent City, it looked like a bunch of tarps put into a parking lot. Once you got in you could tell that people actually lived there. It was kind of sad to see all these people living in tents. At the same time, it was nice that they had a home even though they wouldn't normally.
At the beginning of dinner, Mac told this "interesting" story to the people at tent city about a wide-mouthed frog. Even Mac couldn't tell if there was a moral to the story but it made everybody laugh and feel more comfortable.
When the dinner was being served, my mom told me I had to pass out napkins. I was like, "I actually have to do something. Darn!" I was kind of nervous. Once I kind of got going, I offered each person a napkin. Some people totally skipped me but others were nice about it and asked me to slide it under their full plates. Some of them were quite talented!
Towards the end of the dinner, we met a man who lived at Tent City. We talked to him and he told us a little about his life. He was hoping to move back down to California with his family soon. He had made some poor choices and had also been hurt in an accident. He looked at me and Ben (another Creekside helper) and said, "You better listen to your parents. Your parents are always right." Ben's mom and my mom had huge smiles on their faces. Then he said, "Well, almost always right." We all laughed.
If I had an opportunity to serve at Tent City again, I would do it. It was sad but it was nice to see some new people. After meeting these people, I feel very lucky to live in my house with all of my stuff and my family. It makes me wonder if God acts differently in different people's lives. I wonder how many of them at Tent City know God?
Maybe if I do it again, they'll serve something I actually like to eat. I'm sure if I liked the salad and chicken it would have been great. At least, that's what all the people at Tent City were saying.
To respond to this message, email Paul at lanum.family@verizon.net.
