Measuring Success

We live in a world where we often want to measure our success. How many calories did I burn? What was my ACT score?  How many miles to the gallon did I get? Mercy House itself keeps statistics on all types of services provided such as the number of meals served each year.  (BTW -thanks to the generosity of many, Mercy House served 21,365 meals in 2020!!) These measurements give us a starting point that we can use to work towards improving. 

With that in mind, It is important that you understand what constitutes a successful day of volunteering or visiting here at Mercy House. Too many of the neighbors from West Montgomery are living a hard and heartbreaking story. The crime rate here is too high and the yearly income too low. Just making it through most days for the neighbors here is an exhausting challenge. They can’t exhale because they are trying so hard to just take in a breath. When we have volunteers come to Council street they are oftentimes surprised by the problems and challenges the residents face. Hearing their story can be unimaginable to a heart that has never experienced hunger or homelessness. Providing them a hot meal and a smile can feel like a drop in the bucket towards changing their circumstances. The desire to do more wells up inside of us but we push it back down because it is all just too much - too many problems and too many needs. It is common for a volunteer to focus more on all those needs they have seen rather than the value their presence has here. Volunteers often leave a service day feeling overwhelmed and under-qualified. 

But in God’s eyes, the picture of the day was one that brings Him joy. You saw hurt you couldn’t fix but The Lord saw one of his children answer His call to show up and serve. You saw age-old injustice but God saw you being His hands and feet serving His children. You saw a standard of living that is unacceptable for the year 2021 and God saw that same neighborhood that He is holding in the palm of His hand. He is using good and faithful servants to remind our neighbors that they are not forgotten, that He is working, healing, and making beauty out of ashes. When God is glorified through your faithfulness and compassion, we consider the day a win for Him and for Mercy House! We see your time here as a sign that change is coming, that people do care, and that God will do anything for His children. Walking someone out of poverty takes time. We are not asking you to solve this mammoth problem. We are asking you to love like Jesus while you are here and make plans to join us again soon. 

God Bless,
Pastor Ken Austin