She Came Back
You can tell a lot about an organization by the employees that work there. You can tell even more about the organization when an intern from last year comes back after graduation to join the team as an employee. That exact blessing has been given to Mercy House. Last year during the COVID 19 crisis, God sent Ms. Ke’Andrea to Mercy House by way of an internship in acquiring her degree in social work from a local college. While other organizations were shutting down and working from home, we were in high gear. For instance weekly meals increased over 300%. The staff was constantly figuring out how to get supplies, get the word out and get God as much glory as we could. That is when Ms. Ke’Andrea came on board with us and got involved in making sure West Montgomery felt seen and taken care of. Not only was she efficient, but she was an extra light during a dark time. In May when her internship was complete, we were sad to see her go but knew that the next stop in her story would be so blessed to have her. And then God….
God provided funds that allowed Mercy House to offer her a position here. And here’s the part I want you to see - she came back. Having the degree and talent to go wherever she wanted to - she came back to Council street. I sat down with Ms. Ke’Andrea the other day to talk to her about why she made that decision. She spoke of the hard working environment that she experienced here. She loved how intentional Mercy House is about serving our neighbors. She shared that being open every Monday - Friday, even on holidays speaks volumes about the heart of our organization. Ms. Ke’Andrea was excited when she said “The people that work here serve because they have a passion for people living in poverty. It is not about a paycheck; it’s about seeing needs and finding a way to meet them.”
Ms. Ke’Andrea wanted me to include Ephesians 6: 13-17 “13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” She believes these verses are the cornerstone of how Mercy House is able to do what we do in a way that loves our neighbors without ceasing and glorifies God at the same time.
Ms. Ke’Andrea is already fully involved in the lives of so many here in West Montgomery. She is building relationships with those we have the honor of serving here and making ways to help them do more than just keep their head above water. She is claiming that with God’s direction and power, she will be able to open doors to more… more opportunities for jobs, more ways to share the Gospel and more chances to break this strong cycle of poverty. We are so thankful for the fresh wave of hope that Ms. Ke’Andrea has brought Mercy House. We are humbled by the way she talks about the work being done here. And of course we are spurred on in our service to be worthy of those words that she shares. Our team grew stronger last week in a way that meant so much. Welcome Home Ke’Andrea! We left the light on for you.
God Bless,
Pastor Austin