Last Saturday, five days after a strong F3Tornado ravaged my hometown of Suffolk, Virginia, I had the privilege of working with Disaster Relief Teams at my local church. One imparticular, Disaster Relief Virginia, sponsored a LAUNDRY TRUCK. At the helm of this ministry were three ladies I will never forget, Nona, Virginia and Annette, all from Appamatox, Va.
“How in the world did you get involved with this?” I asked. “Well, while I was in Sliddell, LA., after Hurricane Katrina, I saw a laundry truck and realized that we didn’t have anything like that on the East Coast. So, I returned from that trip, presented the idea to the Appamatox Baptist Association and before I knew it, twenty three area churches were raising money for the truck,” shared Nona.
“Amazing,” I smiled. “Absolutely too cool!” While we were chitchatting, a state policeman stopped by the truck with his load of laundry. “Someone told me there were three ladies at the church doing dirty laundry!” he smiled.
“Yes, sir! That’s what we’re here for!” greeted Virginia.
Nona, Virginia, and Annette epitomize Matthew 25:40, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.” They captured my heart and made me realize that there is no job too small in the kingdom of God. Who would have thought that washing someone’s dirty laundry could be a ministry? An opportunity to minister grace and mercy in the midst of disaster? This begs the question, “What little thing can I do, today, to make a big difference in the life of someone I know?” Ask God to show you. Then, do it! Let me know how it turns out!
For more information on the vital Virginia Disaster Relief Ministry, check their website: http://www.vbmb.org/glocalmissions/disaster.htm