How He Loves Us : Clara Jeong
For the past several weeks, I had the privilege of serving with Simplicity Ministry for the Covid-19 outreach to our neighbors in Corona, Queens. I still remember the excitement when Pastor Gus and Stewart first shared about the opportunity. My body’s been itching to serve, and I strongly craved for a change of heart since I’ve been spiritually dry for some time. Looking back, I think the start was out of more selfish reasons than solely out of a genuine desire to help. But God used even my selfishness to carry out His will.
To share a short episode from my delivery, I was waiting outside of a recipient’s house that was in a commercial area. The weather was hot, and the streets were busy with people walking and cars honking. He was the last person on my list, and the first time he picked up his phone, I was told, “2 minutes.” 20 minutes passed and after having my calls ignored multiple times, I began to get frustrated – why is he not coming down if he’s home? How much longer do I need to wait? But because some recipients were dependent on this weekly delivery, I couldn’t just leave. As I was having my own internal struggle, an hour had passed. I decided to call him one last time, and he finally picked up. He sounded as if he was running, and apologized over and over. When I did finally meet him face to face, I realized how off I was. He was covered in sweat – it was still so very visible even with the mask covering half of his face – and clearly looked like he was returning from work. Immediately, I felt guilty for bad-mouthing him; this man was worried I’d leave, so he couldn’t be honest and kept saying, “2 minutes.” After handing over the box and exchanging multiple greetings and “thank you”s, I got back to the car feeling uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable to face my own sinful heart. There was clearly a lack of love and compassion while I waited for him, and I thought about what Jesus would have done. He would’ve had more love and patience for the man. I lifted a prayer of repentance as I headed back home.
The collective effort that made this ministry possible is a proof of how amazing God is in providing exactly everything we need. Each box includes a special touch, on top of the carefully selected groceries: a handwritten card with encouraging messages. Our card ministry – a team of 10 including me – was responsible for handwriting the cards for 53 recipients every week. The message would be first written by us in English, then translated in Spanish, which then would be written by the team. I remember posting on Instagram asking for a friend to help with Spanish translations with little expectation. To my surprise, I was reached out by unexpected friends and people including: an old friend I haven’t talked to in a while, an atheist college friend, and even an Instagram influencer (for those who don’t know what this is, it’s a title given to people with a huge number of followers on social media). God was sending help in unexpected ways, and used every opportunity to spread His words.
Seeing the happy faces of people receiving the packages and exchanging, “Dios te bendiga” (God bless you), I realized God allowed this ministry to be more than a means of giving practical help. Each week is a battlefield in different ways, and one cannot help but proclaim how great our God is to make each week’s delivery happen. As for our friends over in Corona, a continuous prayer is needed, and I pray that God will continue to bless and watch over them.