“Hello, my name is Christy and this is my husband, Wayne.” Relationships start with hello. Whether it is a new student, someone joining us on staff, a new person at church, a new teacher I volunteer for, it always starts with “Hello, my name is. . . “. Our ministry is based on relationships. Relationships with co-workers, students, church family, financial supporters, husband/wife, children, and the list could go on. Although Wayne’s ministry may look like a maintenance job, just fixing things, really it boils down to relationships. Although my ministry may involve volunteering in at school, attending classes here on campus, or just making it to the breaks between classes, it all comes down to relationships.
Some relationships are very obvious. Wayne has a different student working with him this semester, Anthony. Wayne works with him three days a week and is teaching Anthony how to come along side and help in the HVAC department. But it doesn’t stop there. Wayne also talks with Anthony about classes, family life and future ministry. As they work together, they sometimes chat about the job they are on, other times they discuss life issues. Wayne also has relationships with his co-workers. There is a new electrician on staff this year, Tom. Just this past week we had lightning strike a tree on campus which in turn knocked out a lot of phone lines. Wayne’s co-worker, Ken was gone out west in church meetings so Wayne and Tom worked together and fixed the phones. Both of those relationships are very obvious to be developing.
But then there’s the not so obvious. For example, the family who calls after hours because they smell gas in their home and their pilot lights are out in their stove. Wayne works on their stove, also asking them about how life is going. Sometimes it’s a quick fix for the stove, but it a longer “fix” for listening to concerns and struggles the couple is going through. Those opportunities happen on a daily basis for Wayne and it all started with “Hello, my name is Wayne” when they arrived on campus. He started a relationship.
Our lives are full of relationships. Every day is an opportunity to build on our hellos. Please pray for us as we interact with students, co-workers, and people in our community and our local church. We desire to make the most of every opportunity.
Ultimately it all comes down to one relationship: our relationship with God. Only through God’s grace and love can we build relationships with those around us. He is the one who prompts Wayne when he’s working on someone’s refrigerator to ask “how are things going for you?”. He’s the one who directs my steps when I go to break and visit with students. He’s the one who directs our thoughts as we discuss when and who to have over for meals. He’s the one who gives us love and patience for those who have “after hours” questions or appliance breakdowns. He is the one who is our all.
It all started with a simple hello.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.