We’ll wrap up our spotlights with our friend, Tim, who has been serving meals several
times a month at our Mohm’s Place meal-site for over two years now (he’s served 65 meals to be exact!). When Tim looks back on when he started serving with us, he says he was like anyone else. “I had excuses,” he says, “4 kids, a job, lots of reasons not to volunteer. But I convinced myself to not overthink it and I just jumped in.” Two years later, he’s built relationships and consistently shows up for our guests. Instead of having excuses, now Tim leaves our kitchen more energized than when he came and feels like he’s making a small difference just by putting food on a plate.
Tim says that he’s experienced many meaningful moments serving meals at New Visions, but there’s one in particular that really stands out. He recalls an elderly man shuffling towards him slowly, making eye contact as if he was trying to get Tim’s attention. Tim walked over and the man asked if he could read Tim a poem. Knowing that some of our guys can be jokesters, Tim wasn’t sure what to expect. But the elderly gentleman took 2 folded sheets of paper from his pocket and read 2 poems to Tim. One was about loving one another, and the other was about asking for strength not to give up. The man gave Tim his folded copies of those poems, and Tim has treasured them ever since. “I’ve got those poems framed in my office now,” says Tim, “any time I start to feel sorry for myself, I look at those poems.”
Having served with us for so long, Tim understands that sometimes the outcomes of volunteering are unknown or hard to quantify, but that doesn’t keep him from continuing to do whatever he can to help individuals find hope. “Never underestimate the life-changing potential of a moment’s encounter;” says Tim, “a simple smile, a hello, or just listening may be just what someone needs that day.” Tim’s a guy who prefers to lead by example and says that “sometimes it’s better to see a sermon in action than hear one,” but when asked what he hopes will inspire others to serve, he readily shares a few passages from the Gospel of Matthew: “Truly I say to you, as you did to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it
to me.” And “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Tim adds, “These are heavy words, but they motivate me to keep serving and I hope they’ll inspire others as well.” We’re so grateful for Tim and all that he’s doing to serve others in our community, one plate of food at a time.
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