Purposefully Serving

Hello my sisters and brothers in Christ!

I pray you and yours are doing well. I've been blessed and highly favored, to God be the glory. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I currently serve as a volunteer at the USO Warrior and Family Center in my local area in Maryland. Earlier this year, the Lord put this task on my heart to get involved with the USO and I obeyed and said yes. As Christians, we are here to serve others, just as Christ came to this world to serve us and to bring glory to His Father. One of the blessings I saw out of this revelation is that I saw it as a way for me not only to serve our active military members, wounded warriors, and their families but also a learning experience for me. I saw it as a way that I can get to hear their personal stories while they serve or served, why did they decided to serve and many more; the history books and news can tell you only a fraction of their life, but their personal stories are the ones I cherish the most. I always have fun there with my fellow volunteers, USO staff, and of course America's faithful servants that I always find it difficult to leave on time after my shift ends. Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4.

One of the things God laid on my heart regarding this opportunity as a USO volunteer is that I could use my gift of exhortation and encourage those I come into contact with. I have been blessed to create a friendship with an awesome young lady in the army; we actually bonded through a book (Supporting Diligently in Christian Ministry) I was reading during my shift, she requested reading it after I was done, I invited her to my church and we got to bond really well after the service we attended; I look forward to see what God has in store for our friendship as we grow in our faith. God has been so faithful that in this time while serving there, I have also formed friendships with fellow volunteers; being that many of the volunteers at this center are senior citizens, I see it as great joy to hear their life stories and really learn from them in so many ways. They've shared so many great advice with me and we talk about a range of things such as traveling, elections, career, faith, service, dating and marriage, etc.; I always look forward to every shift to see who I'll be working with and what stories they'll share with me. For instance, yesterday I shared a shift with a very sweet man who served in the Air Force; he shared his experiences with me while serving abroad, as well as how perceptions have changed for those in uniform now in contrast to when he enlisted 40+ years ago. The information is truly astounding and I just sat there like that little girl back in the 90s who eagerly listened to her grandma share Bible stories with her while growing up in Sierra Leone/Nigeria. Although I am usually much younger than the other volunteers, I absolutely appreciate how much they respect me, teach me, encourage me, and make me feel like what I share is also relevant.

Remember that mentor leadership is all about serving. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Tony Dungy

God bless you.

Jesus loves you.

Restored woman living for God's Glory,
Ruby B. Johnson.

Have you given your heart to God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior? If you die today, will you make it to Heaven? If no or you are unsure, do not waste any more time and receive salvation now.