Go Beyond

The nations have come to Houston. From our manicured suburban neighborhoods to the densely populated multi-housing communities throughout Houston, the nations are here. And, they are here to stay. My neighbors are Nigerian, the manager of the convenience store down the street is Bangladeshi, the check-out lady at the office supply store is Pakistani, and the owners of the donut store near the church are Cambodian. My friend and Kingsland member Margie Randal ministers to refugees who live at the St. Cloud Apartments near Highway 59 and Bissonnet. Margie has made meaningful connections with families from Bhutan Nepal, Myanmar, India, and several Central American countries. She loves and cares deeply for these families and works tirelessly to share and to show God’s love to them in practical ways. And, the people who call St. Cloud home love Margie.

This morning, the Connections Adult Bible Fellowship met on the church parking lot at 7:00 AM to travel to the St. Cloud Apartments to bless the refugee families who live there. Earlier this week Fred and Holloway, two Kinglsand members, installed play equipment in one of the courtyards at the complex. This morning, the folks from Connections added a border around the play area and filled it with several inches of kiddie mulch. As we worked, children from several countries watched with anticipation and one father from Myanmar picked up a sledge hammer to help us secure the border timbers. As soon as we were done, mothers wearing their native dress brought their kids to the playground, filling the courtyard with laughter and the joyful sounds of kids at play.

While some of the Connections ABF folks worked on the playground, the others assembled new furniture for the apartment that Margie uses to teach ESL, hold Bible study classes, and from which she distributes food and clothing. I had the opportunity to share the story of Jesus with one man from Colombia who only speaks Spanish. He and his family have been here for a couple of weeks. He has all of his documents to start working and is eager to learn English. He has already met Margie and had nothing but great things to say about how she has encouraged and helped his family. The man and his family have no furniture, so Margie asked us to give him a sofa and bed that someone had recently donated and some food to help them make it through the coming week. This sweet family could not stop saying thank you and asked us to take a photo with them. “I am going to send this photo to our family to assure them that we are fine,” the dad said, “and to tell them that American Christians have helped us.”

I am grateful for Margie and all that she is doing to love and care for the peoples of the world who have relocated to Houston. Our big city can be a frightening place to people who have come here from small villages and rural communities – people who are struggling to make a new start in a strange place. Folks like that need friends like Margie. And, I am also thankful for the young couple at Kingsland who provided the funding for the playground and furniture and for the people of Kingsland who serve the people of our community week after week. It was great to see our folks serving among the nations today at the St. Cloud Apartments.