Just Ask
By Patrick Lemmons
Jesus was an inviter. He didn’t force or coerce anyone—He simply asked: “Come, follow me.” And people did. They dropped their nets, left their tax booths, and followed Him. I thought about that recently when watching our friend Luis at work here at the Resource Center.
When Luis first came to us, he was just another person in line for food assistance. He was personable, however, friendly and always eager to chat. He wore baseball gear all the time, so I would usually make small talk with him about that. Rather than being in a hurry to get through the line, you could tell he wanted to connect.
And when we made a push for more volunteers a while back, Luis was one of the first to say yes. And he hasn’t stopped saying yes since. He now volunteers more than 10 hours every single week, and is smart, hardworking, and reliable. Because of that, we’ve had the freedom to move him into different roles depending on where the need is greatest.
On distribution days our team that handles inside check-in always gathers for a quick prayer before we open the doors to the crowd waiting outside. And on a recent day they asked Luis to lead the prayer. I snapped a picture and thought back to when he was simply here ro receive food.
It was such a great example of what happens when you simply ask.
We used to worry a lot about not having enough volunteers. Every week we need 75–100 people to make our distributions happen, and for a long time, we felt stretched thin. But when we finally made the consistent effort to ask for help—from the people who were coming to receive food—they said yes. Again and again. So many people wanted to give back that we actually found ourselves with more help than we needed.
Luis’s story is just one example—a reminder that when you stop assuming and thinking small, and just ask, great things can happen.
We’re grateful for Luis and for all the volunteers who make this work possible. And we’re grateful for the lesson Jesus taught us: you don’t have to pressure or push. Just invite. Just ask. And watch how people respond.
