Hablo espanol.

One of the reasons I accepted the internship this summer at Asbury Temple was its geographical context in the heart of Northeast Central Durham. It is a sanctuary in the midst of poverty and strife. I didn't want to be there so I could save Durham,be the hero, or to serve necessarily. I wanted to be there because that is where Jesus was, with the forgotten and poor. I need to learn from the community, not the other way around. When I attended the Feed My Sheep food ministry on Saturday with the church, I was surrounded by families and single persons on food stamps or in need who were there to receive a warm meal (the church members, especially Julius, really know how to cook!) and groceries. The youth program were are having in July/August is for these families. The camp is free, and Durham Public Schools provides a free breakfast and lunch, something that these kids may not receive in the summer. Sarah and I handed out a bunch of English and Spanish registration forms to the people there as they asked for them.

However, in many ways, I wasn't surprised to be face to face with many hungry there because it was in fact a food ministry. I was surprised with the encounter we had on Tuesday though. Sarah and I met with Pastor Shane Benjamin in the church office to discuss volunteer training and safety among other things. In the middle of our conversation, there was a knock on the door, and Shane went to get it. He brought in a hispanic man who was obviously in need of assistance. The worried expression on his face told us that, but the language barrier was obviously an issue. I looked at him and said, "hablo espanol." I proceeded to explain that I was not fluent. Despite that, I became Shane's translator. For me, it was mentally and emotionally exhausting, for the man had tears in his eyes the whole time. I was having a hard time gathering all the details of his story, but I could catch enough to explain to Shane what his situation was and what he needed.

After we had decided what to do, we all had to wait about 10 more minutes for Julius to arrive because he had the power to make decisions as the head of the Board of Trustees. Anyways, Shane told me to tell the man that it was going to be okay and to relax. When I told him, disbelief crossed his face, and he told me that he was been overcome with worry, "muy preocupado." It was a joy to see him sit there with more peace after that. Once the man had gone with Julius, I explained that emotional moment to Shane. His reply was, "Yes, it's tough. We are to be a sanctuary." I realized that I had never had that kind of unexpected meeting with the hungry, the poor, the abandoned all at once. I had to look at that man and focus with all my might to understand him, and I could see how my limited Spanish was finally, for once in my life besides Costa Rica, able to be used to be the church. We believe his name was Gilbert, but probably a slightly more Spanish version of that. Overall, I learned a lot from him today about encountering Christ.