Wednesdays are crazy days at the Urban Mission Food Pantry. As many as 500 people come through for pantry items and produce and, since COVID started, it’s been a drive-through (or walk-through for those without vehicles). The National Guard have been assisting with this project for months, as need has increased so much, and they are extremely efficient as well as polite, often checking someone in and bringing food to the car with less than a minute of turn-around time. Even with this speedy service, the line of cars often stretches into the street and sometimes starts wrapping around the block … you can imagine there can be some short tempers at times.
Since we have been helping out at the Mission, one of the ways Sr. Joan Paule and I have served is by greeting people in the line for the pantry, offering just ourselves, our interest in their lives, and prayer if they would like to pray with us. I also sometimes offer praise and worship, in reparation for all the words of evil and blasphemy that are spoken in the world, and also hoping to bless those listening with a joyful and sweet noise of truth. After six hours of this – listening, praying, smiling, and singing, I am pretty exhausted and sometimes can only remember one or two of the prayer intentions I’ve received. But I know the Lord knows each one by name, so I bring them to the altar and leave them with Him.
Last week, I was startled by a voice calling out to me, “Sister! Come here!” I spun and vaguely recognized the woman as someone I’d spoken with a week or two before. “Sister, we prayed together and it all worked out!” She shared about the situation and praised God for His faithfulness, thanking me, too, for my prayers. We offered a prayer of thanksgiving and she drove away. Not five minutes later, an older lady came through the line. “Sister,” she said, “You prayed for my arm last week – I had a bad pain. It’s better. I’ve got a pain in my neck now – and it’s not my husband” (he was beside her in the car and laughed). “Can we pray again?”
After these conversations, I was overwhelmed with joy and awe. I remembered the story from Luke 17, where Jesus cleanses ten lepers and only one returns to give thanks and glorify God. I thanked the Lord for His generosity. After all, when He healed those ten by His own divine power, only one returned. I offered a poor sinner’s prayer for some sisters in Christ – and two of them returned.
*Since the writing of this story, many more brothers and sisters in Christ have come by to thank us for our prayers and share the stories of how God has been working in their lives. It’s nearly overwhelming to see how God is confirming our presence downtown by these answered prayers at this time.*
Watch a beautiful 3-min. video about our ministry in downtown Steubenville here.
-Sr. Agnes Therese Davis, T.O.R.
