Service Project: A New Reality

Blessed are those who make You their strength, for they treasure every step of the journey… They journey from place to place, gaining strength along the way. Psalm 84:5, 7a

One commentator says, “Psalm 84 effectively articulates the experience of generations of pilgrims, who, trusting in God have ‘seen’ God in various times and places and have derived from their experience of God a strength that transforms them and their lives.”

To see God is to be transformed by God.

I have seen God in Vernetta Poston. 

Part of my work is to write stories like these: trying to capture different aspects of Mountain T.O.P.’s work and impact. So, last week, I spent part of my day visiting three Service Projects sites to talk with the homeowners. My first stop was at the Poston’s house where the Youth Renewal Group (YRG) was in the process of building a porch and ramp off of a camper. 

Quickly, Vernetta, the family’s matriarch, ushered me inside and we sat at her kitchen peninsula her granddaughter sat on the counter in between us. I soon learned that Vernetta’s husband recently had a stroke and is now disabled. Her adult brother who lives with them is autistic. And, they’ve cared for 8 children, either by fostering, adoption, or taking them in when their families couldn’t care for them. Right now, 4 teenagers and a 3-year-old live with them. 

Feeling overwhelmed at the weight of Vernetta’s caretaking responsibilities, I asked, “How do you do it all?”

“One day at a time, with God.”

As if it was the most obvious answer. 

And, in truth, it is. How do any of us do any of this? One day at a time, with God. 

One of their teenagers lives in the camper where the wheelchair ramp was being built. She’s a 17-year-old quadriplegic. As we walked outside to check on the group’s progress, Vernetta described her daughter as one who had been thriving and succeeding before a tragic hiking accident. Now she is severely disabled and relearning mobility. 

This ramp means that the family doesn’t have to lift her wheelchair up and down out of the camper. This ramp means the daughter can sit outside. This ramp means her life gets to expand a little bit more as her body heals. 

“I would take more children in if I could,” Vernetta said, “my house just isn’t big enough for more.” 

I put my hand on her shoulder and said, “You are a saint.” In that moment, I was caught off guard by the Holy Spirit moving as I gazed upon Vernetta as she gazed upon the progress of the project. 

Here is this woman who serves as a caretaker for multiple generations and thinks, “If I could only do more.” 

Here, in the midst of what could be the crushing reality of addiction and trauma and great suffering, is this woman whose love is limited by the size of her house. 

Here is God, in the flesh, on Colony Road.

It was the anticipation of encountering YHWH in the Temple that kept the pilgrims of Psalm 84 going. It was the eager expectation for a divine encounter that helped them put one foot in front of the other. 

Why? Because God’s presence brings about a new reality. 

When a child needs a safe place to be: 

God’s presence welcomes them in with abundant love and care.  

When a teenager’s living situation is constrained and inaccessible: 

God’s presence brings about new life and new possibilities.

When a caretaker needs the strength to meet the needs of the day:

God’s presence meets her with daily sustenance. 

With each board laid down and each post hole dug, a new reality.

With each hour of volunteer labor, a new reality. 

With each glimpse of healing and accessibility and possibility, a new reality.