SUENING: EVERYONE HAS A STORY

            Today I was immensely touched by the story of a man named Winston. Before he walked into the room, Ramona, a friendly worker of the soup kitchen, welcomed him with the warmest hug. He was a weekly guest here at the Manna of Life Ministries. Winston shared with us saying that he started off as an affluent engineer. He was a very knowledgeable man who knew plenty about the industry and how it worked. However, as he grew older, so did the demand for younger engineers. Because of that, Winston lost his job. For a good four years, 50 year-old Winston was jobless. Winston’s mother was a very religious woman and quotes that, “those wrinkles on her face, I caused her those.” Winston shared with us his dark past and all of his unhealthy decisions during those four years. He openly shared these events because all of them led him to where he is today. At the time of his struggles, Ramona insisted that he prayed. So he did. He prayed and he prayed and he became very passionate about prayer. Today he holds a political position in a nearby charter school. Winston recounts, “while I’m not making as much money as before, I am much happier and I wouldn’t change that for the world.” He passes by the ministry every Saturday as a reminder of where he came from and as a sign of his gratitude.

            Another part that touched me was one that actually happened within the first five minutes of our arrival. As we entered, the workers were overfilled with joy. They had no volunteers that day and were praying that just a couple of people would come to help them. Our arrival was a blessing. They received a handful more than they asked for. Upon getting ready and tying our aprons, a man named Irvin asked to take a moment aside for prayer. His strong emotions touched my heart personally and struck me as a reminder of how grateful I should be –for both my struggles and my accomplishments. I would not be the person I am without either. So regardless of what your current situation is and no matter how hard life seems, it is still a part of who you are. It's what makes you, you. It's what makes your story unique. As Ramona frequently said, “God has a plan for you and puts you through situations because he knows you can handle it and he knows you will make it past it.”

14 MARCH 2015 || SUENING, BARBARA 19