Mark

 As many of you may be aware, Pastor Dave has been sharing a quote of day in honor of Frederick Buechner. They are all excellent quotes, but one really spoke to me.

The quote follows: “Coincidences are God's way of getting our attention.”

WELL! What a joy it was to welcome back the ABC Sale. This year, ALL of the unsold clothing was donated to Isaiah 58 Ministries, a food pantry in south St. Louis City that has a clothing room. The clothing was sorely needed. Visits to Isaiah 58 are up 40% this year and the men’s clothing section was bare. Guests can “shop” for free once a month to fill a small plastic grocery bag with clothes for their household.

I feel called to tell you about a visitor to the Isaiah 58 clothing room the Friday before Labor Day.

Mark is from Little Rock, Arkansas. He had lost his job and was struggling. A friend from Chicago encouraged him to come stay with him and look for work there.

He filled the trunk of his car with clothes and a briefcase of important documents. He hit the road with his dog, Lola, full of hope. He got to St. Louis and stopped at a county park to stretch his legs and walk Lola before finding a place to stay. I imagine he looked like a St. Louis suburban resident, like some of you…in golf shorts, a polo shirt, fresh haircut, and casual shoes without socks just taking his dog for a stroll before dinner.

He was robbed and assaulted during his walk in the park. He fought back against people who looked a like him. A witness called the police and he along with two other individuals were detained overnight. His car was impounded, and Lola had run away. No charges were filed, and he was released. When he retrieved his car, most of his possessions were missing. He went back to the park to see if he could find his phone, wallet, and his dog. He found nothing. He found an emergency shelter and was given a 3-day bus pass since his car had run out of gas.

When he arrived at Isaiah 58, he was hungry, he was tired, and he hurt. His golf shorts and polo shirt were rumpled, and his feet had just been treated at an urgent care center a few blocks away for severe blisters – because he had been walking everywhere in shoes with no socks, looking for help, and looking for his dog.

He asked for some food that he could carry in his backpack and a pair of shoes.

It was a hectic day at Isaiah 58, a Friday before the big holiday weekend.

The clothing room is ONLY open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, NEVER on Fridays.

BUT, he needed help. I was asked to step away from my regular volunteer activities to help him do some emergency “shopping” in the clothing room.

In the three weeks since the ABC sale, most of the men’s shoes were already gone. I asked his shoe size; he said it was a 9-10. There was ONLY one pair of shoes in that size range, a pair of size 9.5 thick soled orthopedic black shoes. He told me about the urgent care visit for his blisters. He asked for socks. There was ONE pair of men’s socks left. I encouraged him to try the socks for sure and to consider the shoes. He sat down to take off his shoes. The insoles stuck to the bottom of his feet. He peeled off the foam layer, then the fabric layer. He carefully put on the socks and shoes. He stood up said “OH!” I asked him if he was ok. He took a few steps and said, “the shoes are kind of tall, but they don’t hurt”. He picked out a pair of slacks, a pair of shorts and two shirts all the while telling me his story.

After his clothing room visit, he also selected some food. When he left, he was less anxious. He was walking with less pain, and he was hopeful that his friend from Chicago would return his call to the shelter so he could move on with his life…

Some coincidences

- In the week before the ABC Sale, I had received the donation of those shoes from a St. Mark member who shared with me that their loved one no longer needed them, but perhaps someone else might be able to use them.

- Those shoes were on display during the sale, but they were not sold during the sale

- I was the volunteer that was asked to host Mark in the clothing room where there was ONLY one pair of shoes in his size.

- St. Mark members donated the clothes that he selected.

- St. Mark members in this room, hung those clothes for the sale with care on racks that were set up by our Boy Scout troop.

- The clothes were not sold during the sale and were bagged up and donated to Isaiah 58

- Several other St. Mark members regularly volunteer at Isaiah 58 in the clothing room. The clothes that were selected were hung by them with great care in the clothing room, they also placed those shoes on the shelf, and had stocked what had become the ONLY pair of men’s socks in the building.

- By the way, did you catch that the visitor’s name is Mark?

St. Mark, I wanted to share this with you today, because it’s no coincidence that our individual and collective acts of kindness and generosity, no matter how big or how small, do make a difference in the lives of others.

“Coincidences are God's way of getting our attention.”

Joyce Blackwell, September 2023