Mission Arlington: More than expected

Over Christmas break, I served in Arlington as part of a 12-person mission team, and I learned how God does even more than we ask for or expect.

Joe DacusAt Mission Arlington, we helped sort donated items. I mostly worked with all the clothes, separating the ones worth keep from the ones that were not, and stocking shelves in the store.

I can’t tell you how many times someone would come in asking for clothes for their kids or jackets for guys, and there would be a box that just arrived, full of baby clothes or full of men’s jackets. When a homeless man came through the store, we were able to get him a tent, a pillow and a blanket—more than he asked for. It was great to see every day how good God is and how he provides beyond our expectations.

One lady really wanted a Christmas tree. All we had was a13-foot tree, and she had a tiny little car. I don’t know how we did it, but we were able to fit the tree in her car. And she was so thankful, saying she really appreciated it. We learned her mom died around this time five years ago, so it was wonderful to be able to help her experience the joy of Christmas again.

It was truly great to see God working not just in the people who came through Mission Arlington, but also in the people serving. I know personally, my experiences by the end of the week were greater than what I had expected at the beginning of the week. I think all of us really were able to connect to God. I wanted to bring Mission Arlington back to my school in Kingsville. We already were doing outreach, but I wanted to do more—to find ways I can reach out to college students and find ways to meet the needs they feel in their lives.

One thing we learned at Mission Arlington was that when people came to Jesus really needing something, Jesus didn’t just say, “I’ll pray for you.” No, he found a way to fill needs in people lives, and that’s what I want to do.

Joe Dacus, a student at Texas A&M-Kingsville, served with Go Now Missions in Arlington over Christmas break.