The Story of Cecil...

I want to tell the story of the experience I had while on our community service project during the 30 hour famine. 

First, as soon as Reilly, who lead worship for the group on Friday night, had us all pray, I felt that God was going to do something great on Saturday.  You see, four students and I were going to downtown Allentown to distribute food.  John from Reilly asked us, while we prayed, to give our fears of talking and sharing with strangers over to Him so that He could fully use us everyday.  I prayed about my fear of going to Allentown and the kinds of people we might meet. 

While I still had anxiety about going on Saturday morning, I felt a peace that I had not felt the night before.  Once we met up with our contact and got into the church, we were lead to where we'd be working.  We passed some of the people who we'd be giving food to in a short time.  There were also other folks helping with signing people in to get their food and such.  One of these men was a man named Cecil. 

The first interaction I had with Cecil was simple; a simple "good morning" from my end and a nod on his end.  Cecil was somewhat intimidating...a large (not fat, just a big frame) black man with a mustache, a shaved head, multiple scars scattered throughout it. 

Once we had been told of our assignments once the distribution began, Cecil came out and introduced himself (this is obviously when I learned his name).  He quizzed each of the four guys with me with math questions and after that we had a chance to chat for a few moments before the work began.  Cecil's father and brother are both pastors.  His brother is opening his third...THIRD... church in Philadelphia on March 1st.  He also told me of his own ministry, one where he meets with pastors from the local area and prepares them to work with places like Allentown Rescue Mission and other different church ministries.  Most importantly, to a man he knew for 15 minutes, he let me know how on fire for Jesus Christ he is.  His passion helped me better relate to the people we were giving food to and showed me a great example of what Reilly was talking about the night before...but there's so much more than that, because God wasn't done.

I had been sweeping the outside steps and was coming in for the dust pan, which I asked one of the students, who had previously used it, to get it for me so I could finish my work outside.  When it was given to me, Cecil joked about how great delegation was...he needed it as a tool while he was serving in the military as well as years in a local prison as a corrections officer. 

But even all of that was pretty far along in the process of where God has brought Him - and taken him away from.  Cecil told me he has three daughters and six grandchildren.  This surprised me because I wouldn't have pegged Cecil as a man older than his late 30's or early '40's...it turns out that I had it pegged about right because his oldest daughter is 26...but you say, how did you peg it right?  Well, when he told me their ages, he immediately followed by telling me that he had become a father at 13. 

It's always a little shocking to hear something like that, especially since many of the students we work with in Lucid are that same age.  I am not sure, however, that I have ever met anyone who adores his children more than this man. 

Cecil told me that God used his younger days of girls and drugs (and i'd presume violence by the numerous scars on his head) in order to bring him to where he is now.  He is a long way form those days now and is now spending his time using his gifts to glorify the God he loves so dear.  I praise God for that. 

Cecil is a man who I may never see again here on earth, but one who I will never forget.  It's amazing how 15 or 20 minutes of conversation can be such an answer to prayer; an illustration of a man who opened up from almost the second he met me, wanted to encourage me and the boys who were with me, but took the time to make it crystal clear the reason for his joy from the first word he uttered. 

So one of the things I took home with me today from the Famine was, in some ways, a new hero...an inspiration of what shining and sharing our light really means and looks like...