from Mary Hiatt, of Giving Orphans Hope:
Hi All,
Just wanted to take a few minutes to share an amazing afternoon that our family experienced at Ford Field recently.
There were very few things that were pre-arranged for the event, most of the afternoon just happened. It’s so awesome when you get out of the way and let God do his work! There were 19 boys from Christ Child House and four staff members that we had the privilege of spending the afternoon with. We were scheduled for a private tour of Ford Field and then a 30 minute clinic on the field. Not too bad.
I knew the day would be a special event for the boys, but I really wanted to send them home with something to remember it by, maybe a sticker or even just a piece of marketing material — anything that didn’t come with an exorbitant price tag because our budget was limited. A picture would’ve been wonderful, but we are only allowed to take non-identifying pictures of the boys because of legalities. Not very impressive to have a blurry picture of yourself at the 50 yard line. I lobbied more than one source for goods, but came up empty handed. Then, through two staff members from Kensington Community Church in Troy, MI – Mark Biebuyck (Director of Small Groups) and Dave Wilson (Teaching Pastor) a package arrives on Christmas Eve with Lion’s baseball hats for all of the boys. Pretty good, huh?
On Monday, I get a call from Mark wondering if Dave could pick up a Lion’s player or two and meet us on the field on Tuesday. Are you kidding? The boys would love it! Now, it wasn’t a for sure thing, but hopes were high. Commence praying. Dave e-mails me Tuesday morning and says that he’s picking up Nick Harris (punter) and would see us on the field at 1:30, which is when the clinic would start. Things are getting better!
So, we get to the field and the tour begins. Pretty impressive piece of real estate. We seemed to zip through the tour and we were on the field a half hour early, according to my schedule, for the clinic. Our surprise guests weren’t scheduled to arrive for 1/2 hour — when the clinic would be over. Oh, no! But, God’s timing is perfect.
The boys had a blast on the field. The coach they had was so fun, so engaging and so encouraging — and so on time. The clinic was over exactly 30 minutes after it started. I approached one of the tour guides to see if it was possible to stay on the field a bit longer and explained that Dave and Nick were on their way. The guide got on his little walkie talkie and before I knew it, we had been approved for more field time. Thank you, Lord!
Dave and Nick made a quiet entrance as the boys ran around. We quickly gathered the group and I began to announce to the boys that a special guest had arrived, but they were screaming, “Nick Harris!” before I even got his name out. Now, I admit that I don’t follow sports at all, so Nick’s notoriety doesn’t hit my radar (sorry Nick!), but he was sure a super star to those boys. Isn’t God good?
Remember my hopes for a souvenir? Well, Nick shows up with cards to autograph for the boys and then he announces that if everyone gave him their name and shoe size that Reebok would send them each a pair of basketball shoes. Shoes! Why do we dream so small? I need to remember that we serve a BIG God and that he can do much more than provide the small sticker that I had settled for.
As Nick was speaking to the boys, I approached the tour guide again and sheepishly asked if we could use the field just a bit longer so Dave and Nick could throw the ball around with the boys. It would’ve been worth the extra money to use the field had they required it because this is when I truly felt that we accomplished what we had set out to do. We wanted to provide the boys with an opportunity to leave behind the reality of their lives for just a few hours and to be kids enjoying the fullness of youth. They were truly in the zone as Dave challenged them up and down the field. We should never underestimate the power of a few minutes of our time and the ability of it to change the course of someone’s life.
So, we spent an extra 45 minutes on the field and then were escorted to a break room where the boys hydrated and snacked as Nick shared a bit of his story. He’s an amazing man whose talents go far beyond the football field and gives all glory to his Lord, Jesus Christ. It was a wonderful scene to watch Dave, the Lion’s chaplain, sit on the sidelines as a player shared his heart for Christ. I’m sure the boys would’ve expected Dave to share the gospel, but seeds were planted when Nick put aside his NFL status and shared his relationship with Jesus. Now that’s excellence!
I left elated that the day had produced so much more than I had planned. But there was a heaviness in my heart knowing that the boys were returning to the life that we had tried to put aside for just a bit, but in reality hadn’t changed a bit. I wrestled with the feeling for most of the day and tried to find satisfaction in the success of the day itself, but I quickly realized that it is because of heaviness of my heart, of your hearts, that we move forward, take action and try to make a difference in the lives of those we encounter. I pray that the heaviness will always remain to push me forward and that I always rely on Jesus to lighten it.
So, on the eve of this new year, know that we can make a difference and that we should never stop trying. Through a community of believers we were able to make this day happen for the boys at Christ Child House. The team at GO Hope, Kensington leadership, Small Groups, the Detroit Lions, Ford Field, and GiveTEN all locked arms to live open handedly to love others and to show our love for an amazing God through our actions.
Happy New Year!
Mary Hiatt
givetenbyprovideinc
