That’s what she said. “My name is heaven.” I was sitting at Ryves Hall ,a ministry in the avenues that reaches out to kids that are overlooked and ignored. Each day tons of kids pour in this place and get a meal, do some homework, and run off some energy. Every kid there has a story. Most of them are stories that you and I would rather not hear. Stories of situations that exist, but we trick ourselves into thinking otherwise.
I joined our FAP Crash team at Ryves. FAP is a group of young adults from exchange who believe that there is great value in spending time with these loud kids. Faith Animated Productions; FAP. I think they are on to something. These guys crash a nursing home and Ryves hall each month. At Ryves they head to a huge basement, open up a tote of games and the mayhem begins.
So, in the middle of a game of Skip-Bo, I said to the beautiful girl across from me, “What is your name?”
“Heaven,” was her reply.
“I’m sorry did you say ‘Heaven’?”
“Yes, all my brothers and sisters are named after the Bible.”
“That’s a great name,” I said.
Ten seconds pass. She looks at Dave, a crasher and lover of these kids. “Are you a church person?” she asks.
Dave shoots back. “I am. Are you? With a name like Heaven, I would bet you are.”
“Naw,” says Heaven. “My Mom won’t let us go much. But she says we can go sometime.” A pause, then Heaven looks at Dave. “Is church free?”
Good news Heaven. Church is free, but it’s not a building. You are sitting next to Church, and his name is Dave. And Dave is setting next to Heaven.
Tonight in a poor neighborhood, over a game of Skip-Bo, Church met Heaven.
[tags]ryves hall, church, heaven, free, skip-bo[/tags]