During a local Summer missions/ministry opportunity with another church, our young adults and their families went to a government assisted housing area in the late 90’s. We had led a Vacation Bible School for our church kids and the kids from that neighborhood in the afternoon. Our church brought an extra large grill, a couple of hundred burgers, tables and chairs and hosted the whole community that evening. It was a great evening of fun for our families and the families who lived there. When it was time to leave, we loaded up the trailer with the giant grill, tables, and chairs. Our church facilities team had to leave early, so I was supposed to see that the church truck and trailer made it back to the church. However, the battery on the truck from the church that towed the trailer died, and the battery of the minivan of our friends who were jumping off the truck also died. As the sun went down we called AAA roadside assistance who refused to come to that community after dark because of unfortunate incidents in the past. Our friend’s van was jumped off by another vehicle, but the truck still would not start. So, we sent our kids home with our friends in the minivan. No taxis would come to that area and definitely would not tow a trailer. My pastor friend whose church we teamed with said, “I’ll go home and get my truck, and we can tow the trailer back to your church and you can have the church truck towed in the morning. We were questioning whether the trailer and its contents would make it through the night in that parking lot. That apartment complex became a very different place after dark, crawling with questionable activities. No more kids laughing and playing, no more grandmothers sitting outside in front of their doors smiling, no more happy burger eating neighbors in the sunshine. As dusk got darker, we began seeing more influence from the dark side of our human nature. We began to see cars with blacked out windows slowly pull up, and shadowy figures walk up. As the darkened windows would go down slightly, money was handed in and small packages were handed out. Across the parking lot we also saw human trafficking in those moments while we were waiting. It wasn’t like Anita and I had a place to go hide so, we sat on the curb in our madras shorts, penny loafers, and polo shirts, like fish out of water. There was no blending in or acting natural in those 50 minutes or so. As we sat, praying and waiting for our pastor friend to return and rescue us and the trailer, a van with blacked out windows slowly pulled up and stopped right in front of us. Anita and I looked at each other and said, “it’s been fun, I love you, I'm glad our kids are safe with people that we love and trust…” We both called on the name of Jesus. The front tinted window on the van slowly rolls down and inside we see 4 police officers in full riot gear, who say, “what are you doing here? You have to get out of here!” We explained that we were stuck without a vehicle and we were waiting for a friend. These peace officers could not blow their cover, so they could not let us wait in their van, they told us to be careful and drove off. Finally, my friend came with his truck. I never asked him what kind of truck he had, but assumed it was a full-sized truck. He pulled up in a tiny, 15-year-old, stick shift Datsun truck to tow our giant 2-ton trailer loaded with chairs, tables, and grills. He backed up to the trailer, but we discovered that the hitch ball was too small. So, I said I’ll stand on the trailer tongue down to hold it down. This was NOT a good idea, but the only choice we had. Anita got in the cab with my friend. I rode that trailer tongue for 10 miles across town like a street surfer. We slowly drove through the city streets with sparks flying from under my feet with every bump that bottomed out that tiny truck and giant trailer. When we finally made it to the church, my hands were frozen to the tailgate because I had clinched it so tightly. That night when we made it home to our kids, we laughed, thanking God for all His grace.
I was reminded by this trailer surfing rescue from our ministry adventure, that every single one of us has to be rescued from darkness into God’s marvelous Light by Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was trying to remind the believers in the Ephesian church that they now belonged to Jesus. That their lives were rescued and they needed to act like the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. He says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8 NIV11) Notice that in this translation Paul says, “you were once darkness,” NOT you were once IN darkness. Without Jesus, there is no light in us. Without Him, we are dark with no lights on because of our sin nature. When we don’t belong to the Light, we belong to the darkness and do dark things. When we belong to Jesus, we begin to come out of our darkness and act like the Light.
Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!
