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Have you ever wondered how service and love can literally transform a neighborhood? David and Amy Lancaster's journey with We Will Go Ministries is a profound example of this transformation in action. Moving into the heart of downtown Jackson, Mississippi, they've turned faith into service, providing everything from food distribution to after-school programs. Their story isn't just about aid; it's about deep connections, sharing love and presence within a community often overlooked.
Throughout our conversation, we uncover the realities of ministry work, including the challenges of aiding those struggling with addiction and the true meaning of discipleship. The Lancasters' dedication to serving their neighbors demonstrates that the most complex problems sometimes need the simplest acts of kindness, sustained over time like the careful chipping away at an oak tree. Volunteers and church members alike learn that service is more than just an act—it's a lifelong commitment that ripples through the fabric of a community.
As we close the episode, the Lancasters remind us that each of us has the power to impact our own corner of the world. Whether it's by donating snacks or reading to a child, these gestures can be incredibly impactful, turning the ordinary into the miraculous. Join us as we celebrate the role of Christians in embodying the reconciliation achieved by Jesus and the joy found in serving others. David, Amy, and co-hosts Brian Crawford and Austin Hoyle are eager to share how small acts can contribute to building God's cathedral, letting light shine through the work of our hands.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters
We would love to hear from you! Send us a text message.
Have you ever wondered how service and love can literally transform a neighborhood? David and Amy Lancaster's journey with We Will Go Ministries is a profound example of this transformation in action. Moving into the heart of downtown Jackson, Mississippi, they've turned faith into service, providing everything from food distribution to after-school programs. Their story isn't just about aid; it's about deep connections, sharing love and presence within a community often overlooked.
Throughout our conversation, we uncover the realities of ministry work, including the challenges of aiding those struggling with addiction and the true meaning of discipleship. The Lancasters' dedication to serving their neighbors demonstrates that the most complex problems sometimes need the simplest acts of kindness, sustained over time like the careful chipping away at an oak tree. Volunteers and church members alike learn that service is more than just an act—it's a lifelong commitment that ripples through the fabric of a community.
As we close the episode, the Lancasters remind us that each of us has the power to impact our own corner of the world. Whether it's by donating snacks or reading to a child, these gestures can be incredibly impactful, turning the ordinary into the miraculous. Join us as we celebrate the role of Christians in embodying the reconciliation achieved by Jesus and the joy found in serving others. David, Amy, and co-hosts Brian Crawford and Austin Hoyle are eager to share how small acts can contribute to building God's cathedral, letting light shine through the work of our hands.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters
This is Living Reconciled, a podcast dedicated to giving our communities practical evidence of the gospel message by helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured for us by living with grace across racial lines. Hey, thanks so much for joining us on episode 44 of Living Reconciled. My name is Brian Crawford. I serve as the host on this podcast and I have an incredible co-host and a really, really really good friend joining me today Austin. Hoy, how you doing, sir? Oh, I'm doing real well. I'm doing real well, excellent, excellent, excellent, and we have some really good friends. Austin, that's joining us.
Speaker 1:But before we get to our friends, I want to give a special thanks to our sponsors Nissan, st Dominic's, atmos Regions, brown Missionary Baptist Church, christian Life Church, ms Doorspower, mr Robert Ward, ms Ann Winters. Thank you so much for everything that you do. It's because of what you do to Mission Mississippi is able to do what we do, and today what we're doing, austin, is. We are talking about our theme, which is living reconciled by loving all our neighbors, not just some, and we couldn't pick two people, two better people, rather, in Mississippi, to come and speak to us about loving our neighbors. Well, I have the privilege and distinct honor of introducing to our podcast audience Mr David and Ms Amy Lancaster of we Will Go Ministries here in Jackson Mississippi. David, amy, how are you guys doing?
Speaker 3:I'm good glad to have you.
Speaker 1:I'm glad to be here. Absolutely, we are glad to have you guys. I want to start by just giving you guys room and space to talk to us a little bit about your story, as it relates to how you got to. We Will Go. I know that's probably a long story and so if there- it is, but David can tell it shorter than me. I was about to say? I was about to say do you have an elevator version of how-?
Speaker 3:David does how the Lord brought you to.
Speaker 1:We Will Go.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I've got a pretty short version. We Amy and I. Amy grew up in Mississippi, I grew up in Alabama. We met here, got married, fell in love, got married, had kids and we went to a church over in Brandon, a Crosskates Baptist church, and from there we were asked to lead a mission trip. We let a mission trip, came back. I kind of checked that off my list. Praise God I've gone on a mission trip. And so over time we went on another mission trip and God really got ahold of us that there's so much more to the world than just what we knew. And so a lot of times when you're raising money, people ask you why don't you do something right where you live? You take all this money and raise money and go into another country and so through that God used that.
Speaker 4:He challenged me about Jackson, and again I'm making a long story short, about 25 years short we ended up moving to downtown Jackson in 2005, right before Hurricane Katrina, and I was thinking this would be a temporary thing, something we'd do for a year or two, but what we found was is that as soon as we moved there, there were all these people that I would not have normally talked with, who were my neighbors, who I got to know. They had a lot of the same problems I did, and the ministry just started there on 799 North Congress Street, and so we lived there for about five years. We bought several houses, invited other people to live in some of those other houses. We bought some other abandoned houses on the other side of the graveyard on Cohe Street. We redid those houses for more people to come and live and do ministry, to live out what you're learning in church, and so, and then from there back in about 2015,.
Speaker 4:We bought the old YMCA. We turned into an afterschool program and then we originally. Then after that, we got the New Deal grocery store that was across the street from that and we set up a feeding program. And again, I'm making a long story. Very, very short.
Speaker 4:And so we wanted to have more of an impact on our neighborhood than just live there, and I think a lot of times it's really easy to talk about what you're going to do we talked about before we got started. That direction is more important than actually your intention, and a lot of people intend to do something, but we wanted to move in that direction and so we kept moving in that direction.
Speaker 3:And just a practical way to share the gospel right.
Speaker 3:So, Jesus fed people. Jesus really was very on the boots on the ground savior. He never was in an ivory palace, ever up on a big you know pulpit. He was a real an is a real Messiah, a real savior. And so we get to live in downtown Jackson every day and we live on Cohe and Blair in the Ferris district and we've been downtown now for 20 years and we get to love our neighbors and, as David said, very practical ways, whether it's kids or camp or grow gardens. We grow food, give away groceries and just literally share the gospel and every venue of that, every, every piece of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, they will know you are my disciples by your love, love. And it's an incredible way that you guys are demonstrating that love.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, guy, you gave us so much to chew on. Yeah, I guess that's the beauty of of of putting 25 years in about two or three minutes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right.
Speaker 2:You know, and I was, I was, I was interested in a couple of things you said, particularly when you said that you ran into people, or you fellowship with people, or you really got to know people whom you normally wouldn't have gotten to know before, because it seems that that was kind of the the, the, the hinge of your story, so to speak. Is there any way you can kind of elaborate that a little bit more, like some of the specific persons whom you met and and maybe, maybe why? Because the life patterns you had before moving into this area that you wouldn't have have have met them? I just, I just want to get to get to get to know the people that that influenced y'all.
Speaker 3:Sure, just a little bit more. Well, those of us that can't, they can't see us. We're pale skinned people.
Speaker 2:Yeah. We live in a city that's not pale skinned people, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:David is more brown Um for those of you who can't see us, we're more pale skinned than our neighbors. And so not that that was our reason. We weren't in any way coming because of skin color. Yeah, I, I get that but but it is really a thing, and so, um, and we both grew up on a farm. Dave grew up in South Alabama, grew up in. North Mississippi. So the idea of living in a city again we thought we were going to go overseas and reach Muslim people in the Arabic nation.
Speaker 3:Really, that's what we thought God was going to have us do. So we were all in, okay, god will do whatever. And so God said Jackson. We were like, wow, we weren't planning that. And so we said yes. And so what? That? Um, what that initially looked like was everybody on our street, of course, is a different color than us, but also completely different way of living we initially it was a lot of people that were on the street. A lot of addictions we have no grid for that Um a lot of um, violence. We had no grid for that Um. And so we. It's a pretty sharp learning curve. It was a you know, and what the Lord said to David and I still say it is hey, you love, I want you to love them and I'm gonna save them. I want you to love them and I'm gonna save them. The simplicity of the gospel for us has always held it. Always hold us.
Speaker 2:Isn't that beautiful, though, how just that simplicity of just love them breaks down all of the complexities that, all the social complexities that we can build up either, saying I can't relate to you, you're gonna view me as yada yada, so I don't even wanna try. But it's just so simple. It's like you know what. That doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:It doesn't matter if their initial reaction is a rejection. To me, what matters is I love them. That's just so beautiful. I mean, once again, it goes to what David was talking about with the difference between intention and direction. It seems like intention is only part and parcel of what you need, and that direction takes into consideration the intention, but it's one or two or three or how many ever steps beyond just mere intention.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I thought that was a beautiful, beautiful binary. You had a thought.
Speaker 4:I think too we have to understand why someone thinks different than we do, and I think a lot of times it's. I read something the other day and they said it's really easy to irritate somebody. It's harder to influence somebody and part of that is understanding their why. And we had several neighbors you said give somebody's name.
Speaker 4:But we had a guy, his name was Pat and he had a very different story than I did and because of some things in his life he had, the way he dealt with stress was he would drink and he'd get drunk and that led into other things, and he had really gotten to this point where he couldn't seem to get out of this, and so we befriended him, we prayed with him, taught with him, and he ended up coming and living in one of the houses that we had for a period of time.
Speaker 3:As an intern with us.
Speaker 4:But he's in real good place today, but again it was just really it was just really walking along with somebody and realizing that some of the things I very much took for granted, that I had this web of people who could help me if I got into a situation he didn't have that to fall back on and some of it was his own problem. I remember vividly going with him. He wanted to go to a place to dry out and I went over there with him and the guy I've realized all of a sudden this guy knew him and I was like, did you not tell me something? The guy said well, he's been here six times.
Speaker 4:And I was like you know multiple years you kind of left that out of the story and the guy wouldn't take him, and so he ended up staying with us for a period of time. The thing is is that so you?
Speaker 2:housed, you housed personally housed him.
Speaker 4:He was an intern.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, I see, I see I actually came to serve.
Speaker 3:I got saved and came to serve, which was dramatic, you know. Yes, it was great, definitely.
Speaker 4:The thing is, though, is that a lot of times, people are complicated.
Speaker 3:It's a long, long word.
Speaker 4:And so we had someone come and volunteered one time on a Sunday afternoon and they had come to do service for an hour and a half and give out food to people. And the person came up to me and they said, hey, come here, come here. And I was like what is it? And they said this person's got a lot of problems.
Speaker 3:And you know I'm only gonna be here an hour and a half.
Speaker 4:I said well, you know, I said they didn't get in this kind of shape in an hour and a half and they're not gonna get out of this shape.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. I gotta change this person's life around an hour and a half. Yeah, yeah, I'm not saying I don't like it I mean the Holy Spirit can do that. Definitely the Holy Spirit can do that. I don't preclude that. But I don't think the Holy Spirit's gonna do that on our timing.
Speaker 3:We're supposed to walk discipleship.
Speaker 2:I think it's Brian you walking with Brian Pastry?
Speaker 3:Absolutely I mean.
Speaker 1:one of the things we talk about all the time is that you know, oftentimes what we wanna do is we wanna take long, broad and deep problems and give them short, shallow, quick answers.
Speaker 2:It doesn't work and that's not how this operates right, and sometimes you can reduce the complexity down to something that's simple, like you know what? She was talking about with. I'm just gonna go in there and love people. That's the simple response.
Speaker 1:But that is a long deep right, that is a long deep and broad response as well.
Speaker 2:So what we're saying, though, exactly, so this response sometimes can be simple to complex problems, but at the same time, it's still a complex problem. Oh my goodness. Oh, it's years and it's complex investment.
Speaker 1:You know love. Complex investment Like she mentioned, you know, like Amy mentioned.
Speaker 4:I'm gonna love them.
Speaker 1:Oh man, that's decades of love. She's talking about yeah, yeah, yeah, which is worth it, because Jesus is worth it, right, absolutely.
Speaker 3:He's worth it. But I had a volunteer. We were walking it's prayer, walking in my neighborhood and y'all know I live in the Ferris District and so they were just walking my neighborhood with me one day and, man, the Lord was just touching their heart and they got to weeping and their church, people, friends that I love, and they looked at me and they said this is gonna take your whole life.
Speaker 4:And I said exactly Amen.
Speaker 3:And they were having a revelation that it's supposed to take our whole life, absolutely. Which was great.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:And I just said, let's just stop and pray about that, because there's a couple. They were as Christians. They were at a place of oh gosh, this is supposed to take my whole life.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Love in my neighbor is supposed to be my whole life, which I was thrilled that the Lord showed them that on Ferris.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:That was part of it too, so that's another piece that we didn't mention. But we have thousands of volunteers, and many of them are church or business people that they have a revelation from the Lord. It's beautiful right, and they're my neighbor just as much as my physical neighbor.
Speaker 1:Right, amy, we had an experience recently at our church Well, I won't say recently, it's probably been about a year ago, maybe two years, almost now at the church that I pastor, service pastor and we did a prayer walk and had a prayer walk and had a big kind of outdoor event at the park and it was really just really good and just rich and just a joyful time, and out of that we had invited people to church and things of that nature. Out of that, we had a just a smattering of people show up the next Sunday to come out and join not join the church, but worship with us. And I had one of the members who responded to that it's just like man, pastor, we put in so much work for that and man, we only just had like a handful of people show up and come to church. I mean, is man we, you know, are we gonna do that?
Speaker 1:All the time I said listen, god is. This neighborhood that God is entrusted to our care is an oak tree and God has given us an axe and he just expects us to be faithful with that axe and just chop away. This isn't something that you can expect. Hey, tomorrow, right, it's all gonna happen. Right, it could, but the reality is is that sometimes faithfulness is the driving factor in this, and we're called, more than being excellent, which we're called to be excellent, more than being all these other things, we're called to be faithful to the tax and to persevere in what God is entrusted to our care.
Speaker 1:And so, yeah, talk to us a little bit about when you guys think about we will go. What is the if someone's that wanted to ask you, give me the purpose of we will go? To the neighborhood to Ferris Street. What are you trying to accomplish with? We will go.
Speaker 4:And we're gonna say the mission statement Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Well, that's the simplest answer, honestly, is that we're really are truly neighbors and we're our whole heart. We're not. We're not just. The statement is that we're willing to engage our neighbors with the, with the love of Christ, but we're not just willing. I'll tweak the mission statement a little bit because we're not just willing, we're actually doing it.
Speaker 3:Right back to David's thing about that intentionality and action. So I can say I'm willing, but I had to drive over here to meet you guys physically. I'm sitting here with y'all, so I am willing, but I'm also doing it. And so what does that look like? And sometimes that looks like, you know, yesterday, a basketball team coming and actually serving, where they're getting wrecked by God because, even though they're a local college, you know they've never encountered and we got all JPS kids that are after school that are there. You know we got 50 on our roster. We'll have a hundred kids this summer from you know, coming to our camp. And our whole heart is how are we going to engage these people, all the people with Christ, with the love of Jesus?
Speaker 3:Christ that looks like something really tangible. He's given me something to look at. I'm looking at you, look at that. I can't do that, but, honestly, that has to look like something tangible and it's the, and it's the, it's the practical application. Like Jesus walked around and he didn't, the disciples said hey, send all these people home. We're tired, you know. And Jesus said no, no, no, y'all sent them down in clumps. He fed them, he taught them, he was Messiah, he was present, some accepted him. I mean, he turned away.
Speaker 1:Absolutely but he was.
Speaker 3:He is so incredibly practical. I am Messiah. Here I am and preach the sermon, fed the people, multiplied the food, loved them, practically loved them, and was God in their midst, right. And so we are practically in the midst, sharing the good news through kids, through volunteers, through camp, through the garden, through feeding families. And so what that looks like is my neighbor, sarah, that I prayed for the other day. And I sat down and I said and she's telling me all her things, her husband got killed. She didn't have two pennies to add together. Like she is so in every way poor in our city, like she walked over there in the rain to get groceries I mean unreal.
Speaker 3:And I sit listening to all this and I'm thinking, lord, how can I possibly, what can I possibly do? What can I possibly say, you know? And so she tells me all the things and I said Sarah, how can I pray for you? And she went oh, miss Amy, I'm, I'm so grateful, I'm safe now. I wasn't safe before. I didn't know. The Lord and God moved y'all down here 20 years ago. Oh, miss Amy, I'm, I'm grateful. And I started crying. She said why are you crying? I said because I needed Sarah I'm going to pray for you and then I need you to pray for me and to me. That just kind of encapsulated. You know, I'm born again in my neighborhood and then here's my neighbor, sarah, who has now now knows the Lord. She's a different color than me, different background, different everything, but it didn't matter at all. I prayed for Sarah. She laid hands on me and prayed over me and I just thought, lord, thank you.
Speaker 1:I hear over and over again in your story, um, you and David, what you're describing is that there is a a a heart and a passion and a desire to see neighborhoods change, one at a time, with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But in so doing, I hear over and over and over again how those neighborhoods have changed you as well. Well, did y'all talk to us a little bit about that? Because I hear people coming in, volunteers coming in. I hear you guys talking about it. It's it's life changing, not just for the neighbors, it's life changing for you as well.
Speaker 4:Two stories. One is my own. Personal story is that we had a group came one Sunday and um which we, we, we have changed. One of the things I would tag onto that I, we both talk a lot. Maybe I shouldn't invite it.
Speaker 3:Amy, this is great, I know this is one.
Speaker 2:This is great, we love.
Speaker 3:this is great, we love this is real marriage, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:But, um, we had a, we had a team that came and they got through and they said can you tell me one person? This has changed? And I said this changed me. And I said what, if you're volunteering, was God leading you to change you instead of?
Speaker 3:you changing somebody else?
Speaker 4:Be very aware that God may lead you into a volunteer opportunity to change you. Maybe you don't see anybody else change, but maybe your heart gets broken, maybe you get re refired up on the gospel, Maybe you maybe you get stumped on something that somebody asks you a hard question, you go, man, I need to go back and study the word more so I can answer that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so that's one the other is is.
Speaker 4:We have one of our. We've really tried to encourage our board to become more involved in the programs that we are doing and one of our board members has told me he said this is messing me up.
Speaker 4:He said I come down here once a week and he said I serve in the feed program which in the feed program we give away groceries every Tuesday and Thursday. It's a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with people. We sort food Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We give it away Tuesday and Thursday there on the corner of Ferrisian Monument. And he said this is this is messing me up. He said this is changing me. He said I go home crying all the time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he said.
Speaker 4:I cry. He said we had one or two people and they said we asked the guy. We said is, are you okay? Because he kept one of the bathroom and he said I have to keep. I have to keep going the bathroom to compose myself. He said I'm getting so touched by all the people I'm praying with. Again he came to help somebody. He thought and it's really tenderizing him and helping him, yeah and I think that's how discipleship works.
Speaker 2:That's just the I think that's like most, most models of discipleship I know Work with that, that you go in, you get changed, even if you're the one who wanting to walk in and change there's. There's that process that we have to develop as leaders. We have to develop this capacity To do the type of work that y'all are doing. People can't just kind of get up off the pews, having never, having never had a Real relationship with some persons from, from, you know, the Ferris Street, sure or Jackson, and told or anything along those lines, and and be able to go in there and make an impactful change of people's lives. I'm gonna say that can't happen. I'm saying it typically doesn't.
Speaker 2:It's a big shift and it's a it's an important factor, then, to also focus on your development as a volunteer, because that is where a lot of the change happens. You know, I can, I can, you know, and looking at that, I can't help but think of the Uncountable number of organizations and churches where you've had people come in to your organization, become changed and then maybe move Somewhere else, or they go back to their primary area where they've been missions, and then they begin to change that one of our hearts, of course.
Speaker 3:That's one of. I tell people all the time you don't have to live it, we will go. Okay, you don't, you don't, you might not be called Jackson at all. Yeah like my friend this morning I was telling you she lives in. Mcgee and I said what are you doing in McGee with the gospel?
Speaker 4:How are you?
Speaker 3:reaching McGee with the guy. That's amazing that you're doing that Bible study. How are y'all doing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, with it.
Speaker 3:That's great. Or maybe they come and serve, or maybe they're a student at Mississippi College, like your son is, you know great. How are you doing that? I'm emcee in Mississippi College. There's Thousands of people out there that I can't reach and I'm not called to Clinton or Mississippi College. What are you doing with that? So maybe they get touched or fired up? That we will go. Well, go do it, you know, in your tribe at emcee or whatever, and so that fires us up a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, the Ephesians to you know, we we were talking about this earlier, Amy and David where, you know, ephesians to God talks about Paul, talks about God making us alive, but God being rich and mercy and in love with which he loved us in Christ.
Speaker 1:Jesus has made us alive in Christ and, and oftentimes we get a glimpse of that picture. We get a glimpse of the picture that Paul says we're not saved by works, when we're saved by grace. But the Verse that gets kind of thrown to the cutting room floor oftentimes is that verse 10 right after that, where he says for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which he prepared before him. Before the foundations of the world there were works that God had laid and made Preparations for us to step into, and part of our journey in him, part of our growth in him, part of our discipleship and our Maturation is to actually be involved and engaged in the work of ministry. Yes, it does not save us, but it is a part of our journey with God to be engaged in that, but it's a fruit of our salvation.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Outworking. James would tell us this is an outworking of our faith, versus just simply looking at the man who is, you know, broken, without a code, and said oh man, I know you're cold man, I hope you, I'm gonna pray for you. You know, so James will say it's an outworking of our faith to say no, no, no. Let's try to figure out how to get this guy code.
Speaker 1:Yes, talk to us a little bit, as, regarding this work, it is very much cross cross ethnic lines and cross cultural lines, cross class, class lines. Talk to us a little bit about the journey that you guys have had in crossing those lines, what the Lord has taught you About crossing those lines, what the Lord has taught your neighbors as they have welcomed people from these, from the other sides of these lines, as it relates to race, ethnicity, class, culture. Talk to us a little bit about that.
Speaker 4:Well, one of the things I say to a lot of our neighbors you know, people who have a lot of time usually don't have a lot of money, and people who have a lot of money, a lot of times they don't have a lot of time, and so we invite our neighbors. Just because your poor does not mean you're not saved, oh you can't search and so some people have really been blessed with money, but that didn't mean they're safe.
Speaker 4:You know, and so one of the things that we've invited I tell I say this a lot of times is that I don't want to always be the Designated giver and you always a designated receiver. There's something you're really good at, you and I were talking here earlier about some of the things You've done in life that you're an expert in. That I'm not sure, and so I invite our neighbors. What is it that you can be an expert in for me? Instead of me being the expert and you, you being somebody who helps me, I want you to help. I don't want to just help you on you to help me in a lot of ways. So we'll have neighbors. We have a lady that I'm picturing right now and she comes to help us sort food.
Speaker 3:Every week and she's a neighbor. She's very poor, yes, but but she has time.
Speaker 4:She's a caregiver for somebody in her family. She doesn't have a whole lot of time. Excuse me, but she does have that time. She'll come and do that, and so that's wonderful. Yeah and so we have neighbors who will take turns and they help us with the food giveaway. We've had neighbors who come. Children are a little bit different because we screen people who come through with children, but that doesn't mean that they can't help us with other aspects.
Speaker 4:Absolutely and so we really try to invite people that we're not the designated people To give out or to do the work you are. I want to invite you to participate with me. You're not any better or less than than me. You can do it too yeah and we started off.
Speaker 4:I vividly remember going with the church when we first moved downtown and they gave out food in the park on sunday mornings and we did that. But that isn't where we stopped. And I think a lot of people who volunteer they have a volunteer opportunity and they never get past that and I really want to encourage people, even here today that somebody's listening to it that you have volunteered oh, I volunteered what? Move past that. You know let's not all stay in first grade. You know we want to grow up in christ. We want to grow up and what are the things you can do? Y'all are doing a podcast. Y'all are helping us tell more people about an opportunity and you go.
Speaker 4:Well, I don't know how to do this. That Well, get on the website and volunteer with us and come with us, and we're not the only place. We might not be your flavor, there may be another place that you go. Volunteer, but do something.
Speaker 3:Absolutely yeah, I would say. You know, just to add to that, the um, the key we were talking about this earlier, brian is the key is relationship, relationship, relationship relationship right and so it really is that consistent relationship, relationship, relationship.
Speaker 3:Some of our students that come after school in the camp, I know their mom and their grandmothers. You know generations of. You know, and I, I could tell stories for days. You know, of walking with people through hurt and through loss and through violence and through murders and through difficulties and and, and you know praises. Like you know one of our kids, her mom. The mom got a job and she comes running in. You know, hey, I got a job. You're not gonna believe it. We're rejoicing in that. She's not I don't know, she's some strange woman that I don't even know her. No, I know her, I know her kid, I know her mama, I know her grandmama.
Speaker 3:So that takes again, it takes your whole life, relationship, relationship, relationship, relationship. And Jesus, really, really that matters to him. I mean right to have. If he said the most important thing is to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, strength and love your neighbor. That actually looks like something tangible. And and it doesn't matter, I mean he was a Jew and he lived in a Roman culture. Yeah, so he knows how to handle culture stuff right, oh, yeah, I mean he he, oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean they, they live. I mean every, almost every page of the Bible is about you and Gentile cross cross cultural relationship building.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, every page, absolutely absolutely, guys, talk about your as we kind of round the turn here. Talk a little bit about your, your most impactful takeaways in this ministry that God has entrusted to your care and what. What have you taken away that just lingers with you? That shaped, shaped your lives, shape how you engage, not just in we will go, but engage in other areas of life. What's been the most impactful thing that God has taught you?
Speaker 4:I guess, off the top of my head, god really spoke to me that I don't get to pick the winners he didn't ask me to save anybody, but he asked me to share the gospel with everybody exactly, and a lot of times I will Brian's gonna hit this is gonna hit with him. I'm gonna say this to him and it doesn't and there's another person that I go well, and what I've been really convicted with is that I don't get to pick the winners and so that, that's my my snippet.
Speaker 4:That's good, that's good and I would.
Speaker 3:I would. Just, we both similar in that. Um, I'm always always shocked and I pray. I always am in awe, shock of how the Holy Spirit touches hearts and souls, whether it's, as David said, the, the giver, if you will, the volunteer that comes from Madison that's given a back of groceries to one of our grandmothers, and I watch it day after day after day and I watch her pray over him and he's thinking he's coming to do this great deed to serve it. We will go and give out groceries and we're honored to give out groceries. Thank you to all you people that give and bring can, corn and all that. Thank you, god. But I'm watching the Holy Spirit and I can't. I can't put that into words, but I'm watching the Lord tenderize this heart of this volunteer that he or she thinks man, I'm coming through something great. And then I'm watching this person that is in every way different and she, this granny, one of some of our grandies, love the Lord much as me and she's just laying hands on him and just the, the, the, all the words of that just overwhelm me. Or with our, with our children. So people will come that they're in education you know, they're an education major. They're a retired teacher and they're like and I'm watching them weep in the gem of that old YMCA and I'm watching the Holy Spirit just move in their heart and I'm like Lord. This is amazing.
Speaker 3:You know, one of our little kids the other day comes running down the hall. I said stop running, walk, walk, walk. And they said the same. As you're not gonna believe what I learned. My name's Amy, but the call him as Amos is fine and I said what'd you learn? And he said I look just like God. And I said what? And he said wow, yeah, I'm made in the image of God. And it was the first time he'd ever learned that. And he got it. You know, he got it. And I'm crying in the hall. He said what you're crying for? And I was like baby, you're right, you look just like God, right? So you got this volunteer that's coming to do this thing, but yet the Lord's touching her. And then I got this little guy that doesn't go to church I don't know the Lord, they're in their family saved yet right and he's getting it right.
Speaker 3:I mean, what's more fun than that? And we just get to be there going gosh Lord, right. So it's that and, like I said, it changes us. I mean I cry every day because you get to see the Lord in the heart.
Speaker 2:You know change in our city and yeah yeah, and I got so much, so many questions. I don't even know where to begin. Um, um, uh, don't even know where to begin with that. That is such a beautiful thing that you're talking about and you know I'm almost going back to the Beatitudes you know, the meek will inherit the earth.
Speaker 2:And I'm thinking that oftentimes we look at missions in the inner city as mostly in terms of economical development sometimes, and I think sometimes we forget the deep spirit of people who are living what some of us would consider to be without, or are struggling financially, struggling culturally in some ways, whatever they're small. When I say culture, I mean, like local culture, like that's a difficult place to be in terms of just economic poverty, and I think sometimes we forget the deep spirit because that child learning he's made in the image of God. Never hearing that before my children. If I go home and tell them, hey, child, you know, 10-year-old, you are made in the image of God, he's like, yeah, you told me that last week. You know that would be their reaction and they take that for granted almost.
Speaker 2:But I mean, I'm just hearing this story of this child who's hearing that for the first time and it's this impact. They love it so much they have to run and tell that to you. That's beautiful. I guess that was my first reaction. My second reaction is I'm really. You guys grew up on rural farms, yes, right, so, and I just can't help but think of the amount of change that both of you have had to have, but also not change so much of who you are, so much as being able to, because that who you are and who you grew up, because God was able to use that to bring you to the inner city.
Speaker 2:He never waste anything. He never waste anything to think that those experiences that you had growing up would be impactful to where you are right now. And I guess you know if you had to tell yourself anything from when you were growing up, in that time of growing up, because I think there's probably, you know, the next generation of persons who are going to create and build up the next we will go in. Whatever setting they're going to do that in, it's probably somebody very similar to who you were when you were a child, growing up in an environment that you know you were thinking, oh, I'm always going to be here, but then you go off and you do this impactful mission and, jackson, like what would you tell yourself to prepare yourself for the life that you were about rhetorically or, I guess, figuratively about to live? Does that make sense?
Speaker 3:I think that God doesn't waste anything is the thing that comes back to me a lot.
Speaker 3:You know we have gardens and we both grew up growing food, not because we were rich farmers, we were poor, but we grew food to food to eat. And so you know, many, many years ago, when we first moved into Fair Street, we stood on the porch of this house that we now live in that was a crack house and looking at this deserted, messed up piece of land, and David said Amy, jesus spoke to me, we are going to garden here. And I went praise the Lord, let's do that.
Speaker 3:And we do just that nothing's wasted, you know, and we grow tomatoes and give it to our neighbors and we share the gospel practically in ground that people said it wouldn't grow tomatoes.
Speaker 4:We took our kids on a lot of mission trips when they were growing up. I tell people your children do what you do, not what you say, and so they're watching you. And so we wanted to grow them to grow up doing miss ministry and do missions, not to hear about it. And all of our kids are following Christ and two of them actually work with us.
Speaker 3:But all three of them actually. Sarah's just not full time Right.
Speaker 2:We can't afford her anyway, she's the media girl, so she's got specialty skills.
Speaker 4:But one of the things we would tell them when we go to these other countries is I said eat what they give you. I said you may not have eaten your favorite food yet. And that's my thing with volunteering, is that you may, if you limit yourself.
Speaker 3:God is a good father.
Speaker 4:He's not going to give you a rock.
Speaker 1:He's going to give you something that you don't even realize.
Speaker 4:You're going to love it.
Speaker 1:Have no idea, you even need it. Give it a shot, try it.
Speaker 2:Well, anytime we limit ourselves, we're limiting based only on what we know, so we have a week sampling of information. Anytime we limit ourselves.
Speaker 1:We got to turn you guys loose. We know you guys got meetings and stuff at lunch, so talk to us a little bit how people can connect with you at. We Will Go.
Speaker 3:The easiest way is wewillgoorg. That's the easiest way is wewillgoorg. They can always call us. Of course, all that information is there on the website. But you know what David just said I always tell people to start with something. Just do something, and that may be as something as simple as a canned food drive. It may be something as simple as coming to read into a child. I would. I do it every day. Every day, come and give me a call. Call, we will go. I'll give you a tour, I'll walk you around for 30 minutes and show you what God's doing. I did it yesterday, I did the day before, I'll do it today, where I just brag on the Lord and then we'll start with something. Maybe that you come on a serve Saturday. This Saturday we're going to feed 120 families this Saturday Is that a typical Saturday?
Speaker 3:We do it the second Saturday Some neighbors work and they can't come during the week. And so come and serve. Just come and give it a shot.
Speaker 4:But let us know you're coming.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell me or go to the website, and I really believe. At the core and I said this yesterday to a good friend is I really believe especially people in Mississippians really do want to see Jackson changed. Many people don't know how they're overwhelmed. They watch the bad news stories and I'm like, hey, jesus is king, okay, and Jesus is doing amazing things in Mississippi. He's doing amazing things in Jackson. You don't have to figure it all out, just call me, come out and I'll give you. I'll make it as simple as you need it to be. It can be big, it can be a huge project. We're doing all kind of projects and we store in buildings and you may want to come and put a new roof on something Awesome. You may want to sponsor 47 kids for camp Wonderful, fantastic. I'm going to try to make it as doable as possible for you.
Speaker 2:Amen.
Speaker 4:Good. We say a lot of times what's easy for you is a miracle for me. What is it that you're good at? You know, y'all invited us on here. We didn't have this platform, so that was a blessing to us. We had a group yesterday that they were taking up snacks for kids, and so that was a blessing.
Speaker 3:They brought 400 snacks. We had a group that they this past year.
Speaker 4:They were with an organization. They donated a vehicle. That was a blessing to us. We have an electrician who's there today. That's a blessing to us. So what is it you're good at?
Speaker 3:I'm not asking you to go create something.
Speaker 4:I'm just you may be a good cook or something, or you may. I don't know what your deal is, but whatever God has gifted you in, it can be a gift back to the body of Christ in your area so you don't have to become something you're not. Come jump in, but try to be everything he creates you to be. So, david, what?
Speaker 1:was that line that you you begin, that, begin your thought with what's easy for you is a miracle for me. It's a miracle for 1000%.
Speaker 4:We tell people all the time you can be the answer to somebody's prayer, and I said that to some contractors last week.
Speaker 3:They were out there hammering and we're restoring an old building on on Ferris and said they're out there hammering and it's hot. And I said, hey, can I talk to y'all one second? And they stopped, kind of, looked at me crazy, you know, kind of like what, miss Amy. I said you're an answer to my prayer. You're restoring a city, you're restoring this building. Right, that was a liquor store and now it's going to be used for the glory of God. You are right now an answer to my prayer. And they kind of stood up and I said I want to just pray for y'all. Y'all are part of something that's really important, right, it's back to that old story of you know, somebody asked these guys that were working on this cathedral Ask the first one what are you doing?
Speaker 3:I'm just laying bricks. The second one what are you doing? I'm just building a wall. The third one what do you do? And he says I'm building God's cathedral and so it's a perspective. And I just said, hey, y'all are an answer to prayer. And they're thinking we're just the carpenters. I'm like oh no.
Speaker 3:I can't do what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Jesus was a carpenter, he was Right, so that's important yeah.
Speaker 1:Man, this has been so good Thank you guys for having us. Such a reminder of Jesus's words to us in Matthew five that we should let our light shine before men in order that they may see our good works and give glory to the father who is in heaven. David, amy, you guys are absolutely letting your light shine, and God is receiving all kinds of glory as a result of it, and so thank you for what you do, and we will go and we will be certainly praying for you as as as you go.
Speaker 1:This has been a great podcast, great episode 44 with our friends David and Amy.
Speaker 2:I'm Brian Crawford with my incredible good friend, mr Incredible allegedly, allegedly called by his wife, Mr Incredible, we still we still got to verify that, but it's not entirely accurate.
Speaker 1:It really should be doctor, incredible oh good, with doctor incredible Austin Hoyle signing off saying God bless, god bless. Thanks for joining Living Reconciled. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the ongoing work of helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured, please visit us online at missionmississippiorg or call us at 601-353-6477. Thanks again for listening.