Finding Ralph

Before I left on this trip, Pastor said to me, "Look for Jesus." Today, I think I found him. His name is Ralph.

As we began our day we met and then commuted to a site of multiple Habitat houses. Some homes were occupied and some still waiting for their owners to cross the threshold. Our job today was working on two homes that were under roof and mostly sided. A majority of us worked the morning installing insulation, while another group finished the siding on the second home.

When it was time for lunch we all gathered our "brown bags." Then came the question, where are we going to sit? As we were walking over toward the pile of lumber to find a spot on a 2 x 6, one of the Habitat home owners invited us to his table outside on the patio.

Ralph (the home owner) as we came to find out, was born in Canton, Ohio. He moved to Louisiana 50 years ago when his sister needed a ride down to visit a friend. He was 18 then, and "never looked back," as he stated. Ralph, invited us to his table for a place to sit, enjoy our lunch, and share in some conversation. As we sat there you could not help but notice that Ralph was a Christian. His table was handmade with wood burnings of scriptures, crosses, and Biblical symbols on the top. It was then that I realized the similarities: Ralph is a carpenter, as showcased by his beautiful table and other construction upgrades he was making to his new home.

Ralph lost his home in Katrina. Ralph at one point, was poor and lost everything five years ago. As we sat there around Ralph's table, I realized there were 12 of us from LCR. LCR's 12 disciples, two friends, and our new companion Ralph, all sitting around the table breaking bread. He invited us back to share his table and rest our bodies for the remainder of the week.

Jesus helped the poor, was the advocate for the poor, and showed compassion for all. Today, that compassion was shared with us by Ralph. No matter how inconsequential, a table to sit at or a nail driven into a post to resurrect a new home for a mother and her three children; that compassion surrounded me today. Jesus is here in everything. Pastor, I have seen him, but I will not stop looking.

Blessings,
Deanne Maus