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Working Together Helps Heal Relationship
PORTLAND, OR (September 26, 2005) - Lolita Allen once thought she was going to
have to quit her job with the city because she was unable to work with a
colleague. The relationship was marred by repeated disagreements and
miscommunications.
Allen, who attends Irvington Covenant Church, has since discovered that
the relationship has been restored with her co-worker friend as they
worked together to assist a family that was evacuated from New Orleans.
The relationship had been mending over the years, but the recent
activity brought healing, Allen says. The co-worker recently bought an
investment property and learned through a friend of the need for housing
for a family of four and two uncles from New Orleans who were displaced
by the storms. The six had been living with 35 other family members in a
three-bedroom home in Mississippi. The co-worker offered the newly
purchased house (still empty) for three months rent-free.
The woman turned to Allen for help, asking her to assist in connecting
the family with a church to make the transition smoother. Allen, a newly
commissioned deacon at Irvington, says she knew her congregation would help.
Between September 9, when Allen first learned of the need, and September
11, when the family arrived, the congregation "completely furnished the
home with furniture, linens and food, right down to the hair care
products and nail clippers," Allen says. When the family arrived from
Mississippi, they were greeted by a welcoming committee that included
Allen and the co-worker, along with members of Irvington and two other
area churches.
The work was not done, however. On Monday, Irvington's pastor, Henry
Greenidge, and three other men from the church were visiting the
relocated family. It was then that one of the evacuees, Jeffrey,
received a call from his sister and told her about the care they had
received. The sister asked if the church could help her family, too.
Jeffrey put Greenidge on the phone and the pastor told her to bring the
family. The woman asked if the church had a place for three families. "I
told her, 'No, I don't have any place right now, but we didn't have this
place available three days ago, and God is able.' "
On Sunday, 10 family members arrived and the church is working with the
Red Cross to help find longer term housing and other necessities,
Greenidge says. Greenidge says it has been good to watch the
relationship between Allen and her co-worker friend strengthen through
helping the displaced families. God has his own way of working
relationships in a number of ways at the same time, he notes.
(Editor's note: The accompanying photo shows the family members
including (bottom row from left) father Lavell Espadron, son Danerous
Espadron, and daughter Janai Espadron; (back row from left) Russel
Foster, Nicole Espadron, and Jeff Foster.)
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
