Today we’re celebrating client #82; not an individual, but a whole organization! This is the second time we’ve been able to bless an entire charity with a reliable vehicle designed to empower their ministry to people in need. The Nest (https://thenestbcs.org) is a local Christian nonprofit dedicated to helping the lost, hurting, and addicted find healing and learn to live again. Their team, some of whom are ex-addicts themselves, serve people who truly want to be free from an addiction to drugs and alcohol by placing them in rehabilitation programs. They support clients throughout the treatment process. That requires transporting clients to treatment facilities, client visitations and court appearances throughout the state of Texas. Unfortunately, there are very few in-house treatment options in the Brazos Valley. So when the Nest needed to get an addict to treatment, they had to drive to Brenham, Houston, or San Antonio. But that presented a problem: they didn’t have a vehicle! So they would have to rent a car every time a client needed transportation. That not only cost this wonderful charity an arm and a leg, it severely limited the number of placements they could do in a given year. With so many people struggling with addiction in our community, this was a need OnRamp had to meet!
In God’s gracious plan, a very nice Chevy Tahoe came into our inventory at precisely the time the Nest reached out to us. This three-row, rugged SUV will enable JoAnn and her team to transport clients throughout the state, as well as load up for street outreaches in our own community. It’s an ideal fit that should expand and strengthen their service to those struggling with addiction. We could not be more pleased or blessed to donate this SUV to the Nest!
And now as always, time to share the principle. I, Blake Jennings, know nothing about meth addiction or how to help someone overcome and heal from it. I would crash and burn if I had to run a ministry like the Nest. It’s simply not in my wheelhouse. But that’s ok, because it is in JoAnn’s wheelhouse, and Judy, Joseph, Ann, Christy, Perry, Jean, Daniel, and Nicole’s wheelhouse. They know how to help addicts find hope and healing through treatment and through the love of Christ. What they don’t know how to do is create an automotive charity like OnRamp. But that’s ok because I and my team have that one figured out. And in God’s wise way, He has united us together in His family so our two charities can serve one another as we seek to share the love of Jesus with the community as a whole. This is exactly what Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 12, a passage on the diversity of spiritual gifting in the body of Christ. I used to confine that concept to the walls of the church, assuming it meant simply that some are gifted to play worship music, some to preach, some to pray, some to run sound board, some to care for kids. That’s all true, but far too small of an interpretation. God’s gifts us not merely so we can do church on Sundays; He gifts us so we can sacrificially serve the community, and especially those in desperate need, in excellence. This opportunity to partner with the Nest was so uplifting to my soul because it allowed me to see proof of God’s diverse and beautiful gifting of His people to enable us to care for the vulnerable.
Finally, if you’ve never heard of the Nest, please check out their website at the link above. If you feel prompted to give towards addiction recovery ministry, I encourage you to give to them. They are a great blessing to this community!
