Why Are You Here?

It began as an assignment and quickly became a calling.

I'm the multimedia gal at the office. I build websites, manage social media accounts, take photos and film/edit videos. So, visiting The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Newark Ironbound to capture new photos was "all in a day's work" in my mind. I couldn't have anticipated what God had in His mind for me that day.

As I floated through classrooms of students doing homework, almost everyone stopped to flash me a smile. Some shared what they were working on, some wanted to know all about me. Every second that passed opened my heart a little bit more.

It's important and humorous to note that for practically my entire life, I've had an aversion to kids. Didn't want to be around them, didn't want to talk to them and certainly didn't want to have them! So, for God to be softening an area of my heart that had been hardened for years...Well, that's just characteristic of who He is!

I'm not sure exactly what it was about these children (perhaps sensing God's love for them) that made me want to come back again and again. I am now a weekly volunteer at the Club.

Spending time with "my kids" (it didn't take long for me to dub them that) is exciting, exhausting and eye-opening. In some ways, their childhoods mirror mine, and in others, they are painfully different. Many are considered at-risk children for circumstances beyond their control. I feel I have a responsibility to show them what they can control - their actions towards others and carrying hope for the future.

I want these kids to understand that the kingdom of God belongs to them (Mark 10:14), and the Lord of all creation knows them intimately (Psalm 139). I want to guide them in truth and grace. Sometimes, sitting on the steps and playing Uno cards doesn't feel like I'm doing that. But I know that every minute we spend together is blessed. Any time I have with them is an opportunity to encourage the good in their hearts and see the sparks in their eyes that nearly melt my being.

Last week, my future soccer star and Candy Land enthusiast friend, knowing I'm not a full-time counselor like some other Club staff, asked me, "Why are you here?"

"Because I love you," I answered.

I pray she heard my words as if they flowed from Jesus' lips. I pray that we as an Army and I as a follower of Christ show children why they are here. Because He loves them. Endlessly, fiercely and completely.

Written by Elyse Jankowski
Community Relations Associate