Half a Cup of Obedience

“You gonna be here Tuesday,” Ro shouted at me as I was walking up the steps. Ro is pretty special to me. She’s a bit older than I am, scrappy and always getting me to sneak her extra cookies, which I do generally sneak for her.

                “Yep, I should be here,” I answered.

                “Good cause it’s my birthday. That lady over there’s bringing me a cake,” She said and then she packed her stuff and started to go. I nodded and half-shrugged thinking maybe she had misunderstood. It was the first time this NewSpring homegroup had ever served a meal. No one knew her or was even really connected  with the LOT Project, I highly doubted any of them had committed to make a cake.

                I was certainly surprised the following Tuesday to see a beautiful cake nicely wrapped in the refrigerator. Charlie told me about the volunteer, Traci, from the Thursday before who had dropped the cake off. 

One of the cornerstones of the LOT Project is our belief in building relationships between our volunteers, our guests, and ourselves. It usually takes a couple months to build relationships and faith in the LOT Project before a volunteer feels connected with our guests, let alone bakes a birthday cake five days after meeting them.

                Ro came right up to me that day and immediately said, “Eh, you know if that lady brought my birthday cake?”

                “Hey Ro, good to see you too. Happy birthday!” I said joking. She started laughing because we are always trying to get under each other’s skin. “Yep, she did.” I grabbed Charlie so he could witness her getting the cake too.

                “Wow, look how pretty it’s wrapped. Oh man, I ain’t sharin’ this with nobody. This my cake! You gotta help me find something to carry it in; I rode my bike. You want a piece? I’ll only share it with you and him.” Ro was so excited, she was buzzing with energy like I have never seen her before. It was exactly the way children get excited over their birthdays.

                “Ro, I’m not eating your birthday cake, it’s all for you.”Then something hit me, and I really don’t know what made me ask this question: “Ro, how long has it been since you have had a birthday cake?” She stood still for the first time since she saw the cake as she began to think.

                “When my Grandma die in 2004, and she always made me a cake. That was the last time I had one… Yeah.”

                “That was eight years ago,” I said. Yet another realization to cut me like a knife…

I have come to learn there are so many things I take for granted. I mentally added “birthday cakes” to the ever growing list in my head. In fact, every year my mom makes me a special strawberry cake. She even called a friend who made my special cake for me the year I was in California for my birthday.

                I dragged Ro outside, so Charlie and I could take the picture you see above. It was an amazing way to spend March 27^th at The LOT Project.

                Later, I called Traci to let her know how big of an impact she made on my friend. I asked her what made her decide to do it.

                “Ro came up and asked who had made the cake we were serving that day. I told her that I had. She said it was really good, but it was too sweet… then she asked if I would make a birthday cake for her.”  (I can personally testify, this is true to Ro form, but it’s one of the things that makes me love her.)                        

                 Traci went on, “I thought it was funny that she’d said it was too sweet and then asked me to make her birthday cake. I didn’t want to commit completely because if I wasn’t able to do it I didn’t want to be another person to let her down. But Monday I found some time, and I really felt the Lord say to make it for her. I never imagined she hadn’t had a birthday cake in eight years. It’s crazy the things we take for granted.”

                It really is astounding the miracles the Lord can do with just a little faith, a half a cup of obedience, and box of cake mix.