2 minute read
Living it Out
Living It Out
"In my opinion, the best way to show God’s love to people is to serve them. God is love. Through showing care to other people, we can let them know what God is like.”
To Benjamin Nichols, ’24, connecting with others comes naturally. One of his goals before graduating is to meet as many new people on campus as possible. He enjoys walking up to a total stranger, smiling, and striking up conversation. His business administration major suits him.
Though loving others comes easily to Ben, he recognizes that it also takes hard work to make a real difference in someone’s life.
“You have to have a plan of action,” he said. “You can’t just say you love someone and have a desire to help them, you need to act on it. And it takes more than just you; it takes people coming together to make a difference.”
Ben is a presidential work-study student in Mountain Outreach (MO). Though COVID precautions have forced outreach to look different (e.g. fewer in-person events), MO has figured out ways to continue serving the area. For instance, earlier this year, the MO team built a deck and wheelchair ramp for an elderly gentleman who had been falling down his front stairs when he tried to leave the house. Fearing injury, the man secluded himself, shut out from the rest of the world. Thanks to the work MO did, he has real freedom again.
Ben said, “Knowing that I could pay something back to the community that has given me so much, that’s a big memory for me. Knowing we could help that gentleman was huge. I’ll never forget the people I’ve met through MO or the experiences I’ve had.”
Many in the community think of MO as being the ministry that builds a home for a family during summertime. While that is true, it’s been eye-opening for Ben to see all the other projects MO does, since he’s working for the ministry behind the scenes.
And the construction skills he is learning have already come in handy at home; his mom has enlisted him to make new window shutters and do paint jobs around the house. Even more important, Ben is watching the Godly examples set by the men he works under.
“It’s very humbling,” he said. “They’re good people. They have so much experience, and they want to teach, they want to help, they want to show Christ to as many people as possible. I’m just here to learn and love on people. The more of their example I can get, the better.”
Observing the Godly people around you, learning all you can, and doing your best to use what you glean to show God’s love to others – really, that’s the picture of ministry. Ben is happy he gets to live it out.
