Gleaning at McDonalds

Yesterday I met a man named Bill Carpenter. He was old and had on a worn hat that was perfectly shaped to his head after probably decades of wear. None of his teeth were showing but his lips beamed forth a huge smile. I met him at McDonalds. The conversation started as he patted me on the back and said...

"Young Lady, are you reading the Good Book? Good for you."

And he sat down at a table opposite me. After ten minutes of silence, me in the Good Book and him with the daily Statesman Journal, he spoke again...

"You know, it really warms my heart to see a young person in the word."

I smiled at him and thanked him... he continued to speak. He told me of his life story, starting in the middle, working forward, then starting in the beginning. He non-chalantly mentioned his travels as a missionary throughout countries scattering the continent of South America and told me of his present day mission: to go into all the world and help the poor and needy.

"I dont go to church. I dont pay thythe to the church, but I give my life to Jesus. At one point in my life I was living off of 1/10 of my income and giving the other 9/10 to him, not because I was rich, but because it was his. I like the church, but God told me to go into all the world... and this is what i do."

I was throughly wrapped up in his story and felt like Jesus was speaking to me on an individual level, like he was sitting right in front of me. Bill went on to talk about the Harvest, a topic very hot on my conversation list.

"There are farmers, people who plant seeds. People who water the seeds. Then there are the harvesters, the people who pick the fruit. After the harvest is over there is a fourth group of people, gleaners. Gleaners pick up what the harvesters left behind. Well, God has called me to be a gleaner, to help pick up what has been left behind from past harvests."

I will admit to being stunned by his remark. I focus so much on "the harvest"... but who will glean? How encouraged I was by this converstion, the words spoken into my life. I was just a young girl killing time at a McDonalds and I decided to have church, to meet with God, well he decided to send someone along so that I would feel I was having church with Jesus. God knew exactly what I needed. And want to know the best part? Bill Carpenter is at McDonalds every morning and would love to talk with me and encourage me more.