Thursday, July 5, 2007

Jamaica Me Proud


After 20 years of marriage, Nancy and I finally went on a trip by ourselves. You know, no kids. I actually surprised her with this trip. I had many people in on it with me including the guy who helped me get the cash together (nothing illegal transpired), the family who gave us air miles to get tickets, and the people at our bank who kept it all secret from her. Nancy was thrilled and we really had a great time at an "all-inclusive" resort in Jamaica.

But I have to say that I was disappointed in something. The staff at this famous resort in one of the most beautiful places in the world really let me down. Can you believe that we actually walked by and they did not speak. I wasn't expecting them to know my name but many times we did not even get a smile or a quick glance. Not all of the staff was bad but a great majority was. I was really surprised that a place which prides itself on customer service truly missed the mark.

On the following Sunday when I returned to church, I was thrilled to see a team a greeters gathering to pray before they took their positions around the campus. I interrupted their meeting to relate the above story to them and then told them how proud I was of them for their commitment and their willingness to show God's love through something as simple as a smile and a "hello." I told that group of ministry volunteers that I would love to take them to that resort so that we could teach them a thing or two about true service. We all agreed that a couple of weeks there and we would radically change that place!

I'm not sure what you expect when you encounter people throughout your day but I do know what people expect when they come to Rock Creek. And I believe that the team of volunteers that God has assembled to serve in so many capacities here does not disappoint. They all make me proud and I believe that God is proud of them too.

I wonder if the resort would hire us?