Coach
Coach is the mission cook. He wakes up every morning at 4:30 to get ready for breakfast, and prepares all three meals every day except for Sunday. Coach is a man who ruined his life drinking. He was employed at The Club (with the emphasis on ‘The’) for many years, but lost his job on account of his drinking problem.
His experience at The Club makes him a natural fit to be cook, and overseer of the buffet-style meals. And he does a good job.
The men at the mission are not going to starve with Coach around. When I go through the line, Coach dishes out more than I could ever handle. Whether it’s mashed potatoes, chicken, pork or green beans, he is sure to pile on a mound which would satisfy an NFL lineman.
Coach's whole demeanor is of a gentle and kind man. I asked him why they called him coach, and he told me he did not know. Another man blurted out, “It’s because he always has something encouraging to say.” I told him that I have not had much better said about me.
He is kind and encouraging to everyone it seems, though sometimes a little down on himself. Dinner always has too much pepper, too little taste, too much liquid, too dry. He is harder on himself than anyone ever seems to be on him.
Coach has been turning his life around over the past year—or rather the Lord is turning his life around. He came to the mission where he made a commitment to the Lord, and it is evident that major changes have taken place.
During our time of prayer requests, he had a request that he find his notebook. Someone had taken it from its place. It has all the notes he takes as he listens to sermons preached from the Scriptures. We prayed that it would show up—and behold, after the service someone brought it to him.
But what sticks with me is the precious value those notes were to him. He had been clinging to the messages which were preached to him, was taking notes, and ingesting the Word of God. And this at a mission! He puts me to shame.
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