b'I realized that if the storm had never happened, the people we would become after would never be.Broad and Swannanoa Rivers throughout the day.Iron sharpening iron The coverage didnt become particularly alarmingIirmly believe that one common experience funtil about 7:00 that night. Both rivers had floodedamong all Christ-centered nonprofits, espe-before, and the recovery had been quick, with littlecially homeless shelters, and the workers damage. No major plans for the ministry changed.within is the extent to which they are willing to We continued with the baptisms and baby dedica- go to fulfill their mission. It would be unreason-tions we had scheduled just three weeks earlier.able to expect totality or perfection, but when After eight dedications and 17 baptisms, thethose circumstances arise that require a bigger rain began to dig her fingers deeper into the cush- fight for advocacy, when the broken are more ion of the earth. A fellow staff member turned todifficult to access, when the long hours turn into me and said, Its kinda cool how we are the oneslonger days, when the work to begin becomes still out here baptizing even with a storm outside.harder than the work of finishing, will the need While I agreed with her, I had no idea howstill be met? much this observation of our endurance wouldUnfortunately, phrases like always here to be tested and proven over the coming months. help and providing hope have lost almost any sense of reverence because the sentiments rarely come with sincerity. Everyone, no matter what they do or where they work, wants to believe that when the sky seems to crack open and help becomes a luxury, they will stand in the gap and help the ones who have been the most forgotten. But for those who have yet to see that day, the question remains: Will that actually happen? How far will one go not only to find the broken ones but to hold open restorative doors for them? When I ponder the intrinsic will to do good alongside the external promise of excellence, I think of Proverbs 27:17: As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. The grueling imagery burns in my mind: two steel structures colliding, scraping, honing. Sparks flying. Heat burning. And my question shifts. How much am I willing to let the trials of fire, or in our case the flood, sharpen my devotion to serve? \x02 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG 19'