“When I close my eyes I see this dreamscape as a field of marbled color like a burst kaleidoscope with children playing amongst a sea of dandelions and honey suckle, no one is hungry, no one is cold, no one is lonely, no one is sad. Love is a verb and people live in unison like music from a symphony, all in soothing peaceful rhythm and harmony.” This is what I see when I think of the Grace Klein Community, interpretative of course. Perhaps it’s a very over the top poetic metaphor, but I have been accused of over romanticizing life before, so guilty as charged I suppose.
So how I came to find the GKC (and this is the more vague, less play by play version of the narrative) all began when I was in what I’ll call a transitional phase, I was making a lot of personal and habitual changes in my life right before I found this wonderful company of believers, givers, and servants of the community, and I ended up garnering this insatiable appetite to give back and to do something greater than myself. I felt like I’d been very selfish in the last little handful of years that have passed by. God only knows the last time I actually gave my tithe and offerings. It was time for me to be irrefutably selfless.
So through a very dear friend and lots of hope I came across the GKC, and it’s been such a blessing in my life ever since. It’s made up of very inspired, hardworking, big-hearted individuals; just so many different people, with different gifts, from different walks of life, making a difference. I watch the affects it’s had on everyone it’s encompassed and it’s such an endearing sight to behold. People come and fill needs, volunteer, and fellowship, it’s just a constant flux of wealth being spread. I don’t just see, but I feel the effect it’s had on me as well. It’s made me appreciate things much more than I ever have, makes me feel very blessed in abundance. I’m filled with energy and life well worth it’s weight in gold. This is an outreach to receive, or give, or both. Everyone can get involved, spread the word (so to speak), come fill their arms, fill their stomachs, fill their spirits, feel the love.
Me writing these things may come off as a bit cheesey or cliche perhaps, but my message, I believe, should be as clear as crystal and will never waiver, because I can honestly say this is the most rewarding thing I’ve had the pleasure to get my hands on in quite some time.
As I write this now Christmas is upon us and today I spent the majority of my day filling bags with toys and goods for children that may not have had anything to open Christmas morning. I sat back in my head and thought about how it would feel to have gifts to open as a child who may not have gotten much to anything or maybe weren’t even expecting anything at all, and I started to get a bit emotional, I’m getting emotional typing this now, and it’s like that when I think about the food we distribute also, but you see it isn’t just about the material goods or the food that people are getting, it’s the love they’re receiving. You see that’s the most important part of it all, the whole point, the fact that people are caring for people regardless of who they are or what they are, and if you’re reading this right now and something is stirring up inside you, anything at all, then you know exactly what I’m talking about, because if it’s real, you won’t just see it or hear it, you’ll feel it.
I know in my heart that I was destined to play this role with GKC, and God willing I’ll be constantly a beacon to direct love, and charity, and grace to all I come across; whether I’m loading or unloading a truck, delivering food, sweeping a floor, creating a smile, having a conversation, saying a prayer, or writing a personal account, it’s all relative, and it’s where my heart is and it’s where it’ll stay. To say I found Grace Klein may be a bit of misconception the more I think about it, Grace Klein really found me, and now I’m finding purpose; God given, soul grabbing, magnificent purpose. – Mitchell Roulaine