Angel in Queens

This weekend I read a story about a man named Jorge Muñoz who drives a school bus and makes $600 a week. He gets up at 4:00 am to go to work, but when he returns his real work begins. Jorge cooks and delivers 30-35 meals every-night to the day laborers (many of whom are homeless immigrants) that congregate under a bridge in Jackson Heights, Queens. For a most of these guys Jorge's meal is the only one they get all day. These laborers congregate to look for backbreaking work at $100 a day so they can support their families back home.

This story humbled me because I know I do not have Jorge's heart, despite being a professional pastor. Jorge serves without assessing the cost. Jorge gives out of his appreciation for the abundance that he has found here in America (he makes $28,000 a year - hardly an abundance by NYC standards). He loves Jesus and genuinely feels his neighbors are those strangers under the bridge on Roosevelt Ave. And he is loving them as Jesus told us to love our neighbors.

This story reminded me that no ministry program, mega-church, or non-profit organization can match the beauty of an individual who sees a need and is moved to meet that need. The fact that there are people out there who will serve the poor and the forgotten without funding, backup, or ulterior motives moves me in a deep way. I want to be more like Jorge in the coming year.

You don't have to read the article (here it is) but do take a couple of minutes to watch the video report on this 'Angel in Queens.'