Sometimes it’s hard to venture out of your comfort zone. No matter where or no matter how, as humans we always have difficulty pushing ourselves to be challenged. And as Americans we enjoy the safety of our comfortable life. God has greatly blessed this nation and we are reaping the benefits of hard work and perseverance.

But with the blessings comes the responsibility. As Christians, we are called to do more. We are told to step out of the comfort zone. We follow the example of Christ, who left the perfection of Heaven to come to the filth of earth.

But it’s not always easy stepping out. And if we aren’t pushed, it almost never happens. But what if we all stepped out together? What if the Church followed the lead of Jesus and went where it’s uncomfortable?

Lifehouse Church East is asking their people to do just that. But they aren’t just asking the people filling the seats to go. They sent 7 interns from the church into the community to witness and experience what can happen when you step out of your comfort zone and serve the Lord. And that’s when you realize that it’s not about me.

Seven interns were sent into the community from Lifehouse Church East to serve the Lord in places that they’ve never been before. The Hope Center at Hagerstown Rescue Mission was fortunate enough to have 3 of these wonderful interns serve in our kitchen.

These 3 interns helped our Food Services Manager, Aleta, in various ways in the kitchen. From helping to cook, to cleaning and serving, these interns were able to help feed hungry people in the community and interact with some of the residents in our Foundations program.

One of the interns, Sheliea, said, “I had the most amazing, humble,  inspiring experience volunteering at the Hope Center. I will be back and I would love to volunteer in the kitchen again.” Sheliea, Michael and Kassidy were able to serve lunch to the residents of The Hope Center as well as serving our afternoon meal to area guests in need of warm food. We’ve had a steady increase of people coming to our Soup Line this summer so it was nice for these interns to see the actual need in Hagerstown.

Even though these interns did something as simple as serving food & cleaning a kitchen, they followed Christ’s example by going somewhere that most people don’t go. They were able to talk and mingle with our lunchtime guests as well as work directly with guys in our residential program. Only Heaven now knows the full impact of their time at The Hope Center. Sheliea continued, “The guys that worked that day were so sweet to me. I  instantly fell in love with everyone of them there. My life has been forever changed from all my experiences this week. It’s truly wonderful how God knows the right time to open your eyes to the world.”

When you take the leap outside of your comfort zone to minister to others you realize that maybe you are the one that is being ministered to the most! The fear and trepidation that we each feel at the initial step outside of our comfort zone is immediately replaced by the overwhelming peace and joy of serving God and knowing that this is where His heart is.

When you step out to serve others, the Holy Spirit gives you such a feeling of happiness that no drug on earth could ever replicate.

We are thankful for the interns from Lifehouse Church East who came to serve in the kitchen at The Hope Center. We welcome them back anytime with open arms!

If you would like to experience the joy of serving Christ outside of your comfort zone then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us! Call us at 301.739.1165 or email us at hagerstownrescue@verizon.net.

If you would like to see and hear more of the testimonies from these interns, please visit Lifehouse Church East. The series, “It’s Not About Me” will begin on September 16th. Check out www.lifehousechurch.org to find service times and locations.