Our Work is "For the One" - Henry

Sometimes the “one” God places on our path ends up ministering to us—and to others—in ways we never could have expected. Henry is one of those people. He reminds us that God cares for us through each other, and that each of us have been given precious gifts that we are called to share.

We met Henry just over two years ago when a friend from Austin Street brought him to our Thursday morning prayer. Since then, we’ve been fortunate enough to see him almost every week. He doesn’t keep count, but if he did, his service hours with The Human Impact would number in the hundreds. He’s often the first to arrive at an event to help set up and one of the last ones to leave. He’s one of the first to give up his chair and set up more to make sure everyone has a place to sit. And he shows up to help rain or shine, on the coldest day of winter, or the hottest day of the summer—almost always sporting his favorite Human Impact t-shirt.

Henry faithfully joins our Thursday Community Prayer time and then walks the streets with our team. He doesn’t speak up often, so when he does, it’s intentional. Several weeks ago, he mentioned to a couple of staff members that he had been asked to go to Kerr County to help with recovery efforts, following the tragic floods there. Henry has been a funeral director for years and it so happens, that he had gone to Mortuary school with the two medical examiners in Kerrville. They reached out to him and asked if he could come in to relieve them from Friday-Sunday for three weeks. And, of course Henry said yes.

He didn’t bring this up in prayer at first—he didn’t want to draw attention away from those grieving for friends and family who lost loved ones in the flood. But before his last trip, he spoke up and asked for prayer.  As you might expect, recovery efforts are a difficult business, and it takes an emotional toll on all involved. Our team and others gathered around Henry and prayed over him. We asked for blessing and protection over Henry and all who were helping in Kerrville; we asked for continued peace and strength for all the families experiencing loss; we asked for God’s provision in all things.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4: “The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share this same comfort with others in trouble.”

Henry knows the comfort of God’s love. He’s experienced it even amidst the trials of his own life. He also knows the gifts God has given him. And he chooses to share those gifts to help those in need—not for recognition or for his own glory, but simply because it’s what he feels called to do.

We thank God for bringing Henry to The Human Impact and into our mission—and for the privilege of watching Him work through Henry to bless others.