The first area is in the “presence to, being present always means being present to someone, something or some event” (339). The first class of our first weekend in training we were asked to write down what qualities we thought makes up a Deacon. Every guy in class had a laundry list of do’s or actions. Our professor said, “I hear a lot of doing but no being”. That has stuck with me and continues to shows it head in every class, this is no different, but could be the most distinct because of this theory by O’Collins. Being present does not always entail doing something, sometimes doing nothing …show more content…
I was blessed to be the buddy for two young men, Kyle and Ben. Both got to choose their buddy and both their coaches at separate times told me these two young men never pick a man for their buddy. I took that to heart and prayer and in writing the first part of this paper the answer came to me, these young men were picking the presence of Jesus in me not me. It is humbling to be given the opportunity to be Jesus presence to others and a great joy. Kyle was confined to a wheelchair, his father was one of the coaches and he helped him bat. I pushed him around the bases and helped him play third base. The biggest part of my time was spent discussing his favorite players, the Tampa Bay Rays and his favorite buddies, the Solar Bear Hockey cheerleaders. Interacting with Kyle and giving him an outlet to talk about the game of baseball and his love for the game showed me that I take for granted the blessings in my …show more content…
One hour a week for ten straight weeks, mom and dad get a break from being a twenty-four hour caregiver. The parents get to watch their child participate in a game that they never thought would be possible. The presence of the buddies allows the parents to breathe in the presence of Jesus and feel the love that He has for each of the children and their parents. If I am not picked to be a buddy for one of the kids my ministry time will shift to ministering to the parents. Sitting and talking to them, cheering on their kids and helping them to realize they too have been blessed by God. There is an unexpected benefit of the ministry of presence, sometimes you think you are ministering to someone and before you know it they are ministering to you. I felt that from Kyle and Ben, high fives from Kyle and a hugs and kisses from Ben were far beyond my expectations when I showed up to that