The Salvage Yard

Chopper

“Hello, my name's Chopper.  Actually, it's really Carlos Sanchez, Carlos Fernando Sanchez, but no one calls me that. It's Chopper.  It's to the point that Mom calls for Carlos, I have to think twice before I realize she's calling me.”

“I grew up in Lincoln Heights. It's not far from here, and Mom still lives there, which makes it easy to visit her.  I just grab my board and pretty soon I'm there. Mom raised me and my brother Jose, it was tough, because Dad died when I was a young pup.”

“Mom tells me he was a good man, who tried his best to provide for us. But it has been tough after Dad died. When I was attending Lincoln Heights High School, I had to work to help Mom so that we had enough money for an apartment and food.”

“When I got out of High School, I attended Forest Grove Junior College and graduated last year.  Some of my high school friends from the hood and I use to go over to MH.  Oh sorry that is MH Bakery and Coffeeshop.  You know, I always wondered what the MH stood for.  Pops and Lisa would never tell us. Matt and Lisa Crawford are the owners of MH.  Some of us use to kid that it probably stood for Manna from Heaven.  Lisa hangs a basket of bread that she calls "Manna from Heaven" from the ceiling and tells people that God is the Provider.  She says that this is her acknowledgement that God provides for her daily.  You know, when we ask her about the name, she laughs and won't tell us.”

“Going to MH B&C has been good for all of us. When I was a junior in high school we use to go over to listen to music and get something to eat when the games were over.  Pops would bring in small unknown bands to play music.  There was always a small group from the hood that was different.  While they lived in Lincoln they just somehow were different.  As I started to talk to them more I found out that they had a real hunger to seek Jesus.  They kept talking about finding Jesus.  I began to wonder, . . . could I find Jesus too?  The more we talked, the more I realized I wanted to know Jesus too. I just got so hungry, I wanted to really know him.  You know not just a little, but I really wanted to KNOW Jesus.  It seemed that I just could not get enough.  With every day that passes am realizing that this passion is what drives me.”

“Pops and Pastor Rick would sometimes stop by and talk to us as well.  They would talk about Jesus as a friend as if they could talk to him, and my heart would just start pumping.  I knew then that I could not, would not, be satisfied if I could not continue to seek Jesus out.  I discovered even then that I was unsatisfied with how others sought God. I was just so hungry that I wanted everything that God had to offer. It was then that I started taking my relationship with Jesus seriously. I began truly seeking him out.  It was then that I learned that I was not alone. God had placed a burning hunger in not only my own heart but in others as well.”

“Pops and Pastor Rick introduced me to others that desired to serve God.  Some of us began working with Pastor Rick at The Salvage Yard on weekends.  A few would even go with the "Soup Man" and his wife to feed the homeless.  It was then that I started working as a volunteer picking up leftover food from the restaurants, groceries stores and even Pops bakery to take to The Salvage Yard Food Shelter.”

“What I found is that as I made myself available to help God's people that God began making opportunities for me to help others.  Do you know what it feels like to be open to serving our heavenly Father? Do you know what it feels like to know that God is beginning to use you to touch others?  A feeling like none other.  Do you know what if feels like to simply loving God enough to put yourself at his disposal to use, to serve others?”

“Well I hope you are as hungry as I am.  I pray that you came prepared to meet God face to face.  I hope you came expecting that as you seek you will find, because I'll tell you, as I have sought the heavenly Father, I have found him every day.” 

“Well, I'll see you.  I have to go make another run to pick up some blankets and sheets for the homeless shelter.  Don't forget Keep Seeking God and you will be sure to find Him.  For that is what he promised.”

                                                                     Chopper


P.S. Sorry about tracking mud.  Ya know things in The Salvage Yard are not always clean.  But God's hard at work changing our hearts.