The day I finally got around to reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), my life changed for good. These words especially impressed me: "But strive first for the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt. 6:33) "Oh, is that how it works?" I exclaimed. I understood then that my first priority should be doing what God would have me do and that if I did so, materially I would be fine. I understood, but I didn't really believe it. Like Thomas, I wanted proof. Well, in trying to live by putting the kingdom and right action first, proof often comes in unexpected ways.

Later, I took much inspiration from the Catholic Worker movement, which is an attempt to practice the Sermon on the Mount in daily life. From Dorothy Day's beautiful book Loaves and Fishes, for example, I learned how the early Catholic Workers tried to experience destitution in order to better understand the conditions of the people they were serving. They gave away their furniture and sat on boxes, for example. But they couldn't stay in this condition because people kept bringing them furniture. To me it seems miraculous that they tried to be indigent and failed! I wanted to experience this sense of the miraculous in daily life.

So I entered BVS in January 1997 thinking that I might serve in a Catholic Worker community, a soup kitchen, or some similar effort. Office work was the last thing on my mind. So when instead I came to work in the office of Trees for Life, I promised myself to find a soup kitchen where I could help out during weekends. While I was searching for a church in Wichita, a friend of one of my housemates invited me to visit a church in her neighborhood. "Why not?" I thought.
The church turned out to be in one of Wichita's slums. I had never heard of its denomination, and the style of worship was somewhat different from what I was used to. In addition, the people I came with and I were the only ones who were not Black. Even so, the next Sunday I returned to that church on my own, and then I got my wish. After the service the pastor, Rev. Joann Dixon-Lewis, invited me to help the church open a soup kitchen. She likes to say, "God gives you the desires of your heart." This soup kitchen has been open most every Saturday this year.

I admire the people of this church very much, and they show me a side of life in Wichita that I might not otherwise see. For example, relatives and friends of several of them have been murdered in the last few weeks. The children know much more about the ways of the world than I did as a child; violence and drugs surround them. I may not be in school, but my education continues!

Part of this continuing education includes a study of how people learn. The information may be useful in the education work of Trees for Life. This is a task I was given early in my term at Trees for Life. What seems miraculous to me is that I don't know how the staff figured out that education is a passionate concern of mine. I don't recall discussing it with them. Be that as it may, one day I put down a book about educational philosophy and said to myself, "I wish I had a way to practice this knowledge right now." The following Saturday, when I was at the soup kitchen, Pastor Lewis said to me, "So when are you going to help us with our Children's Church?" At first I said, "No, I can't do that." But as I prayed about it I saw that 1) It is a real need of the church that I can fill, at least temporarily, and 2) It's a way to practice my study of education. When I told Pastor Lewis this story, she replied, "What did I tell you? God gives you the desires of your heart." So now I help out with Children's Church.

And as for Trees for Life, seemingly miraculous events are almost a daily occurrence. I can't possibly list them all, but here's an example. I am one of three volunteers who are developing a program for Trees for Life of education through puppets. No one in the office knew anything about using puppets when we began that task a few months ago, but we encountered teachers. One of these, Jim Allen, found fellow BVSer Jeff Bibler and me at the public library while Jeff was checking out books about puppetry. We needed to build a portable stage, and Jim Allen, who has been a professional puppeteer for many years, immediately offered to help us build a stage. We did build the stage with his help, and our first public puppet show delighted children at a local church.

I see such things happen at Trees for Life all the time. Here's just one more current example. Just two days after arriving at Trees for Life, BVSer Bekah Rieke was charged with securing a donated vehicle for shipping materials to Trees for Life volunteers in Guatemala. After calling dozens of businesses, someone called to donate a 1970s-vintage ambulance. Then the ambulance had to be properly serviced, Guatemalan customs regulations had to be deciphered, a driver had to be found, and countless other details had to come together. When the president of Trees for Life, Balbir Mathur, pointed out to Bekah that any number of factors could prevent the ambulance effort from succeeding, Bekah says she felt a wonderful sense of freedom. She describes it as a sense that "I'm not in control of this," even though she did all that she could. Just the day before the ambulance was scheduled to leave, someone donated a necessary spare tire and jack. As I write, the ambulance and its two occupants are in San Antonio, Texas. "I look at the whole project as one big miracle. The fact that they are on the road is a miracle. That's amazing to me."

Is it really a miracle? Perhaps it's impossible to prove that any one event is a miracle, because the attitude one takes colors life so much. Is it a miracle that the right person shows up at the right time? I wanted to find out if it's true that one's needs will be met while seeking first the kingdom, and evidence of its truth seems to be mounting. The questions to ask myself every minute of every hour are: "Who am I?" "What are my motives?" and "Who–or what–am I serving?"