Sheri’s Move and the Generosity of a Community

Derek* and Kate* were simply doing their grocery shopping when an unexpected encounter changed everything. Derek was waiting in line at the cash register to purchase bread when a lady, later introduced as Sheri*, turned around and asked him for help.

Sheri had accidentally left her phone in an Uber and was trying to contact the driver using a store phone, but her attempts were unsuccessful. Noticing her frustration, Derek and his wife offered to help. They tried calling Uber but with no success. Derek and Kate offered to take Sheri home.

During the ride, Sheri shared her personal story, including her health challenges, loss of vision in one eye, and the life-saving treatment she had received at Johns Hopkins. She also talked about her daughter, Maggie, who was expecting her third child and lived in Austria. Sheri had signed a short-term lease as she planned to move to Austria to help her daughter. Before parting ways, Derek gave Sheri a Love INC MoCo card and offered his contact information, encouraging her to reach out for any future assistance.

Over the next couple of days, Derek and Kate began texting with Sheri, learning that after a lot of back-and-forth, she had finally gotten her phone back. Sheri expressed deep gratitude for their help the other day, calling them “angels.” She also shared that she was an artist and, as a token of her appreciation, offered them some of her prints.

Another day, Derek and Kate met with her over coffee. They learned more about her background and the logistics of her upcoming move. Sheri revealed that she would be moving out of her apartment by the end of the month and would be transporting her dog and three cats with her to Austria.

Derek got in contact with Love INC and found that they could help Sheri. She was delighted to learn that Love INC could assist with her local move. Feeling a sense of relief, Sheri focused on the preparations with less stress. She secured a storage unit for her belongings and found a hotel she could stay in with her pets before her flight to Austria.

Meanwhile, LINC MoCo reached out to Peter, a volunteer from a partner church, and someone who is experienced in coordinating moves. Peter agreed to lead the team, working together with Derek, other partner church volunteers, and Love INC MoCo staff, to ensure that everything went smoothly. 

Initially Sheri thought she could manage all the move preparations on her own, but as the day approached, she realized how much help was still needed. Love INC identified two volunteers from a partner church, Connie and Sarah, who stepped in to help Sheri pack the day before the big move. These ladies made a tremendous impact, assisting Sheri with the heavy lifting and even treating her to lunch afterward. They also arranged for a friend of Sheri’s to meet them at the hotel to help unload the truck the following day.

On the day of the move, a team of volunteers from another partner church—Nathan, Joseph, and Robert—drove the moving truck and helped Sheri move everything out of her apartment to the storage unit. Sheri was overwhelmed by their kindness and again expressed her heartfelt thanks, and treated everyone to lunch.

Sheri continued to express her gratitude, commenting on how the generosity of the volunteers and the genuine nature of their support had deeply impacted her. She remarked that the spiritual connection she felt from the group was unlike anything she had experienced before and was amazed at how engaged young people had been in helping her. She even expressed a desire to visit the churches involved in her move someday in the future when she returned to the U.S.

While the bulk of Sheri’s belongings had been moved to the storage unit, she and her pets, along with some additional belongings still had a one final phase of the move to the hotel. This turned out to be more involved than originally anticipated. Derek and Kate rented a U-Haul to help Sheri move the remaining items and her pets. During the drive, Sheri asked more questions about Derek and Kate’s church, as well as about God and the Bible.

They had a wonderful conversation. Derek shared how the Bible is the core of what he and Kate believed and that it’s where we learn about who God is and how we are to live. He went on to explain that:

“In the beginning, God created the world and placed Adam and Eve in a perfect relationship with Him in a beautiful garden. However, when they chose to disobey God by eating from the one tree He forbade, sin entered the world, and all of humanity became subject to its consequences of death. God is perfectly loving, holy, and just, and because He cannot even look upon sin, the dilemma arose: how could anyone be restored to a relationship with Him?

The answer lies in Jesus Christ, who, as fully God and fully man, came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. When Jesus, right before He died on the cross, declared “tetelestai” (it is finished), He signified that the penalty for sin had been paid in full. He then rose again, defeating death. By trusting in Jesus, we are forgiven and covered by His righteousness, allowing us to be restored to a relationship with God and receive the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).”

As Derek finished, Sheri was intrigued and said she would think more about what he shared. Taking the time to love and serve a neighbor provided Derek an opportunity to share the life-changing message of the gospel, which has the power to impact lives for eternity. The day before her flight, Derek and Kate gave Sheri a Bible and prayed for her.

When Sheri boarded the plane to Austria the next day, she sent them a text, thanking them for everything. She specifically thanked them for being a light in her life, for their kindness, and for sharing the teachings of Christ with her. She expressed that the impact they had made on her would stay with her forever.

She has since contacted them from Austria, communicating, “What you and the team did for me, is something out of the ordinary and a blessing from heaven. I love having the Bible, thank you”

This story is a testament to the power of Christ’s love demonstrated through His people. It all began with two people who were sensitive to the needs around them and made themselves available to be used by God.

Sheri’s journey from a challenging situation to being filled with gratefulness and hope was made possible by the love and generosity of three of our church partners, working together to serve.

This is what we’re all about: “LINC-ing” the Body of Christ to serve neighbors!