In July of 2021, The New York Times ran a special 55-page section about the 2.5 million essential service workers who kept New York City alive while many New Yorkers worked remotely. One of the heroes of the story was Gustavo Ajeche, a 2004 immigrant from Guatemala.

By day Gustavo works construction. At night he delivers food for restaurants in the Financial District. His wife works as a nanny for a family in Manhattan. This job became a live-in position when her employer had her accompany them to their second home in North Carolina from March through September last year. Gustavo and his wife do not have a second house, but they do have a second extended family to support back home in Guatemala. Their jobs often get little or no recognition or praise.

But at the end of the article Gustavo said, “The pandemic was hard, but it taught me I can help. I would come home exhausted, but hearing ‘gracias” or ‘God bless you,’ that was beautiful. I’ll never forget my roots in Guatemala. I struggled for my community. But I feel like a real New Yorker now.”

Possible Preaching Angles:

(1) The gospel tells us that through Jesus Christ we can hear God the Father’s “well done” on our life’s work. (2) Showing appreciation to others.