First, I’ll tell you about Andy.

He’s the President, the CEO, the boss, the final say, the big cheese.

And he’s not from around here. Nope, Andy Gibson is from Wabash, Indiana. (But we’ve got him saying “y'all.”)

If Andy were writing this, he would probably say he’s just a follower of Jesus. He might drop a line about his Master’s of Business Administration from such and such university, the fact that he’s worked for several different non-profits including White’s Family and Residential Services for three years and New York City Relief for three months. That would be that—but he’s not writing it.

Andy is one of the most passionate people I have ever met. He wants everyone, and I do mean everyone, to have a taste of what Jesus is serving. Andy was instrumental in starting The LOT Project and willing it to become what it is today.

An elder of one of our sponsoring churches told me the story that I believe best characterizes Andy, his love for people, and for Christ.

A lady, one of our “guests” at the LOT Project, with her bag full of clothes and a meal in her hand approached this gentleman, pointed at Andy (who was probably talking and eating dinner with the other guests), and said, “See that man? Everyone in this neighborhood knows who he is.”  

Then there’s me, Lindsay Culbert. I’m the princess… not like “princess” that’s plastered in pink bubble letters all over teeny-bopper T-shirts. You know, the “princess” that really means “diva.”  I am not a diva (though the boys might disagree). Technically, I’m the Marketing and Development Director. But still… The Princess.

I always wanted to be a princess—most girls that grow up watching Disney movies usually do, but having the job of a real princess ain’t no joke. Case and point: during World War II, Elizabeth II, who was still a princess at the time, was a mechanic who fixed army vehicles because she wanted to serve her country. Yep, true royalty serves and sacrifices. Okay, maybe you don't totally buy that example, but Jesus was the Son of God, and I would say he sacrificed a little bit.

During the 2010 LOT Project Block Party, the Lord reminded that his work on the cross had made me a princess, and I needed to serve and love his people. I remember it clearly. I was picking up trash—specifically, empty water bottles. About a year earlier, I had been day-dreaming (as I sometimes do) that a real princess would pick up trash for her people. It felt sort of like de ja vu.  Two weeks later, I put in my notice at the law office where I was working to start my real job and step into my true inheritance as the child of a king.

Just being real, I graduated with an English degree from North Greenville University—I’m not qualified to be the Marketing and Development Director. The Lord really does use the people that are least qualified for the job. I’m just good at storytelling, finding the pulse of the LOT Project and telling the world what Jesus’ heartbeat sounds like.