"You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another."--John 15:16-17 ----Jesus' last commands to his disciples in the upper room the night he was arrested
Sometimes I think I rely too much on what I see and don't figure in what God is doing in the unseen realm. Last week's trip was on a weekday (Monday) and I felt led to not purchase any food for the trip. Consequently, I didn't see much happen. I only had one encounter and that was it. When one is involved in ministry to a certain group of people you tend to measure success by what you see and experience as a result of the interactions with that group. However, we often discount what God is doing in us! It may not be as easily quantifiable as how many people are prayed with, fed or clothed. Since a lot of those things take physical resources I sometimes get caught up in my lack of resources. Therein, lies the lesson-not my resources but His resources. Success is not in the way I count success but in the way He counts success. So an unsuccessful trip in my way of looking at it may be a successful trip in His eyes if a spiritual lesson is learned. If I'm focused on my limited resources, perhaps it's time for a reminder that the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels and that God can bridge the gap between overwhelming need and underwhelming resources. Perhaps even a changing of the direction of my desires and prayers is in order. I have experienced a distance from God in the last few weeks, probably due to the recent death in my family. As a result of this I started asking God for a renewed desire for Him in my heart. The Spirit flows from God, so asking Him for the kind of heart that desires Him is only logical. Yesterday, I asked for His presence to show up in a more visible way for me to experience. I also recalled from scripture that God blesses the work of those involved in helping widows, orphans and the poor. One doesn't have to wonder about it, scripture tells us he does. Yes, this time I bought food! I also went on Sunday and not a weekday. My desire and goal for Sunday was basically just to go downtown and love people. It was really just that simple.
The first man I wanted to help was sleeping on a cushion at the end of one of the BBQ alleys. I decided I'd go on down the alley and turn the car around so I'd be on the same side of the alley he was asleep on as I drove by him. As I drove down the alley, in between some large piles of trash and debris that had been dumped, there were four homeless people, two couples. I pulled up and asked if they were hungry. In a loud voice in unison they all said, "Yes". Then I asked if anybody needed some socks. I got the exact same response. I jokingly said, "Well, why didn't you say so?" I parked and got out and opened the back door so they could go through the clothes. Of the four people I think I probably have helped all of them before. Aaron was the only one I wasn't sure about and he said he had seen me down by the 4th St bridge awhile back. Terrell and Debra I know I've seen before and the woman (I never did get her name) I think I have helped her before too. Anyway, we all talked while they collected some clothes. Another man by the name of Enrique rode up on his bike and asked for some food too. When everyone was done I said, "Well you know what happens now don't you?" Debra called out, "Thank you." I said "You're welcome, but now I get to pray for you." I took a couple of steps closer to the middle of where they were and stretched out my arms. Debra and Aaron came over and the other woman too, then they put their arms around me. I think while I was praying that Terrell joined us. Enrique stood a couple of steps away while I prayed. It was pretty cool. I said my goodbyes and told them sometime soon in an appropriate place we'd do a BBQ. I still want to try and find Willie and Tara Lee. I turned the car around and headed back to the other end of the alley where the man was sleeping. His name was Robin. He said he was having difficulties at home and couldn't go back for a couple of days until things blew over. I prayed that hearts would be mended in his family and tolerance would rule. I probably will never see him again, but I think the prayer was already getting to him, he seemed a little misty eyed when I left.
My favorite encounter of the day happened next. It was the couple I saw a couple of Sundays ago down the street from the burned out church. I think the name of the street is Trinity St. His name is Antonio and she told me her name is Leticia. I gave them some food and water and let them look through the back of the car. I gave them a blanket and some socks and Leticia got a jacket. All of their collective belongings were in one shopping cart. I'm guessing they are both in their forties. Leticia doesn't speak English, but Antonio does pretty well with the language. She had asked me something in Spanish that I didn't understand. Antonio translated for me, "She wants to know if you know the 'Truth'?" I told her "Yes" and I put my arms around both of them to pray and Leticia folded her hands and bowed her head as I prayed for them. It was one of the most humble of moments ever. What a privilege to pray for this couple. I told them I would be back next Sunday. I will bring enough food to last a few days for them next week. I'll start praying about what else I can bring to help them through this time. Please pray for this couple!
I helped a few other men before leaving town. It was kind of a quick trip since I gave out so much of the food in the first encounter. I simply wanted to go down and love people. It happened just that way. --Until next time. John
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