"don't worry about me"

I'm not the one you should be talking to. You see those guys over there? They need to be talked to. I go to Bible study every week, there ain't no one like me down here. No one.

Above is a brief snippet of my conversation with a homeless brother named Will from Tuesday's outing. When interacting with the homeless community, "don't preach to me" is one of the more common responses I get. But, I've rarely heard "you should go talk to them, they're the hopeless ones, not me."

Throughout our conversation, I tried my best to not judge him, but everything from the alcohol in his breath to the crudeness of his language kept me from believing what Will was saying about himself. However, as the discussion continued, with Will steadily refusing to talk about anything spiritual, I began to see much of myself in Will.

I was reminded of how averse to instruction I had been in the past and how much I still struggle today. I was reminded that my default response to criticism is to point at others and say "at least I'm not that bad." As Christians, we are miles apart from Jesus' example and a humble heart is a must if we are to ever receive instruction and draw closer to Christ. Brothers and sisters in Diakonos, let's all pray for a more teachable heart as we continue serving in this ministry.

let Light shine brightly

Hi Diakonos,

I'll briefly share my thoughts on the past few outings. Each night has been quite different (as many people told me it would be). Even so, the one thing that is constantly pressed onto my heart the entire time is simply that we are in DESPERATE need of Jesus. The homeless people and ourselves too. We all really need our Savior to save us not only from the darkness around us but also from the darkness within our own hearts. It bothers me that my heart breaks so little for the people I encounter. How can I love these people when my heart is so cold?

This past Monday, Albert and I met a guy named Mark who believes Jesus keeps him alive and protects him from harm each day. Praise God! :) He shared that his favorite passage in the bible is Ezekiel 37 - the Valley of Dry Bones. READ IT! I read this passage and wept. God is mighty to save His people. He really is. Let's believe!

-Grace

Monday, February 7, 2011

I went around with Kathryn on Monday, mostly underground.
It is so encouraging when people ask for prayer. The first guy sitting at Love Park, Mike, had fallen on ice a while ago and went to the ER. He had a black eye but a positive hopeful spirit. He asked for prayer that he could get his finances in order so that he could get his health in check, too.

However, the person that stuck out to me the most was a guy named Calvin (I believe). He was sitting underground with 2 other guys.

He started to go off about how the government took away the people who gave out better food and replaced them with religious people, who give out worse food. In his argument, he would magnify seemingly small details as major faults of government and religion. For example, he saw ignorance in the use of pork products due to the number of black Muslims who were homeless. No matter how much we emphasized that we were not here on accord of the government, he didn't want to hear what we were saying.

I guess the loudest message I was hearing was how much Satan lies. He will take the smallest mistakes or occurrences and use them to make people believe that they are being wronged, that good efforts are evil injustices, that God's love is not real and nonexistent. It's so important to act with discernment AND pray against these attacks of the Enemy. It just reminds me that I need to be careful not to believe the devil's lies in my own life.

Sharing my Faith

On Monday, Krystal and I went to the Walnut-Locust area. I had no idea it was that huge. Around the middle of the area, we met this guy named V (that's what people called him). He was in pretty clean sweats and a hoodie, didn't have any bags w/ him, and he looked pretty clean. I thought he might have even just been sitting down there just chilling. But as we talked to him, he told us about how he was on the streets for two years. He just couldn't find work and he was just looking for hope.
We asked if he believed in Christ and he said no, so we walked him through the Gospel. Afterwards, we asked if he wanted to accept Christ right then, but he said he would think about it and wanted to figure stuff out before he made that decision. I felt it was important for him to know that this grace and hope is a free gift for sinners and not people who have earned their way to a certain spirituality, so I told him that one more time. He said the same thing, and after a prayer together, we went on our way.
Afterwards, I was thinking about how necessary and natural it was to share the Gospel with V. I was able to look him in the eye to tell him straight up what it was about. He needed hope, and Christ is the ultimate hope. But why does it work like that for a stranger I met but not for my friends and co-workers? Why do I shy away from sharing my faith to the people I know and care more about b/c I know them? This has been a challenging thought for me. Just as we pray sometimes when we close on Monday nights, I pray that Diakonos is not just a Monday night thing. Praying for that boldness and that same reasoning for sharing our ultimate hope w/ others.
Will give an update soon about how sharing my faith w/ my co-workers go!

Two Weeks: Two Stories

Last Week:

After Kim and I approached three gentlemen, we were immediately welcomed into their circle. They were a tight group, self-proclaimed Three Musketeers. As we talked about Philadelphia, our pasts, our beliefs, a gentlemen came up to us asking for a sandwich. We had run out by that point; however, just as we were about to turn the older man away, one of the three - Sebir - stepped up and offered his food to the man. "Just because we're homeless doesn't mean we're hopeless," he said.

I broke down inside, but held back my emotions. We continued talking with them. As we spoke, a volunteer came down and informed the group that they were handing out hot sandwiches upstairs. "Excuse me," Sebir said politely, "I'm gonna go up and get myself a sandwich." Leaving us with a million dollar smile, he left the circle and headed upstairs. At that moment, all I could think was, God provides.

Yesterday:

Krystal and I were speaking with Tony. He had a contagious enthusiasm in his voice. He had been down on his luck, getting laid off from his job about 3 weeks ago. I brought up the typical topics: Philadelphia, sports, and eventually, religious beliefs. I was not prepared for what I heard next.

"Religious beliefs? Well, I'm a Jehovah's Witness." About one billion unfounded stereotypes came to mind, but most of all, I feared the prospect of a biblical debate. As we continued talking, he spoke endlessly about the doctrine he followed, and anger welled inside of me with every point that conflicted with my beliefs. I want to say that it was "holy anger" but I don't want to give myself too much credit.

I wanted to refute some of the things he was saying, but I did not have much practice defending my faith. As we read the book of Acts for our Bible study, we encounter bold apostles who shared their faith confidently. I realized that I have much to learn and much to prepare for. To be a good witness, we need to practice sharing His word every day.