"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.

A Hurting World

To add onto what Kevin said in the previous blog, we were able to meet several people last Monday and hand out blankets. It was a cold night yet these individuals remained above ground and bravely faced the cold. It was a hubling experience to be among people who were so grateful to be given a blanket. How often am I thankful for the little things that come along in my life? Each of these people had their own unique story; some chose to share peices of their life story with us while others remained more closed and guarded. It was a blessing to be able to go out and spend time listening and ministering to each person we met that night.

in need of Christ

Hey guys,

Went out today w/ Rena and Samantha (grad student from Penn, first time going out) to pass out blankets to the people above ground.

Today, through the people we met, I saw some of the many ways we need God:

Creesha and L.: They were sitting on one of those giant checkers in the square w/ all the game pieces across from Love Park. They were two girls who were going out for five years. They recently became homeless for two days due to a bunch of circumstances. They both said they asked their families for help but did not receive any. They stayed at a shelter one night but the next they weren't allowed into another one since somebody claimed one girl got into a fight at that first one. They were covered in blankets and said they were outside since 5:30am. I can't imagine how they stayed outside in the cold for that long. Luckily, we were able to give them two Septa tokens to take a bus to a cafe. I saw in them a need for our loving Father who always takes us in. We prayed for them to trust in God and draw closer to Him as He provides for them physically and spiritually.

Norman: Norman was sitting on one of those big vents at Love Park. He said he didn't need a blanket. When asked how his Christmas was, he said he doesn't celebrate it b/c he is a Muslim, and he said he wasn't in a talking mood. I saw in him the need for the true gospel.

Andrew: We saw Andrew sitting by the sidewalk on a duffel bag. From his looks - he was young, well-kept, and had dress shoes on - he looked like he just recently got out on the streets, but he has been there for a year. After two years in prison, he has had a hard time finding a job and hasn't had progress b/c of the economy. He said he became a Muslim in prison mostly b/c of family reasons and b/c he talked about w/ his brother in prison. He said he didn't know the basics of Christianity. We were able to share the Four Spiritual Laws of him to tell him the Gospel. I felt some of God's compassion for him - God wants so much for Craig to come to true salvation and not take any false comfort in something other than Christ. To God, Andrew is a lost sheep in need of the true shepherd. Please pray for Andrew's, as well as Norman's, salvation.

Craig: Craig saw us as we were finishing up talking to Andrew and asked us for help. He just had a major fight w/ his girlfriend and was kicked out of his house w/o money or any credit cards. He needed help getting on the Regional Rail to Media to get to his mom's house. We helped him buy a ticket downstairs. On his way down, he talked about how he is so glad he is surrendered to God, to know God is in control. It was blessing hearing about how he was so happy when he committed his life to Christ at church when he was seventeen. Please pray for healing in Craig's relationship w/ his girlfriend and continued joy in Christ.

William: We ran into William at the very end. I saw God's joy in him as he kept wishing us happy holidays and encouraged us by saying how thankful he was. He said he is a Christian.

It was a big mix of different people in different situations, including ourselves, all in need of Christ. Thank God that He is big enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to see all our needs and meet them. I'm thankful for this reminder of how great our God is.

Matthew 12:21: "In his name the nations will put their hope."
[ a prophecy in Isaiah that Jesus fulfilled ]