Served

Tonight I went out with Nightstrike--a homeless ministry downtown. This was different than anything like this that I have done before. It's not just about feeding people then leaving. It's about serving all of the needs that they need, and more than anything, the need for conversation, a companion, and God's love.

We didn't know what to do at first. 300 Christians walked together to under the Burnside Bridge where about 200-300 homeless people were congregated. We set up camp with tables of food, areas to dine, hot drinks, a place to get your hair cut, feet washing, Bible handing out if they wanted, giving out clothes, etc.

I didn't know what to do with myself in particular though. I was supposed to be a "hostess," that is making these people feel like our guests. This basically meant hanging out with them.

Eventually I met this man named Irving that was literally just waiting for someone to talk to him. He's not homeless, but living in very difficult financial situations, and comes down there almost every Friday (that's when this is held) just to talk to people.

We talked to Irving for about two hours about everything--sports, politics, drugs, God, family, finances.

I also talked to a guy named "Sarge" ("but my given name's James"). He just wanted to tell me all of these stories about his kids, especially the youngest, 11-year-old Anna. He had such a deep love for them.

What I noticed the most about these people is that they had come down there to seek God that night. THEY both brought up God within the first five minutes. It was nothing that I did. They were seeking and wanted to talk about it.