Continued from part one, read it here!
On the way to the jazz club, the Lord told Grayson something else, we were looking for a woman and her child, sitting next to the trash. When we were about half way to the jazz club, we happened upon a woman and her child sitting on the side walk. To be honest, I got excited because I thought that she was the one we had been told about. We stopped and prayed for her, gave her some money and it was great. As we stood up to say goodbye, Grayson told us that she was not the one, that we needed to continue towards the jazz club. We continue on another 5 minutes before seeing a woman moving a couple big trash bags, recyclable plastic that she had sorted through for a little money. As we came closer, we found her son leaning up against the big bags. We stopped, the look in Grayson’s eyes told me that this she was the one, this was the woman the Lord had sent us to love on.
Grayson pulled out a package of oreos and a piece of candy from his bag and handed it to the little boy. We then helped the mother carry some of the bags of trash across the street before sitting on the side walk to spend some time with the two of them. It was clear that they were homeless. The look of the mother’s eyes told me she was under the influence of sort of drug, probably sniffing glue to ease the pain of hunger. Grayson began to talk to the mother, asking her if he could pray for her but it was clear that she spoke no english. About 30 seconds after Grayson said, “Man, I wish I had a translator!”, a young woman came and sat next to us. Immediately, she started speaking to us in nearly perfect English, saying that she was watching us, that she thought we were very kind for helping this woman. The sight of foreigners helping a woman that is not usually helped by her own people had obviously struck something in this 17 year old girl. After some introductions, Grayson asked her if she would translate for us, another God appointment.
With our new translator’s help, we found out our new friend’s names and that the little boy’s birthday was the very next day. We spent the next few minutes sharing the gospel with the woman and in the process, we were ministering to our new translator. At one point, I felt the full weight of the Father’s love for this mother and child with something he told me to tell them.
“God loves you so much that he told us, almost a kilometer away, to go to the jazz club and to look for a woman and her child in the trash. He sent us because He knew that it was your son’s birthday, He loves him and He wanted him to have cookies on his birthday.”
Upon hearing that God had told us all of that, our new translator’s mouth was wide open. “God told you that?” With smiles wide, we told her that He did. He speaks to His kids.
I wonder what moves a mother’s heart more, “God loves you” or “God loves you so much, that he sent us to bring your son cookies for his birthday.” It was God’s active work of love that impacted three people that night.
After talking for a few more minutes, we found out that this was not the final destination for the recycles and the mother had a few more blocks to go. Grayson grabbed a few bags, our new translator grabbed a big bag and jumped on her brother’s moped and I followed, taking the little boy in one arm and a bag in the other. As the four of us were walking down the street, following after the mother, I couldn’t help but have the biggest smile on my face. The little boy on my back was so loved by his Father, and His Father told him so tonight. So much joy and love filled my heart once again. We said our goodnights after we finished with the trash and Grayson and I began to walk back to our hotel.
As I pondered my day, love was certainly the common theme. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have gone out to do “extra” ministry if the Lord hadn’t impacted my heart earlier. To be honest, I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have. I would have looked at my watch and decided that 11pm is a good bed time, and I would have missed so much. My point is, love motivates and moves us. When we are personally impacted by love, we are moved to share this love far beyond obligation and agenda.
I encourage you to ask for the same kind of love impacted heart, that you also would carry love as your motivation and guide. That love would change your eyesight and hearing. That you would see and hear what Love wants to do through you daily, because Love is active and it wants to work through YOU!
