“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m on drugs. Slowly weaning off- you have to start somewhere. You know, I used to treat these guys horribly. Never thought I’d be one of them. Now, here I am. Gives you a whole new perspective and makes you grateful. My goal is one day to stand in front of a church and share this story to show what God’s done.”
This was my conversation with, Stephen, a guy who lives on the streets here in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He went on to tell me that he’s been on the streets a little over 6 months and is working towards getting back on his feet. We bonded over the fact that he spent some time living and working in South Dakota, a state that has a big piece of my heart. We talked about how easy it is to take things for granted- especially when everything’s going well- and how easy it is for that to all fall away. About how faithful and good the Lord is and how powerful our testimonies and stories are.
Stephen is just one of many guys that Love Story, the ministry we are partnered with this month, feeds each night. Five nights a week, they travel to the city center and serve a hot meal to those who gather on the steps of the bus station. They provide them with what may be their only hot meal of the day, but more importantly they offer love, someone to say “I see you. I care.” and hope in the form of encouragement and prayer. My team and I get the privilege of coming alongside them and being a part of this incredible outreach. We aren’t needed- the community at Love Story runs smoothly without us- but they WANT us to be a part of what they’re doing and it’s such a privilege.
The ministry that I met Stephen at is called City Feed. That is only one aspect of what Love Story does. They also take food that is donated through partnerships that they have and distribute it to other soup kitchens/feeding schemes throughout the city, they distribute food packages to families in need each week, and provide other needs to those in need as they can. They also run a woodworking program that involves some of the men off of the streets and a Bible study in one of the nearby townships. All of this is run through donations and a monthly market that the team here puts on in the community to provide the funds for all that they do.
The incredible thing about Love Story is not in all that they do, it’s in that nothing is just a project. The community here cares deeply about people and their emphasis is on loving the people around them and in letting the Lord guide everything that they do. They are a prime example of what being the church looks like and my team and I have been learning so much from them.
The verse that drives what they do is Luke 10:37- “Go and do the same.” This verse follows the parable that Jesus tells about the Good Samaritan. The expert in the law was asking, “Who is my neighbor.” His answer at the end was that the neighbor to the man who was robbed was the one who had mercy, and Jesus instructed him to go and do the same. As in, go out, have mercy, and love those who are put in your path.
How often do you stop for those around you and take the time to really see them, let alone go out of your way to love them and sacrificially give. I know for me, it’s not often enough. Loving people doesn’t have to be some big project. It doesn’t have to be feeding hundreds- while if you have them means, that’s great and please do- it can be feeding one. It can be taking a day out of your week to take your elderly neighbor shopping or to the doctor. It can be being the listening ear and joyful person at work. It can be taking the time to ask those around you “How are you?” and really care about their answer. It’s taking off the lenses of seeing some as “more than” and others as “less than.” It’s taking time to stop for the one and in obeying the prompting of the Lord when He says “Go. Do something.” We’re called to go out and do- to do like the Good Samaritan. If we allow the overflow of the Lord’s love and sacrifice for us to pour out to those that come across our path, our life will be one big love story, and the world will be a better place for it.
So I ask you, how can you love those around you today? Start writing your love story.
