i wrote about jimmy a few weeks ago. jimmy’s homeless and lives on the street with his dog Jessica (named after the allman brothers song with the same name). saturday night, one of the girls on our team was sick, so we loaded into the rental car and drove to the gas station to buy a two-liter of ginger ale or sprite…
just behind the gas station (they call them garages in south africa – and they call traffic lights ‘robots.’) jimmy was sitting against a wall, dazed. we pulled up, rolled down the windows, and he came and talked. we’d been out at a camp in the townships of the Mpumalanga Province, so we hadn’t seen him in a week, so we did the small talk ‘catch-up.’ but i felt like i needed to invite him to church. we’d been working with a church, loved it, and asked him to come. ‘well, i’ll see you before you guys leave on thursday,” was his response. i pretty much chalked that up as a ‘probably wont see you tomorrow.’but sure enough he beat us to the church. sure enough, jessica came with him.
i sat next to jimmy throughout the service, thinking about what he would be hearing and seeing that morning…and whether it was worship God the Father would see as pure and faultless. the gospel was the root and heart of the sermon. real christianity was preached with grace and truth.
half way through the service, the children who play on the playground outside during the service all ran into the sanctuary. you see, jessica started out there with the kids, and a half hour with 30 hands all over you is usually enough. so half way through the sermon, the pastor watched a dog, followed by a parade of kids, run into the sanctuary. the dog stayed under jimmy’s chair the rest of the service, and no one in the church minded. and how could they, the gospel was taught that morning, and here was a man looking to know the Savior.
i don’t know which i was more shocked by…that Jimmy showed up or that the church loved him well. i underestimated both, and i apologize for that.
it’s just encouraging, because he asked really good questions after the service. he asked why this type of christianity is so different than everything he’s ever seen of christianity before. jimmy is starting to see Christ, and i think he’s finally to a point where he’s not going to give up until he really does see Christ for who He is…
