Since being in Rwanda, God has really reminded me how much heart I have for the disadvantaged and homeless. I've been seeing many men and women on the street as I go to and from ministry, and each time, I have the desire to sit and talk with them … to love on them. For many reasons, I haven't really been able to do so. Last week, I saw this man with major foot wounds sitting on the sidewalk. I really wanted to stop and talk with the man, but I couldn’t seem to get the attention of my contact who was steps ahead of me to let him know that I wanted to stop. As I passed this man without stopping, God gently placed his hand on my shoulder and turned me back around to talk to the man. Despite the language barrier and the unspoken rush of my group several feet ahead of me, I returned to the man to pray over him. My teammate, AJ, who was well aware of my heart, stayed back and joined me. Thanks to her, I have these amazing pictures that captured the moment.
Because I allowed Jesus to guide me, to literally move me, I was given the opportunity to pray for this man, to assure him that he is loved and seen, and to give him some money. I walked away from that moment remembering how much I love being able to love on people just like that man. As I sat on the bus, after leaving this man, my heart broke for him. I knew I did all that I could in that moment, but it saddened me that I couldn’t do more. In my “real life,” I would have been able to say more, to do more. I would have been able to invest more in this man. It was then that I realized that God was revealing my heart to me, yet again, but in Africa. It’s not that I just enjoy being able to love on the disadvantaged and homeless, I love being able to get to know them on a more personal level. I love knowing them by name, I love knowing their stories … in short, I love being their friend.
I later explained to my contact that I really wanted to have the opportunity to go out and do some of my own ministry on the street, reaching out to the beggars we pass daily. I felt like God wanted me to stay true to myself, and by doing so, allowing others to share in the experiences that bring me joy. More importantly, I knew God gave me His mission for me in Rwanda — to let these people know that as others pass them by day after day that they aren’t invisible, they aren’t unseen. I see them. God sees them! I knew I just had to have the opportunity to stop and talk with the people I passed daily, to hear their stories, and to pray for them, but I also knew I couldn’t do it alone and that I’d need a translator.
Several days later, after a bit of persistence on my part, I hit the streets with my contact and AJ. I, being the Type A person that I am, had a plan in my head. I knew where I wanted to go and how I wanted the exchanges to go. I wanted to meet these people, truly meet them. I wanted to hear their stories. I wanted to make sure they knew they weren’t invisible and that they mattered. Pretty quickly I realized that what I had planned did not quite match what my contact had planned. I could tell you how it didn’t look, but I’d rather tell you what great things happened despite everything.
While waiting to purchase some Bibles, God placed us in just the right spot to meet some homeless women, who were resting in a shaded area near the bookstore. We sat and spoke with these women for quite awhile. I instantly felt a pull to Maria, the eldest of them, and I felt like God was letting me know that she was the one who needed to be reminded she was loved the most. For this reason, I showed her she was loved the best way I know how, by constantly touching her, whether holding her hand or scratching her back. Let’s just hope physical touch is her love language! 🙂 As the women shared very small tidbits about themselves, we came to learn that all of them but one was saved … Maria. Coincidence that God tugged on my heart on her behalf?? I think not! Needless to say, I shared the Gospel with Maria, and God worked through me to bring Maria to Christ.
We left the ladies, purchased bibles, and headed home. I felt like we had just got started, but I knew we had time constraints. While walking to the bus, God put in our path a crippled man, sitting on the ground next to his wheel chair. His legs bent backwards from the knee, and I knew that AJ and I had to stop and pray for this man. So we did. We asked him a few questions, laid hands on his legs, and prayed for him. While we were praying, a large crowd, and I mean LARGE, circled around the 3 of us. Picture it. Two white women praying over a man on the sidewalk outside a bank in the center of town, surrounded by about 30 Africans just watching us. Our contact rushed us along because he said that Africans aren’t used to seeing such an act of prayer and that we were attracting too much attention. Hello?!? Isn’t that the kind of attention we want??
So in the end, yes, that day of street ministry didn't quite look like what I had hoped, BUT I know it went just as God had planned. I got to love on several people, and God used me to bring one of those people to Christ. Praise Jesus! When we let God be in control and follow His plan, things will only be that much better.
As a quick follow up to this, the group of women we met that day ended up coming to our contact’s house several days later to spend some more time in the Word with us. The invitation had been given to them, but to be honest, I hadn’t expected them to travel that far to see us …. but they did!!! Even better, as an answer to prayer, one of the women was given a home to live in.
I want to leave you with a verse that God gave me just yesterday. A verse that I had never seen or heard, but one that touched my heart immensely — I will bring home the homeless. (Zephaniah 3:19 MSG). This touched me not only because it expresses God's love for the homeless, but also because on our day of street ministry, God used us to bring Maria "home" to him.
