I used to think that family was someone who was related to you by blood and common genes but now I know that family goes beyond genes, blood and shared characteristics.
Over this past week at our training camp in Gainesville GA my team and I were told to make memories together and have a group bonding experience, so we decided to go into Gainesville away from camp and get some food together.
While waiting for one of our friends we were in this town square where we met a man named Gary.
Gary an older man who was sitting in one of the park benches started to crack jokes at us and make side conversation.
The normal me would have walked past Gary and continued on with the task at hand with my team but something was different this time. After attending so many talks all about what we are going to be doing as missionaries and how to prepare ourselves I began to feel unprepared and nervous.
I felt like God was saying to me. “Sam, you are going half way around the world to help people you don’t even know and this man is in need of help too, don’t just walk past him, he is mine and is in need of just as much help as any one els.”
At first I was nervous but as soon as I began to talk to Gary I began to realize how much of an amazing person he is and how glad I was that I did not walk past him.
Pretty soon our whole team was talking to Gary and listening to some of his beautiful poetry and stories.
After some time had gone by we all asked Gary if we could pray for him and put or hands on him and he said yes, so we all said a prayer and were getting ready to say our goodbyes and go when I began to feel like God wanted more from us and so with out even thinking or asking my team I word vomited like usual and asked Gary if he would like to join us for diner.
Gary’s eyes lit up and he got the biggest grin on his face as he agreed that he would like to come get some pizza with us and so we all went to a local pizza place together and ordered two XL pizzas that Gary blessed for us and tasted amazing!
The whole diner Gary was so happy and was making all of us laugh so much with his jokes and made me feel so close to my team and made me feel like we were already family.
Gary gave us all compliments and kept telling me that I was his brother and he had never had a brother but I was the brother he had always wanted which made me feel great.
Gary shared his life story with us through our time together and kept saying how bad he felt that he had nothing to give us when we did so much for him he kept praying over us and saying God please take all of what I have and give it to these people.
Gary even told us of how he had wanted to minister to people when he was younger but throughout circumstances in his life he feels like he did not get to minister as much as he wanted to and he had been told things by people that made him look down upon himself and believe the lies of the world, through lies and actions from other people Satan had gotten a foothold on Gary’s life and made it extremely hard for him.
Gary had so many struggles and was working on getting back into his relationship with God but just needed some friends to help him out along the way and he was so happy that we had invited him to hang with us for the day.
When the check came for dinner and we all began to pull out our money to pay Gary felt bad and said he wanted to give us something so bad but had nothing to contribute. Reaching his hand into his back pocket Gary pulled out a very old leather wallet and opened it up. Shuffling around papers and cards he pulled out a tattered dollar bill and gave it to us saying that it was all he had but he wanted it to go to something good and he wanted us to decide where it would go.
I still have that dollar and am still waiting for the right time to decide where God wants us to donate it while on my trip and that is by far my favorite donation I have received so far in fundraising for this trip.
Gary ministered to me and my team in such an amazing way on that day and unlike most Gary gave us all he had, just like the biblical story of the poor widow Gary gave everything unlike most.
After saying our goodbyes to Gary we all prayed for him once more as a team and then had him pray for us as well.
Before leaving Gary said he wanted to keep in touch if I could and so he gave me an address I don’t know who’s it is but he gave me one to send letters and things too, I am posting this blog because I would love to challenge all who read this to write Gary something positive or uplifting or a favorite bible verse, poem, story, book, or joke anything at all to keep him going.
Just like that movie pay it forward, Gary has been told way to many lies throughout his life like many of us he has been put down time and time again and he just needs a little help to and positivity to keep him going.
After making friends with Gary and gaining a new brother haha I have started to think about how many Garys we just pass by or ignore every day, loving people who are some times hard to love or foreign to us is no walk in the park but in the end love is worth the fight and the awkward times and it is so rewarding to stick it out in any situation and fight against our own thoughts because we just have to remember that those are the lies of the world.
Gary’s address- 350 North Avenue Gainesville, GA Zip Code-30501
-Write hime people like Bob Goff says Love Does!
Love u all!!!
