For the past two Friday nights, different members of our team have participated in Street Help. This is an outreach ministry in which we drive a bus around the city offering food, coffee, tea and milo to anyone who would like some. This is an all night ministry from 9:00pm to 4:00am.
For the first session with Street Help, Jillian, Trevor, and I went with Shani. We met a man that I’ll refer to as S, playing his guitar. Actually, Shani asked if he would like something to drink and he asked if someone would pray for him. She then called me over to listen to him and pray with them. Shortly after this, S opened up and began to talk.
S attended Bible College and is very familiar with Christianity. As he began to talk, his hands shook frantically. He said he didn’t know how to hear from God anymore. He also told me that he was once an alcoholic for a long time. He gave it up for 7 years, but started having panic attacks so he began to drink again. He’s 33 and has a wife and a son. His wife didn’t support his drinking habits, so he felt like he needed to leave for a while. His plan was to fly the following afternoon to his father’s house in order to avoid the temptation of alcohol in the city.
Shani and I both recognized that he was a frail spirited man. He was listening to every word we said. It was beautiful. He was almost childlike. How were we suppose to talk to him? What could we possibly say? Our hearts were breaking. Shani and I talked about what to do with the situation with tears in our eyes. After an hour of talking and praying with him, it was about 4:00am. S needed to be back wherever he was staying before the doors were locked. So we offered him a ride. When we pulled up, we discovered that the doors were locked and wouldn’t be open until 8:00am.
So Jillian, Trevor, Shani, S, and I all went and sat on the beach waiting for the sun to rise. I watched as S stared at his feet for the longest time. Even as the sun would rise, he wouldn’t look around. I moved and sat by him, knowing our time was almost up. His hands were still shaking. He began to thank me for all that we had done for him. He was finally smiling.
When it came time to drop him off, he was all smiles. We may never know what he thought about on the beach, or what God may have said to him. This blog will never do justice to the actual events of that night. I wish I could make you feel what we felt. I also wish I could share with you the whole story, and not just a few paragraphs. My reason for posting this blog is simply for your prayers. Try and remember this man throughout your day. Who knows? One day he may look you in the eyes, and thank you, with a smile on his face.
