The young man came late, asked for a hygiene pack. We ran out earlier that Saturday morning and so I told him to try again next week. He was so disappointed, but, as Kim has wisely said we can’t bring everything they need all the time.
A few minutes later, the man’s friends came to us, told us that Brian was maybe dead. The young man now lay motionless on the cobblestones, and I wondered if the disappointment of not receiving the hygiene pack had caused the house of his spirit, already heavily burdened by what some have called “the lethality of homelessness”, to finally crumble into dust.
We went over to Brian and Jamie called to him. He revived and sat up. We prayed for him. Kim had a sleeping bag to give and when I left him, Brian was sitting on his sleeping bag, and we waved to each other. Kindness, perhaps, is what he needed most. That was the last we have seen of Brian. Perhaps there was no “next week” for him.
Many tombstones like this one are now completely illegible, while others, not quite so old, read “In Memory of” but what happens when everyone who remembers that person is also gone?
Only the name, the date of birth and the date of death on the tombstone remain and even that mere writing will be gone someday, as these crumbling tombstones attested.
A friend of mine who is a physician and a Christian said to me, “the mortality rate was still 100% last time I checked.” May everyone today be alive in Christ and so have hope for the promise of eternal life!
This tombstone is from one of the oldest cemeteries in the country.
I wonder about Brian and pray for God to deliver him, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever! Someone has said the alpha and omega of prayer must be the Glory of God and so I think what glory it would bring the Father for Brian to be raised from those cobblestones, raised from the street, like Marcos was raised, praise God!
One of our team members, Mike, caught up with Marcos, a long-time friend. As with all of us, Marcos has a past. At one point in his life, he was a drug runner in Chile, South America. He said his life is a living testimony to God’s faithfulness, so he was glad to agree to allow us to share a little of his story with you.
Just a few months ago, Marcos was living on the street. Today he has a place and a full-time job as a salesperson for a retail clothing outlet. We are glad for the opportunity to serve him, and we rejoice with him in the amazing work Jesus has done in his life! Change is possible – in fact with God – all things are possible!
Perhaps it all comes about from just sharing the Truth with the people on the street who don’t know it. Our Lord said the Truth will set you free.
Terry talked with several people Saturday morning. Most notably, another young man named Brian. Brian had some Bible knowledge but was focused almost entirely on the Old Testament. Referring to Apollos in Acts 18:26, “He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” Terry shared how the Old Testament prepared the way for Christ and that He is the fulfillment of the law. She was able to give him a small New Testament and encouraged him to start at Matthew and ask the Lord to reveal Himself to him. Oh, let us echo her prayer in our own devotions!
It is amazing, the power of prayer, the Word of God being reflected in our hearts through adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.
Jamie was saddened and a little nervous when a violent tempered man started screaming out his anger at everyone. They told us he wasn’t right in the head. He tried to intimidate an old homeless gentleman waiting in line. But no one responded to him. They were so hungry and just wanted hot food.
Finally, the angry man threw up his hand and yelled, “Pray for me! I need it!” Jamie grabbed Terry’s arm and said to her, “Let’s pray!” Terry prayed for peace to descend over the State and 2nd Street area. Terry also prayed for the mentally ill man.
He calmed down soon after and everything was back to normal! When he came through the line at our tables and looked at the items Kim and Wayne had displayed to give away, Jamie did not even recognize him!
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)
I was not on the street in Harrisburg this Saturday, attending my niece’s wedding in Saratoga Springs. But with the brothers and sisters in prayer at the time. And you can’t escape homelessness in this country even on Broadway in upscale Saratoga Springs. There was an elderly homeless man on the pavement as Sheri and I were hurrying to the wedding. The sun was hot and I thought, “this man is going to die in the sun!”
Just then, a fireman from the nearby station came up to him with a bottle of water, praise God! The homeless man thanked him for the water. The fireman suggested he find shade. I told this man Jesus was the shade. He didn’t respond. I am praying he would receive the Living Water.
For more information, please email Living Water’s Director of Outreach, Mike Bongo, at mikeb@livingwatercc.com and he will get you plugged in! You will be blessed as you become a blessing to others!
And that is the Word on the Street!
~Jeff Mason