Atlanta Homeless
Last week I went out to do a prayer walk around the Georgia State-House in Atlanta. I had no idea how bad the homeless situation was until I struck up conversation with a man named Rick. He told me how horrible living on the streets has been for him; he was going on five years. Apparently, someone in his family had died, and he lost everything.
We kept talking, and later he mentioned that it was going to rain, which makes finding shelter and moving his belongings so much more difficult since he didn't have a buggy cart anymore. The man was basically lugging around suitcases, buckets, and a backpack. And even though his situation might be laughable to some; my heart went out to him.
I asked if he needed anything (because sometimes we need to move beyond just prayer), and he said that he was hungry. The problem in Atlanta is that there aren't enough shelters or soup kitchens in contrast to the homeless population, and the few that are, fill up too quickly! So these people are literally going to bed hungry, for a lack of better resources.
Later that night, I came back with a bunch of groceries, and was able to feed everyone I saw earlier. One man even gave me a hug and with tears flowing down his face explained that he had just been praying for some food and that Jesus provided!
And then I found Rick again. I pulled over and gave him all the food he was craving, but even more; surprised him with another buggy cart. You would have thought I had just given him a brand new car!! He burst into tears and kept saying, "Oh man, I can't believe it, I just can't believe it!" After another big hug, and prayer, we parted ways. And now I'm just feeling humbled, and thankful all over again.
Thankful that we GET to be the hands and feet of Jesus. A light wherever we are in our communities. Thankful that we have the resources enough to give freely as we have received. But ultimately, thankful for God's salvation through Jesus!
"Suppose a brother or sister in Christ comes to you in need of clothes or something to eat. And you say to them, “God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,” but you don’t give them the things they need. If you don’t help them, your words are worthless. It is the same with faith. If it is just faith and nothing more—if it doesn’t do anything—it is dead." -James 2:15-17
Let's all get out to our communities and be Jesus to the world.
We kept talking, and later he mentioned that it was going to rain, which makes finding shelter and moving his belongings so much more difficult since he didn't have a buggy cart anymore. The man was basically lugging around suitcases, buckets, and a backpack. And even though his situation might be laughable to some; my heart went out to him.
I asked if he needed anything (because sometimes we need to move beyond just prayer), and he said that he was hungry. The problem in Atlanta is that there aren't enough shelters or soup kitchens in contrast to the homeless population, and the few that are, fill up too quickly! So these people are literally going to bed hungry, for a lack of better resources.
Later that night, I came back with a bunch of groceries, and was able to feed everyone I saw earlier. One man even gave me a hug and with tears flowing down his face explained that he had just been praying for some food and that Jesus provided!
And then I found Rick again. I pulled over and gave him all the food he was craving, but even more; surprised him with another buggy cart. You would have thought I had just given him a brand new car!! He burst into tears and kept saying, "Oh man, I can't believe it, I just can't believe it!" After another big hug, and prayer, we parted ways. And now I'm just feeling humbled, and thankful all over again.
Thankful that we GET to be the hands and feet of Jesus. A light wherever we are in our communities. Thankful that we have the resources enough to give freely as we have received. But ultimately, thankful for God's salvation through Jesus!
"Suppose a brother or sister in Christ comes to you in need of clothes or something to eat. And you say to them, “God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,” but you don’t give them the things they need. If you don’t help them, your words are worthless. It is the same with faith. If it is just faith and nothing more—if it doesn’t do anything—it is dead." -James 2:15-17
Let's all get out to our communities and be Jesus to the world.
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