A Little Bit of Fun and A Little Bit of Heartbreak

I don’t make it to the city very often, but when I do, I soak it all up. It doesn’t even really matter what city we are talking about. I love people and cities provide opportunities to interact with lots of them, even if is just in passing glances. Cities help me realize that I’m alive. The sights, the sounds, the smells (albeit sometimes those aren’t so pleasant), the diversity in culture. I love it all.

The beginning of this past week, Cassie and I had the awesome opportunity to take a few days of vacation and go up to Minneapolis. We stayed in Bloomington but we had some free time on Tuesday afternoon before we were to go out to dinner with some college friends I hadn’t seen since mine and Cassie’s wedding. We decided to head downtown and to walk the skywalks (which if you have never been to Minneapolis, they are pretty cool) and to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Chipotle. We parked the car and began to walk to Nicolette Mall (the popular shopping/eating area in the city). We weren’t on the sidewalk long before we saw what began to bother us. The poverty.

The poverty in cities is very evident and to be honest, it is something that I forget about on a regular basis. Most nights, I forget that there are people who are sleeping on a sidewalk, under a bridge, or in a shelter. Many of them don’t have socks or coats to help get them through the cold months. They have lost toes from frostbite and they pick garbage out of the trash cans because they are in need of food to eat. And many of them are proud, just like the rest of us. How degrading it must feel to have to ask others for help in order to survive?

Cassie and I had the awesome privilege to talk with four of these guys; Lloyd, Edwin, Kevin, and Don. Lloyd was an artist who was doing what he could to work for the money that people gave to him. He was trying to find a way to get into a housing development in order to find work. Many jobs won’t hire you unless you have a place to live (crazy huh?) Sure puts people in a tough position. Can’t pay for an apartment unless you have money but can’t get money unless you have an apartment.  Edwin was a veteran who became deaf later in life. Fortunately Cassie had some paper and we were able to write messages to him and he could respond by speaking to us. He literally had

no socks and not much of a coat to keep him warm. Kevin was an awesome young man who admitted that he had some sins in his life that he was dealing with but that he wanted to be doing God’s will. He also was currently looking for housing. Don was an older gentleman who, let’s just say, didn’t hold anything back when he talked with us. He slept under a bridge, had a terrible cough, and had lost toes due to frostbite. He was a heavy drinker who cared very little about the prayers that we offered him but cared much more for the conversation we were able to offer to him. Most of these men get walked by every day without people even glancing up at them. Some (not these men specifically) even begin to question whether they even exist because they are never recognized when they try to speak with someone or ask for something.

We were able to speak with these four men and to ask them for things that we could pray for them for. Kevin even allowed us to pray for him right there as we sat on the sidewalk holding hands. We talked about the Gospel and the awesome truth that God loves us and can forgive us even when we make mistakes. We took pictures with Lloyd and Kevin so that we could be in prayer for them. I am so thankful that God allowed Cassie and I to experience this the other day.

Luke 6:30-31 says “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Now, I’m not telling you this to receive praise. Please do not thank me, or comment anything about Cassie or I doing this. We don’t want praise. The reason that I am speaking about this at all is to encourage you all to try something similar next time you’re in the city. I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t really help these guys that much. Honestly it would have been much easier to keep walking on the sidewalk rather than stopping to talk. Part of me was fighting the process the entire time.

Give to those who beg and treat them how you would desire to be treated. Imagine if you actually lived on the street. You lose your job, and eventually the money runs out. It’s not unrealistic, many people have had a similar fate. How would you want to be treated. Would you want someone to occasionally stop and talk with you, pray for you, and to just know that someone cares even if they couldn’t buy you the coat you needed or pay for you to get an apartment? God calls us to share His love with others and to love them as He does. Consider allowing God to use you in any situation you are on. Especially when you are on vacation. WE ARE NEVER ON VACATION FROM FOLLOWING GOD’S CALL.