Monday, November 15, 2010

At a soup kitchen in Winnipeg.



It was the second dusting of snow last week in Winnipeg. The YWAM Discipleship Training School students and I went to the soup kitchen to talk to folks and help out as best we could. Some of us cleaned up tables, some of us made coffee. The building was quite full. This was the only "game in town" as it was Remembrance Day. 300 plus people filed in to get a warm meal and a warm spot for a few minutes over lunch.

A volunteer and a "client" were talking. The volunteer was a middle aged man (a bigger man wearing plain but newer clothes) talking to the other who was homeless with that kind of classic homeless look. His beard and hair were overgrown, his clothes were a bit weathered.

The two spoke to one another for about 20 minutes and the last bit went something like this.

"I just want to encourage you that if God is calling you to something, you can do it and it's not a hardship. Obedience brings a blessing."

"Yeah, I know. It's hard for me to trust God with all of it."

"Just yield to him and he'll meet you in your obedience."

"Thanks, I kinda needed to hear that today."

"I'll pray for you. God has good things in store for you. You have something special bubbling up from you...like a contagious joy. God's going to use you, I know it."

"Thank you"

"Can I just pray for you right now?"

"Uh, sure, I can use all I can get!"

And I let this homeless brother pray over me one of the simplest, most beautiful blessings I have ever received. Roy blessed me in Jesus name, recommended some good books to me and encouraged me with a timely word. What do you do with that? Say thanks. I want to be like Roy.

3 comments:

Sustar said...

Me too.

Beth said...

Awesome. Thanks for sharing. I wholeheartedly agree with his words.

James said...

That's a story worth telling. Awesome!