Where Have You Seen Jesus Today?

Betsy posed this question as we sat around the dinner table, discussing our daily endeavors. Witnessing our Redeemer in action may seem difficult, especially if one hardens their heart. Truthfully, I had not witnessed Jesus here in the city until two weeks ago.

Every Thursday, Robby and I work in the Men’s Ministry department at Water Street. During our orientation, we learned that we would spend this time interacting with the men in the Ministry. However, our advisor is very hard-working with many things on his plate.  As a result, he sent Robby and me to help accommodate for the hefty workload. We helped indirectly, by maintaining the facility and helping however our advisor needs us.  However, this meant that we weren’t interacting with the men as we had expected.  We became frustrated, until realizing that, as a missionary, it becomes easy to fall into the trap that “everything revolves around you and your mission”. This false narrative then obscures the actual mission, inviting frustration.

Two Thursdays ago began with frustration to spare. Instead of the anticipated interacting with members of the Ministry, we were sent to carry two dozen cardboard boxes, each filled with computer supplies, downstairs to a large wheelbarrow outside. We were to empty the boxes into the already-filled wheelbarrow, bring the wheelbarrow around the entire complex, empty it into a large dumpster, bring it back, load the boxes, and empty them into their respective dumpster, all in the sweltering heat. To us, this seemed like busy work.

Just as we filled the wheelbarrow to well-beyond its maximum capacity and began our journey to the dumpsters, a man emerged from the Men’s Emergency Shelter, eager to help. We had never seen this man before, but we assumed he was staying in the Shelter. Robby and I watched in amazement as the man scraped off the top layer of computer supplies, put them into one of the boxes, led us to the dumpsters, and proceeded to take control of our task. After the man transported the wheelbarrow’s contents to the dumpster, he brought it to a washing station and thoroughly cleaned the wheelbarrow in between loads; something I would have never thought of. He then proceeded to bring the wheelbarrow around the entire complex, and instructed us to take the shortcut.

The many boxes lay there, awaiting our return. We watched again as the man led us in flattening the boxes and transferring them to the newly-cleaned wheelbarrow. He then made a makeshift dustpan from one of the boxes and swept the remaining debris for us. Once we were ready for the second trip, the man turned and personally thanked us for allowing him to help. Robby and I were dumbfounded. He had served us the entire time and there he stood, thanking us for the opportunity. He walked away, leaving us there, questioning what had just happened.

As the day went on, I thought back to a discussion about angels one of our pastors shared with us. She told us of her personal encounter with an angel. The angel found our pastor in a dark time in her life and reminded her of God’s love.

The nameless man we encountered seemed to have a similar purpose as the angel, even if unintentional. By taking charge of our task and altering our perspective on the chore, he showed me the underlying reason why God brought us here.

Instead of helping the homeless and providing for them, their ability to help us restores their hope that they have something to offer. God works in funny ways, even through people. Two weeks ago, Christ revealed Himself to me through a man seen by the world as worthless. Christ disagrees, displaying this man’s potential and willingness to help.

A few weeks ago, God provided for us through food dropped off by friends in the community. One of these food items was a large container of pretzels that lasted through several nights of ‘snack time’. One night, as we lamented for the brokenness of the city, I noticed the container of pretzels in the center of the room. I cried out to Jesus for restored hope in the city. We had a seemingly endless supply of pretzels, while hundreds in the city wondered where their next meal would come from. I prayed for the opportunity to hand out the pretzels to those in need.

A week later, at Outreach Ministries, Jesus answered my prayer. After a tiring day of reaching out to members of Water Street, we began to head back to the house. I hadn’t gone too far before a couple on the street noticed the enormous bag of pretzels I had planned to bring home from Outreach. I asked if they wanted any, and found myself distributing pretzels by the handful, exactly as I had prayed for.

Sidewalks has opened the eyes of my heart in constantly seeking God in every interaction and wholeheartedly depending on Him to answer my prayers. I cannot wait to bring this tangible spiritual dependence back to campus with me in the Fall. I need to constantly remind myself to continue seeking transformation and understanding that He hasn’t finished with me at Sidewalks yet.