Today we went out to distribute food that was donated from Pick-n-Pay. As always the food was mainly an excuse to go out and visit people, many of them folks that were at the VIP banquet last Saturday. To see the faces light up as we approached, to see their excitement to have visitors who pray for them and encourage them, was a blessing to us. There’s one granny, we call her “Baba Gogo” because she always thanks baba—which means daddy, referring to God. She is so thankful and jumps around and claps her hands when we come (next time we go to her house we’re taking video, as there’s no other way to do it justice).
Of course the food is actually important as well; many of the people we visited said they hadn’t eaten all day. One granny said she was so hungry she ate the 30 bananas we had dropped off a few weeks before, which, not surprisingly, made her stomach run. While she told us laughing about it, it’s also sad. It makes me wonder what she does on the days we don’t show up with food.
It’s a true privilege to visit the “least of these” in the township. To pray with them, to encourage them. I know we’ll look back on this year and these times of serving will stand out among all the other wonderful memories. As one man who was serving with us said, “Today we went out to practice love.”
This past week at the Powerhouse was a big one. Since last weekend, there has been an enormous tent set up outside the church, and it’s been all-hands-on-deck to prepare for the “Crusade” service each evening.
As a way to conclude the Crusade, the Powerhouse threw a big luncheon party on Saturday for what the church considers the VIPs in the community: the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. It was a beautiful gathering in honor of the neglected and shut-in, and an incredibly powerful and touching way to end the week. Vincent, whose birthday is Monday, celebrated yesterday’s outreach as his birthday party. He was excited to throw a party and invite those who could never repay him.
“When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” — Jesus in Luke 14:12-14
All morning, the AR Vito van served as a veritable shuttle service, making numerous trips to people’s homes to collect the guests of honor. The ladies of the Powerhouse worked steadily to prepare the lunch meal, and tables were decorated with nice linens and fine dishware. A flow of people helped the elderly—many with canes and walkers, a few in wheelchairs, some blind, almost everyone frail—to their seats. As part of the small service prior to lunch, the pastors laid hands on the old people and prayed for them. I saw some beautiful moments and sat there absorbing how tender and gentle God’s love is for those weak and heavy laden. Vincent called on me, and later Nate, to offer words of encouragement to our guests. What an honor it was to verbalize God’s love and our respect for these old people.
Perhaps the most wonderful moment of the day, besides joining a table of chattering gogos at lunch, was seeing the surprise and joy come across one old man’s face when he was given a new walker by the church. Allan recounted later that as he was shuttling people back home, this same one-legged man requested to be dropped off last. Allan looked back in his rear-view mirror and saw the old man just smiling, so happy to be taking in the sights. We learned that this man had probably not left his neighborhood block for two years until this day. Praise God that what we consider small can bless someone so greatly.
“The exclusion of the weak and insignificant, the seemingly useless people, from a Christian community may actually mean the exclusion of Christ.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
