“The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'” by Jesus, Matthew 25:40
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.”
“As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” —Psalm 40:17
Last Saturday, we joined the Powerhouse in serving a few families in the community who Vincent knew were facing many troubles. Armed with cleaning supplies, a washing machine, ample food provisions and even painting supplies, 15 of us—including many youth from the church, which was awesome!—set out mid-morning eager to help in any way we could. Vincent chuckled later as we learned a lesson that day: don’t give people a heads-up that people from the church are visiting—they’ll clean house in expectation of your arrival! So needless to say, we didn’t end up cleaning or painting anyone’s house or washing anyone’s clothes, but we did bring song, prayer and encouragement to the families we encountered.
We set out that morning thinking we would visit two or three families, but as the morning went on, momentum grew and we just kept on going. We visited an elderly woman and a wheelchair-bound man experiencing fighting among family members; Granny whose favorite grandchild had died earlier in the week from under-developed lungs; Selina whose father is critically ill; a sleepless elderly woman haunted by witch doctor curses and family issues; another wheelchair-bound man; and finally the family of a very special young man, Nicodemus.
The most moving experience for me that day was walking into the last house we visited. For some reason, I had a sense that I was to see/experience something unexpected. In the garage was situated a bed, and on it lay a young man somewhat disoriented, but smiling and happy we were there. The smell of urine was fresh, yet old. Flies buzzed around. Vincent translated the man’s elderly parents: his name is Nicodemus and they have considered him, since birth, a gift from God. Though he has never been able to walk and has been bed-ridden for nearly 30 years, he is their gift and their joy. As we had with the other families we had visited throughout the day, we sang praise songs and prayed aloud, all at once, petitioning God on this family’s behalf. Among the prayers we lifted up was that Nicodemus would know that he is loved and that his life has a purpose. In making eye contact with him, my fear of experiencing an awkward moment was replaced instead with a sense of joy: Nicodemus returning a big smile. God, you are so good, that this young man knows you and knows your love.
Last Saturday, we felt God’s presence among us. In one sense, surrounded by my brothers and sisters from the Powerhouse, singing and praying at the top of their lungs with great faith, I was humbled that day by how spiritually under-exercised I am and how small my faith can be. Why do I not pray this boldly always? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that here, we are so close to need, poverty, distress, sickness and death. Or perhaps not. In fact, I was struck by how many of situations we encountered that day are no different than what we face back home: sickness, old age, family members fighting, grief, financial distress. Even the darkness of witch doctor curses manifest differently back home; it’s just that Satan has more subtle ways… And poverty is just as present at home, though less exposed. I thank God that despite my sin and inexperience in serving the poor—here or elsewhere—He used me and everyone that day to bring great light and hope into places of darkness. His Spirit was surely felt. You could see it on people’s faces. God was smiling back at us.
“I have waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” —Psalm 40:1-3
While AR Board Member Dave Clark was here, he led us through an afternoon of orientation on walking with the poor. Dave works with an inner city ministry in Chicago, and had some great insights to offer, as well as many challenging scriptural references. For me, the main things I took away were a great need for humility in serving and God’s heart for caring for the poor. Also, that ministry to the poor is based on relationships, and that not all poverty is a result of personal choice. There are many injustices in society as well as straight-up natural calamities that lead to poverty. All good stuff to keep in mind as this year we’ll be working both on a personal level with individuals as well as working to combat some of the systemic injustices that perpetuate poverty.
I wish I could recount the entire session here, as there were so many valuable points on empowerment vs. paternalism, approaching servanthood with a cross-cultural understanding, celebrating the image of God in a different culture (rather than focusing on the brokenness), etc. But instead, I’ll let you ponder the verses below that talk about what God thinks of the poor, and what he expects of Christians. Roll over the links to view the text (you have to roll off and wait for the text to disappear before you can view another verse).
A big shout-out to Dave for condensing such a large volume of material into a very enlightening and helpful session.
