Today at church (*for confidential reasons*) we will call her *Caity* (A 18 year old who lives on the streets) brought in a friend of hers called *Andrew*. He was also 18, living on the streets and had overdosed on heroine the night before and attempted to kill himself.
*Caity* introduced me to him and he soon revealed to me that he had been living on the streets for 1 month and had run away from home.
During the church service, I heard someone sobbing directly behind me and I turned around to see *Andrew* weeping. He looked me in the eyes and this deep compassion came over me. I pulled my chair up next to him, put my arm around him and just sat with him as he cried.
I asked him why he was crying and he said:
“I’ve never felt loved before, but I can feel it and I don’t know where from.”
I asked him if he had ever heard of Jesus. He replied “No.” I asked if he had ever heard anyone talk about God, and again he replied “No.” Then I asked him if he had heard of or knew what the bible was, and he answered again “No.” I realized that this was a true FIRST encounter with Jesus.
I told him the story of Jesus and how he was God in human form and he came so that we could have a relationship with him and live in freedom from sin. I then asked if I could pray for him and he said “Yes.”
I prayed for him and he smiled and asked me if I could pray for his brother too!
The song ‘Amazing Grace’ came on and as the lyrics “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free” played he began to sob louder and louder.
I asked him if he wanted to enter into a relationship with the Jesus I had told him about and he whispered “Yes.”
He then pulled me closer and placed his head in my chest and wrapped his arms around my back and began crying and crying. I asked if he would like to repeat a prayer after me, asking Jesus into his life, and he did! He whispered the words from the bottom of his heart and his tears began to stop and this smile appeared.
Brendan Nottle (who was up the front with the mic) asked if anyone wanted to beep box with the band for the service’s final song. Then *Andrew* quickly sat up and put his hand up. Brendan selected him and he jumped up out of his seat with a huge smile on his face, pulled his big puff jackets hood over his head and grabbed the microphone. He began beepboxing as the rest of the band played a worship song, and as he beep boxed he ran around the room smiling and laughing… then he got up on the stage and began to lead the congregation in dance and clapping! I sat there balling my eyes out, laughing with true joy!
God taught me some great lessons in this moment:
-I realized that although food, clothing, counseling are all very important...
THE LOVE OF JESUS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN GIVE TO A PERSON.
-I realized that our intentions should never be to 'convert' someone, but to love on them. Love is the answer, the key to bringing heaven on earth. Love is the fire, the reason God placed us here.
After the service I went and got him a bible and stuck a post it note where the New Testament was. I gave it to him and told him that if he would like to know more about Jesus he should read from the post-it note onwards, because they are the stories of Jesus. I had also noticed earlier he had a scrunched up piece of paper with his brothers phone number on it in his hand, so I told him he could keep it in the front of the bible, so he never looses it. He ran up to *Caity*, holding the bible saying “*Caity*! I got a bible! And I can ever put my brothers number in it!” He was so excited.
He then gave his brother a call and said “Bro! You’ll never believe what I just did… I beep boxed on a stage, with lights!...” I asked when he was next seeing his brother and he said they are having a 'big piss up' on Tuesday night.
I felt God teach me something in this too:
-That we mustn’t focus on the behaviors, addictions ect… We must just focus on loving others like Christ loves them, and God will deal with the rest!
Father, you are a God who can handle big piss ups, you are a God who can handle drug overdoses, you are a God who can handle depression and we as your people must just bring others to you, and you will do the rest in your perfect timing!
Help us to be humble harvesters. Use us to bring glory to your name!
Make us in your likeness, I pray, AMEN!!!!