As we walk into the first shelter we get friendly greetings from everyone at the door, and make our way through to the sleeping area where there was a lady in her 40’s or 50’s, from a distance she looked happy and healthy, but as myself and a woman by the name of Kim got closer, we recognized a packet of medicine in her hands and so we thought it would be an awesome opportunity to pray for healing. As soon as I took the women’s hand to pray, she quickly responded to my action by saying, “before you touch me, you should know I’m HIV positive.” The weird thing is that I never took my hand away from hers, but rather held on tighter. I had never felt so much love and compassion for someone before, I just wanted her to know that I didn’t see her for her HIV. I urged to sit there and speak to her for hours about her story but unfortunately we ran out of time and were off to the next shelter.
Entering in the next shelter next door was completely different. As you walk in, it’s just a mix of fumes from heroine to dagga. And I knew I was in for something big.
As I got to the sleeping area I was greeted with a HUGE hug from a little girl who must have been around the age of 5, and a sharp little voice saying, “Hello Aunty!”. Not even a few seconds later she runs up to my dad and I with a little book with a picture of Jesus and screams out “Jesus!” As loud as she can.
Another little girl at the age of 12 approached me and introduced herself and told me a story of how she goes to the shelter at the same time every day to visit her mom whom is a drug addict and can’t afford to care for herself, yet alone her two daughters. She shared with me her faith in God and the churches she goes to, and instantly I realized that even in such a sad place like that, God is still there.
I met a lady who was celebrating her 40 th birthday today and she is was also HIV positive, the first thing she said was, “and the doctors told me I wouldn’t live past my 40th birthday!” This was just another sign that God is working through the sick. He IS there.
I proceeded to walk to the corners of the shelter and for the first time, I witnessed people taking heroine. I witnessed the look in these people’s eyes, as if they were screaming for help. They AREN’T BAD PEOPLE, they just needed help. It just made my heart so sad to see people who don’t have the slightest ability to stop. There was absolutely nothing we could do to help them, except pray, and so we did. Suddenly a woman whom my dad had met on another visit to the shelters came running up to him and shared with him how her boyfriend and her ( whom are both heroine addicts) have now found a way to get clean and get help and even stay out of the shelter after he had prayed for them the week before.
I hope you read up to this part, because here’s the whole point of this blog post, you can’t just sit back and let this happen. You cannot pretend that people aren’t dying, and our world doesn’t have problems or that there aren’t dangerous things out there killing people slowly. You and I weren’t put on this earth to sit back and just rejoice that we’re not suffering but to show the suffering a way out. It’s as simple as visiting a shelter, hugging someone with a disease and loving them despite that, praying for healing, talking to a 12 year old girl who lost her mom to drugs or sharing what God has done for you to give others hope. God is calling you so wake up and do something. There is a whole world out there that is suffering, and without YOUR help, nothing is ever going to change. God is screaming out to us in so many ways to do something and just for a few examples, check out these lines in a few songs:
“We were made to be courageous, we were made to lead the way.”- Casting Crowns
“We are the light of the world, we are the city on a hill”-Kari Jobe
“I hear you calling me, to raise a banner of love up high in these city streets, one hope for all the world to see.”- Chris August
“I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do myself.”-Josh Wilson
“I dare you to move.”- Switchfoot
“We need to wake up, wake up, live like God, pour out love.”- Leeland
“People of God, RISE UP. Rise up and shine Gods love. We are the light of the world.”- Gungor
“I wanna set the world on fire, until its burning bright for You.”- Britt Nicole
What more do I have to say to you.
Wake up and LIVE.
Get out there and do something, Gods world needs YOU to change it. You have the power to, so what’s stopping you..
paigestorm 