Anna’s Friend…
April 13, 2009
Marcia is 52 years old and has been homeless off and on for a long time. She has two children – 15 and 22 – who live with other family members. She hasn’t seen or talked to her kids in over a year. Marcia told us how she has been falsely accused of panhandling and how the police sifted through her trolley of belongings and threw most of her personal items away – including jewelry, radios and the only photo she has of her grandchild.
What really touched my heart was when Greg told her a little bit about his summer trips to Honduras and the terrible living conditions down there. When he told her that they set up their villages around the dumps and send their children out to scavenge for food and items to sell, Marcia was astonished. She couldn’t believe that people in today’s day still lived like that. She pointed to the skyscrapers across the street and just shook her head in dismay. She shared with our group that God had put it on her heart just days earlier that when (not if!) she’s back up on her feet, she should send money or even herself to those less fortunate. Her eyes sparkled when she talked about wanting to help the poor people in Honduras. Greg promised to bring her some photos from his trips on our next outreach next month and Marcia was very excited to learn more about these people who had it much worse than her.
We prayed with Marcia for protection from the elements, from other people who wish her harm, and for her family to soften their hearts to her situation and come find her. When we left her, we were determined to go buy her a meal. With two bags of Burger King in hand, and the other group joining us, we went back and found Marcia and prayed with her again. She seemed genuinely touched that we cared, and I can only imagine how long she must go without engaging in real conversation with anyone. I pray that we will see her at next month’s outreach downtown.
