OUTREACH STORY #1: "You're Not Gonna Bible Bash Me Are You?"

As I drove past all the trees, I came across a fella living in his mini-van. As I approached him he said, "You're not gonna Bible bash me are ya?"

I told him I wasn't.

Out of relief, he told me how he was recently eating at a fast-food joint and saw a youngster eyeing him across the room. This young fella plucked up the courage and started walking toward him. Before he knew it, he had about 15 teenagers surrounding him, preaching at him, "bible-bashing" him. He told me how he held his own, they had a lively discussion and then left him to eat again in silence. At the end of the experience, he was still homeless and his food was colder. It irritated him and the last thing he needed was someone else trying to convince him of the existence and saving power of Jesus

I told him I am a "follower of Jesus", but had absolutely no intention of shoving the Bible down his throat. I told him I stopped to see if he was homeless, to gift him some items and to see if I could help direct him toward housing and any other services he may need.

I'm blessed in my job, people give me items to give to those in need. So that's what I had the honour of doing. Those items can change from week to week, but on this particular day, I gifted this man with these new hygiene packs that had just been made up and packaged for those rough sleeping. This simple small bag, loaded with soap, shampoo, lotion, nail clippers, toothpaste, baby wipes, and other necessities created an opportunity for a deeper conversation.

one of the gifted hygiene packs

For about the next 30 minutes, we chatted and he revealed portions of his journey, his hard gut-wrenching story, and I was able to listen, encourage him and gift him with more things he needed. His needs were great and his pain was real. 

What struck me was how this fella was completely unaware of the help out there for him. He was alone. He thought he had to journey alone. He was convinced he had to pull himself out of the mire, alone. He didn't know of any available services. He didn't think he was worthy of assistance. It's a hopeless feeling. It's an oppressive feeling. It's a depressing feeling.

There's another way I'm blessed in my job, I have the privilege of revealing to people that help is available, and that they don't have to do it all by themselves. So that's what I had the honour of doing. I told him of the many beautiful services and people who will and can assist him rise out of the pit he believes he's in.

We were located beside a park with plenty of birds and magnificent trees. The sun was shining through the giant pines, creating a beautiful picture. He looked down at the pigeons at our feet and the beauty above us, and with tears in his eyes, he proclaimed the majesty of God. He said, "I don't know why you stopped bro, it must have been God, because I needed this today."

During our encounter, we discussed options and how I could continue supporting him. I knew what I needed to do and he knew what he had to do. I told him how there aren't quick-fix solutions to his housing dilemma in today's climate. I told him housing is available, good permanent housing, good supportive housing, but it takes time, and will probably take months. He was thankful I gave him a mixture of hope and honesty instead of blatant lies that would give him false hope.

When I left him, he was still homeless. I left him thinking he wouldn't be housed for months, but I'd support him on his journey. I left him and did the advocacy and networking I needed to do. One of the people I connected with surprised me and offered a strong housing possibility that could happen very quickly. A connection had been created, and it was up to all sides to ensure that possibility became an actuality.

I write this not knowing the outcome. There's a strong probability he's housed already. I hope so. I pray so. I will update this post as soon as I know.

Three reflections from this brief encounter:

1. Trust Your Gut: I drove past this car at first. Some noticeable things made me assume someone was living out of it. My internal dialogue went into overdrive, questioning whether I should turn around. I didn't want to delay getting to my next destination, but I knew it could wait. I heard a voice in my head telling me to visit this vehicle. I trusted my gut, plucked up the courage, drove around the block and pulled my car behind his. I'm glad I did!
2. Underpromise and Overdeliver: I didn't want to sell this man a false dream, I didn't want to overpromise and underdeliver, so I presented him with a realistic picture. I presented him with an honest, but hopeful scenario. He accepted that his journey may be long and tedious. So when an answer came almost immediately, he was pleasantly surprised. He was shocked. He was wowed. I was pleasantly surprised, wowed and shocked as well.
3. Love is the Answer: This man didn't need people shoving biblical verses down his throat, he needed to see a loving accepting Jesus in them. He needed people who lamented with him and tried to meet his needs. He told me how he'd been hurt many times by judgemental and hateful Christians, but he also spoke of how Christians show love to the poor, by feeding the hungry, housing the homeless and meeting the needs of those struggling. He's seen and experienced that example of Jesus as well. Love is always more than words. Love must act. Love meets needs. Love is the answer. Love is always the answer!

• To read more about my reflections on Outreach and why I believe it's needed, please click this Link: The Eclectic Path of an Outreach Worker: Reaching Out to Those Experiencing Homelessness