on a dirty, rundown corner in downtown phoenix, we have found a community not expected.
a community of those that life seems to pass by. time is a different contiuum here - each day is the same and they turn into months without it even being recognized.
for people that are largely viewed as loners, they very much look out for one another. and for those who are thought of as deliberately separating themselves from society, it only takes a few visits and expressions of caring to be accepted here. though you bring pieces of a world they are no longer a part of, they don't look at you differently for going back "there" at the end of your time with them.
i don't know why God laid it upon my heart to call strangers "sweetie" and "love". or why i can't help but embrace people i have never met before as they stand on a street corner. i do know that i am so thankful that He has.
i feel this strongest desire to let them know that they can count on us. they have a constant, small though it very well may be, that the first day traffic lightens up downtown, when the sun is not quite at it's highest point, a caravan including a silver truck will wander into their neighborhood. my desire is that they know, this caravan is one of help, of acceptance, of people, commissioned by Christ Himself, to love them exactly where they are. to see them through the eyes of Jesus and feel every pain in their heart. i only hope that on our next journey there, that one more person finds that Christ comes in the form of a group of people, bearing food, love, hugs...help with no strings.
i am thankful for learning what that really means.
--t
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