Right there, in front of McDonald’s on Marietta Street in downtown Atlanta, it happened. Amid the rainy day and the city streets, something happened in my heart. This past Saturday, my fellow Community Lifers and I drove into the city with backpacks filled with water, granola bars, socks and a cooler filled with hot cocoa. Our plan was to go to a public park and be available to serve and encourage the people we met.
Truthfully, my heart was filled with both anxiety and skepticism. I’ve never walked city streets, ready to interact with homeless strangers (or any strangers, really). I am more comfortable walking on by, living in my own world. And I confess, I’ve feared my own judgementalism or “messiah-complex” when I think of interacting with people whom I don’t really understand. When I awoke last Saturday, these were things racing through my mind. But instead of conceding to my fear, I chose to face it.
And it was beautiful.
That day, I met Al. He is a veteran of war who has a daughter and grandchild in Maryland. He loves playing chess and reading the newspaper. Then there was Sam, a man originally from Bosnia, who had smiling eyes. Through his slightly broken english, he prayed for us, asking that God would bring us success and direction in our lives. Nearing the end of our 20 minute conversation and after sharing a few cups of hot cocoa and the bag of goodies, he asked if we were also giving out any wine. My roommate offered him a bottle of water, saying, “You could ask Jesus to change it!” We laughed together and said goodbye.
There were dozens more people that I encountered that day. But there, in front of McDonald’s, something hit me. That day was not about giving away apples or hot cocoa or granola bars. It wasn’t even about doing something big to change the world. Really, for me, the day was about connecting with people in Jesus’ name. I crave real, meaningful connection with the people I encounter each day; I discovered that people all over just want to connect, human to human. And I was able to offer just that, combined with a real opportunity to tell these new friends that Jesus loves them. So, really, I left in Atlanta more than socks. I left part of my heart.
