We’ve been staying at lots of friends’ houses out here on the road. Glenn and Karen in North Carolina, the Long’s in Virginia, Chris in Ohio, Devin and Tia in Wisconsin. But we’ve been meeting strangers too. People we weren’t looking for. People we didn’t know. People whose paths are on a crash course with ours. Divine intersections.
We met George. He was walking in and out of cars stopped at a downtown DC traffic light at midnight. He had a cardboard sign that said something about no money and food. We sat at the light, watching him hobble along. Then as the light turned green, we decided to do something. I considered leaping out of the van, dodging blaring car horns and cursing drives, to get back to him. Something right off a scene from the Bourne movies. Instead we pulled over and walked back on the sidewalk like sane people. We shared some bread, a bottle of water, and a smile. God bless George.
We met Joey. He sat at a table next to us in Portillos. He prayed before he ate. So as we stood up to leave, we walked over and asked point-blank, “Are you a Christian?” That started a marvelous conversation. Joey has a heart for the street kids in downtown Chicago. He fights for the troubled kids, the dropouts, the ones who are lost and alone. We shared with him, he shared with us, and the Body of Christ was encouraged. God bless Joey.
We met Francisco. He helped us find a safe place for our van overnight after we’d had the passenger window broken out by thieves in downtown Chicago. He gave us the number of a guy who would come and fix it. First thing in the morning for a quarter of the price we were expecting. Francisco and his friends put us in the expensive, elite parking spot right in front of the hotel. They guarded our van overnight for free. They even got out emergency cones. “Gotta keep you safe,” they said. God bless Francisco.
We met Tracy. It started with this brilliant shooting star that we couldn’t help remarking on. Tracy was walking down the street past us, and she remarked back. “You get to make a wish now.” So we asked her, “Well, what would you wish for?” Transportation. She was walking to work. Turns out we had something in the realm of transportation with us. We invited her in and drove her to her job. She was close to tears as she left us, overwhelmed that a few strangers would offer her a ride across town in the middle of the night. God bless Tracy.
So, there you have it. The homeless, the warriors, and the thieves. For the record, we didn’t actually get to meet the thieves. We just admired their artwork in the parking garage. But even though we didn’t get to see their faces or hear their names, we still prayed for them. As Lily put it, “God loves everybody. Even bad guys.” So, God bless the thieves.
