Treasure Hunting

Sandwiches? Check. Juice? Check. The Word? Check.

While the goal of the street work is the same, our routine has changed somewhat. Where we used to go to the same nine or ten stops every Thursday, we now alternate weeks and try to find new places where the street people might be living and working. The people on the streets move around, and so we don’t see the same people all the time. The original stops have now gotten used to our coming and going. They know what to expect. They trust us. Because of that, we don’t always have to bring sandwiches. Sometimes they are content to sit, talk and read the tracts we’ve brought. Now they accept the Word without always expecting a sandwich.

Rodoviária street stop.

When we aren’t visiting old stops we go treasure hunting. This is what we’ve dubbed those days when we get to go out and find the new people God has for us to meet. There are hungry, homeless street people all over this city and we have the chance to build relationships with them too. So we start all over again, meeting them, bringing them juice, filling empty stomachs with a few sandwiches. And every time we tell them why we are here, that God has sent us. 

Our most recent find is at the Rodoviária. It’s a busy spot where city buses come and go, but right in the middle of the street is a group of homeless men and women. We stopped there for the first time two weeks ago. It always feels different, that first time we meet them. They aren’t sure of us at first and wonder at our motives. But food is food and they won’t refuse it. They mention they need some clothes and so we stop during the week with a few t-shirts and sandals, again working to build that trust. When we come the next week, they run across the street, happy to see us, expecting the sandwiches, expecting the Word. Pray that they might grab ahold of the Truth.

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