It’s hard to put today into words, but I’ll try because I want you to know how unreal it was…how beautiful it was. My friend Grace and I packed up a guitar and djembe and drove to Denver this morning to hang out with the homeless people on the 16th St. mall. On the way there we prayed that our conversations with them, as well as the music we would play, would reveal God’s unfailing love for all kinds of people…the broken, the lonely, the faithful, the weary. When we got out of the car to begin our own day of faith, every ounce of anxiety rushed to the surface. I began to question why I was there, and whether I was worthy enough to represent the love of Jesus Christ. We walked to some benches to pray for the day when a homeless man named Carl stopped us and asked if we had some time. Of course we did…we had all day! He sold us a homeless newspaper with stories about those who walk the streets of the 6th St. mall every day, for a dollar. There were multiple people selling the same newspaper on the street, and at the end of the day they would share the money that they earned. We asked if we could play him a song, and he got real excited and encouraged us to play. When we finished he enthusiastically told us he loved the music and wished us success in everything we do. He explained that sometimes it’s hard when people walk past him without even a second glance, but he knows that everyone has their own burdens in life and he loves humanity wholeheartedly because we’re all God’s creation. Every day, he said, is a gift from God. He thanked us for giving him the time of day and blessed us. As we walked away, Carl shouted that he’ll be praying for us. We returned his kind words and continued walking until we reached a corner and allowed the tears in our eyes to finally fall. We trusted in God and took a great leap of faith in going to Denver without knowing what to expect, and He led us to Carl. What a great God we have.
We continued down the street and ran into a man named Benny who was raising money for a children’s opportunity fund. We told him that if we received any money for our music today, we’d put it toward his organization. We then played him and his partner a song as they continued asking people for donations. His love for poverty stricken children in foreign countries inspired us as we walked away. We serenaded the streets as best we could and asked a lady selling the same homeless newspaper if we could play music by her while she asked people for money. She allowed us to play, and as we did we witnessed a majority of people walk past her at a rapid pace in hopes of not being stopped or bothered. In the middle of one of our songs, Carl walked up to us and set a dollar on the ground and walked away. We couldn’t believe a man who spent the day asking for money would give back the very dollar we gave him while those walking by with their Starbucks cups couldn’t afford any spare change. It was then I realized the love of Christ has no limits.
We continued down the street and stopped at some tables where there were chess players enjoying the sunny afternoon. We talked to a man named Jay we had met earlier, and he explained to us the strategy of chess. We met a man named Arthur who told us he had walked past us earlier and he really enjoyed our music. After watching an old man beat about three guys in the game, we decided to go across the street and chat with an older homeless lady who was sitting with her bags smoking a cigarette. She told us her name was Mary and we played her a song. Instead of quietly listening, she stood up and began to dance as she tried to sing along to a song she didn’t know the words to. This attracted a lot of attention and I even saw a lady take a picture of the three of us. Associating myself with an old lady who carried her life in three shopping bags was a humbling experience I’ll never forget. Grace asked her what she was thinking about while she was dancing, and Mary answered with one word: “Freedom”. She went on to explain that Jesus Christ has set us free and has given us all eternal life. She told us her life story and mentioned some of the darker times in her life, such as getting raped and experiencing the betrayal of her children. We talked with Mary for about forty-five minutes, and all the while she explained that God is bigger than anything and everything. At the end of our conversation she said there are angels who walk the street of the 16th St. mall, and then called us the angels who approached her today. She told us that God’s light is too bright to be ignored and she saw His light in us. A boy about 18 years old walked by and asked to buy the homeless newspaper. Grace gave him the dollar that Carl gave back to us, and Mary gave the boy a dollar as well (even though Mary was clearly struggling financially herself). She then gave us a dollar and didn’t allow us to reject it. She told us that if we didn’t want it ourselves, to give it to the church or someone in need. Grace and I muttered some nice things back to Mary…but still found it quite hard to express the words we wanted to say. I feel like we didn’t say anything too amazing or intriguing to people today, we just allowed them to talk to us and showed them that we cared. It’s kind of sad how long it has taken me to realize how to love someone, but I’m glad God was able to teach me today. It turns out I learned so much from the homeless people who shared their kindness and their faith, when really I thought I’d be the one doing the teaching.
After we debriefed with some lunch and reflection on the day, Grace and I decided to find Carl again so we could say goodbye and get a picture with him. During our search we came across and man playing some buckets with drum sticks and listened in amazement. Just down the road from him we found a man asking for change. I gave him what change I had left and we played him a song as well. Everyone who passed by gave us a weird look…probably wondering if we were homeless too and what two college girls were doing on the streets. We ran into someone from the children’s foundation, Hilary, and remembered our promise to Benny. We gave Hilary the dollar that Mary gave us and wished her the best of luck. She told us that one dollar can buy 20 Malaria pills and potentially save 20 lives. Amazing. We headed towards my car and saw a lady dig through a trash can for anything she could find. This broke my heart because I realized I had no change left to give. I panicked and started thinking of what we could do to help this lady, when Grace remembered I had food in my car. I packed a lunch this morning because I wasn’t sure when or where we were going to eat. We ran up to the lady and asked if we could give her food. She followed us to my car where we found some crackers, a sandwich, and a small loaf of pumpkin bread. She thanked us for the food and carried on her way, still digging through trashcans that she passed by. We decided to give up on the search for Carl until the next time we go to Denver to meet with him and our other friends again. We left, shocked and amazed.
Now this is the paragraph where I reflect on everything that happened today, right? Well, I’m still processing it. It’s really hard to put into words how today made me feel, and what I learned. But I think I know a great place to start, and that’s me telling you that a little love goes a long way. I didn’t feel worthy to do this when we left this morning. Why would God pick ME to go and hang out with homeless people all day, what do I have to give? Through Christ, all things are possible. This isn’t my life to live, it’s all His. And sometimes I forget that…well, most the time I forget that. I’m human and I’ve made more mistakes to count on a thousand hands. But if we carry our burdens on our own, it’s harder to see the beauty of life and what plans God has for us. I still feel unworthy of the love I received from my new friends today, but with everything in me I accept it because I know it all comes from our Maker. Today is the first day I have ever fully taken a leap of faith and completely relied on God to give me strength, and He provided. He gave me a wonderful friend to do this with, and we supported each other when we got tired and drained.
In one of my songs, I ask what it takes to have the best day of your life. Well, this is it.
Grace- I have probably missed a few details that are worth sharing, by all means please add to this post!
