As I walked toward my minivan, my eyes connected with a familiar face. I had first met Arthur, a homeless man, the week before at the same downtown location in southern Michigan. After hearing about the journey that led him to live on the streets, I asked him what he planned to do with his life. It was evident that something was holding him back from making any real effort. I longed to encourage him. A sense of brotherhood with this damaged child of God welled up inside me. I shared how God had taken my brokenness and replaced it with His lasting love and perfect peace. I asked Arthur if I could pray with him. “Please” he said. The Spirit stirred me to ask specifically for peace and direction for Arthur.

After the prayer, Arthur’s brown eyes relaxed. He reached into his bag and handed me a sub-sandwich a stranger had just bought him. “I want you to have this,” he insisted. “Please don’t feed it to your dog, I want you to have it. It’s a good sandwich.” I sensed the meaning of His gift and knew I needed to let him give me a blessing.

Receiving gifts from others often brings a great blessing to them. As we blaze through our summer training session, I have been reminded of how vital it will be for us to be good receivers among the Great River People. We need to learn their language. We also need to deeply understand their unique culture. In this, we will truly need their help! As we humbly learn from our people group, we can make friends with them and finally introduce them to the lover of their souls.

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