"Each one of us, with our personal stories, is called to grown in love." (pg 58)
"When we love someone, we give life to that person. When we love, we trust, and reveal to people their value, their beauty, and their capacity to give life to others." (pg 59)
"The only thing that matters is that we be truthful, that we do not let ourselves be governed by lies and by illusion." (pg 61)
Today was an early day. We had to be ready by 8am so we could head to Retreat from the Street which is a place that's open Monday-Friday from 7am-3:30pm for anyone to walk in and literally retreat from the street. Anyone can come and walk in to meditate or relax. When we got there we entered Prayer Time where everyone just opened themselves up to God. It was amazing to see everyone just become vulnerable and say how they feel. Out on the streets they can't show emotion because then they are taken advantage of, but here, they opened up 100%. No one judged and everyone listened. It was truly beautiful. I met Daniel, a guy originally from Barcelona, and Sean, both of who I talked to for awhile. I later met Julius and James, who I had lunch with. Before lunch was Bible Study. Now most of those who live on the streets say they can't ever relate to the Bible. But Gary, the one guy who runs Retreat and who has a story much like most of the guys who come, is able to relate to them all. During this entire hour (or more!) of Bible Study, I just saw the interaction between each other and Gary. Many of them asked questions, gave their comments (which all differed in their own way!) and all talked to one another about the Lord. Gary made it seem so real to them. It's like they could finally grasp such a large picture and place it in their hearts. Being there made me feel at home and like we were all equal, which is exactly how we should feel everyday.
Once lunch and Bible Study were over, I met Christian, a 6 year old boy who was probably one of the cutest ever. I played with him and we looked for blueberry airplanes and chocolate boats. What really touched my heart was that he wanted to read me a story from this "book" (which ended up being the Bible!) and he summarized it that God is awesome :) I did notice, however, that Christian is very free in what he can do when he put salt on my arm and I told him not to do it again. He got a little mad at me but when I asked for his forgiveness he said sorry and we hugged it out. Christian became close to my heart because I see a little boy who just wants to have the life of any other boy. I hope and pray that he continues to follow in the path that God wants him to follow and to know and always trust in Him.
After retreat we went back to the Lot and I talked to Josh again. I told him I'd meet him in the same time at the same place and at that time he came. We continued talking and he asked me to read something from the Bible. I read him the end of John 17 because yesterday he told me about how he, God, and Jesus were all equal. John 17 explains just that. He really liked it and then asked me why I thought he was here right now in this place. I told him how God probably wants him to find his true beliefs and how everything happens for a reason. Whenever I talk to Josh, he just creates everything real simple. I'm able to just say how I feel and how he feels and I think we are really creating an awesome friendship. He had to go at 7 so he wouldn't get locked out so I said goodbye and met a guy named Manuel... who wasn't in his right state of mind.
I told him I had to go and left to go talk to a guy named Robert and Manuel followed me. He proceeded to tell me how he wanted to change and not drink anymore. I was more than happy to help and gave him advice. I actually saw Josh one last time and he asked if I was gonna be around the next day. I told him yes and that I'd see him tomorrow. Ending today just convinced me more of why I love what I'm doing right now. Little by little I see relationships take place and grow and understand the importance of community and unity. For Josh, he has many broken relationships and doesn't have anyone to talk to, but whenever I talk to him, we're friends and we can carry on any conversation for hours. I hope that our friendship continues to grow throughout the summer :)
Jenny Sample
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