Last night I had my donated soup and a roll on the streets in Belfast. I was hungry and smelly and tired, but my plight was no where near that of the homeless, sick and needy who also ate the soup. One person arrived with no shoes and was given a pair which one of the volunteers bought earlier that evening. They were even the same foot size. For me, today was the worst physically and I have noticed my eating seems more furtive and rushed than usual and I was so appreciative of every morsel in my mouth. I’ve had a stale croissant and the chips from last night. I was however given a lunch of a cup of soup and a roll (more about lunch later). My feet are a bit tender from the walk to Lisburn yesterday and my body aches. After a couple of hours sleep I was up bright and breezy (I wish) to go to help at a car wash organised by N.I Fire & Rescue Cadet Scheme (Lisburn). It was 5 hours of very hard work, for which I accepted the soup and a roll and a warm cup of coffee. The cadets made a donation to the Emergency Relief Appeal for Sudan. These young people were aware of where the money raised was going to but also freely admitted that they usually spent most of Saturday in bed or lounging about the house! They worked so hard and their humour was excellent inspite of their tiredness. I had to come home and just give up.
A friend sent this to my husband for my encouragement.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 1For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:16-21 NIV)
I’ve reached the end. But for others this is their reality and their only hope is us. I must go. I’ve asked someone for a bed for the night. I’ll contact you tomorrow.