Every Saturday I can be found in the Hub. This is a lunchroom and community center at the same time, from where many of our missionary activities are carried out. By now, more than 50 people from the street come here every Saturday for a hot meal, bread, soup and something to drink. And as much as possible we have a chat and pray for the people who come. Although I would not have thought that a few years ago, I enjoy being there for these people every Saturday and showing them something of God’s love. Not by looking for immediate conversions, but simply by being there, listening, helping and really seeing people for who they are. And because I am there every Saturday morning, I have the advantage of getting to know the people who come better.
There is Bernie[1], an elderly man who grew up in the Bronx and who always greets me with: “My man!”. He has been living in his house in San Nicolas for years now with no real occupation and a pension that is not enough to pay the bills. It makes him very lonely and as a result he walks the streets a lot, looking for food and moments of company. I often see him several times a week, on Saturdays at the Hub and on Tuesdays at the Gospel Hall. He then gets some food and every time I see him he asks for prayer. And guests that I bring to the Hub are also regularly approached by him for a chat and for prayer.
When I sat down next to Bernie the other day and told him that I enjoyed seeing him at the Hub every time, he looked at me with amazement and a slanted smile. “You know,” he said, “the food is nice, but in the end I only come here for one thing. That you want to listen to me and then pray for me, that gives me a boost for the whole week. That is more important than the food and that is what I come for.” When I told him that it is not us who see him first, but that God really wants to see him, he nodded; “It is really special that God thinks of me, I feel that here and I am grateful for it.” I nodded and gave him a pat on the shoulder. As I stood up I heard Jesus softly say to him: “My man!”
[1] Fictitious name
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