Part 15 of 18: Stuart

4/29/09…Tonight was a good night in the street ministry because I met Stuart. He is meek in his demeanor but confident in his words. For an entire hour he preached the word of God to me, but first he had to quench his thirst so I watched as he gulped an entire bottle of water in mere seconds. Then he proceeded with the words of God. His Bible was open and draped over his forearm as if his arm was held out for a woman to take but instead his bride was God. Such simple phrases came from his mouth about the truth of God. Honestly I could have stood there all night and listened to him. He is homeless and he is supposed to be leaving for Greenville, Mississippi in the morning. Yet somehow I doubt this will happen. He says he has a Mom and Dad there and his Mom receives his check so he is not sure if she loves him or wants him there for his check. I assume Stuart is on welfare, or maybe mental disability, not sure which. He says he really desires his independence and wants to be on his own as he quotes scripture to support this desire.

His faith is black and white. There is no gray area. Either something is of God or it is of the Devil. Over and over he reiterates this phrase. To Stuart, it is quite clear to him where the lines are drawn. He says there is despair in Jackson’s streets, to which I agreed after a terrible night last week, but as I tell him, our hope is in our God. He says the churches need to do more for the homeless, not just in giving or feeding them, but in telling them about the Word. He says he would house them all and tell them all about God but he does not have the money. His depth of knowledge of the Bible is humbling and the pages of his Bible are clearly worn from daily use.

Thank you Father. What a blessing given undeservedly to me. I was becoming weary trying to do good for You, but in Your love, You cross my path with someone who gave me such hope and lifted me up when I came down to lift others up. Oh God, You showed me a city on a hill and a light in a lamp post in order to give me hope once again and renew my energy in the street ministry. Thanks be to You for Stuart and thanks be to You for all blessings.

I was saving a bottle of water in the van for myself because I knew I would be thirsty at the end of the night. But in the moment I knew my thirst had been filled by You my Father. So I went to the van, got my bottle of water, and gave it to Stuart so that his earthly thirst may be filled. In the moment, I loved him more than I loved myself; therefore I gave him my water. I let Stuart know I loved Him as my brother in Christ. I prayed for him, and in the dim moonlit night we parted ways, both of us somehow not so alone, nor so weary.