My partner and I had dinner with a big mission group from California who were here in Vancouver for a week to help out with some kind of ministry to kids. They were a great group of brothers and sisters in Christ, and I really enjoyed their company. That night after we finished our meal and headed outside, I had an opportunity to show love.
First of all, the streets in downtown Vancouver are no different than many others—the drugs, the clubs and the poverty. But as I stepped outside the restaurant, this poor, elderly man quickly came to me begging for money. Of course, I didn’t have spare change on hand, but I did have my leftover lasagna still warm and in a box. So I said: “I’m sorry I don’t have any change, but I do have some warm food. Are you hungry?”
He quickly smiled, took the food, thanked me, and walked off. Soon I heard laughter from a group of young boys sitting not too far away. One of them called me over and asked, “Did you just give that man your food?” After I answered, “yes,” they smirked and one shouted: “Why? He’s just another drug addict!”
This shocked me at first and the only thing I could think to do was say, “Yeah, well—everyone gets hungry, right guys?”
See, one thing I learned and experienced this week is that God is love. It wasn’t the fact that this man was homeless or that he may or may not be addicted to drugs. And it wasn’t because I felt sorry for him. It’s because God tells us to love one another. And if we love one another, we love God. Because God is love.
Jon Garcia, a student at Del Mar College, is serving with Go Now Missions in Vancouver, Canada.
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