From Geoffrey to You! Poor Beggars and Loved Drunks

Wednesday May 13, 2009

Poor Beggars and Loved Drunks

The pastor of the church made home visitations today. Our first stop was at the home of an elderly woman who was having many difficulties within her family and with her legs. She was generous and was incredibly hospitable the time we spent together I treasure. We talked for a couple of hours, prayed and went on our merry way. No one was home at our next destination so we decided to visit a place called Kosovo instead. Kosovo is where you go to get drunk off of the illicit bootleggers’ local brew. Only drunkards go there, so we welcomed ourselves to it. Most churches don’t want drunks, drug addicts and hookers in their church and do whatever they can to steer clear of them and keep them out of their church. If you hadn’t already noticed I don’t look at myself as your stereotypical Christian or your typical pastor, I like to think outside the box and I want the people that no one else wants; when we started the homeless church we were gladly working with drug addicts, mentally unstable, alcoholics and prostitutes. I picked up that trait from reading the bible; I think that is a part of the bible that a lot of the pastors and religious gurus of today overlook.

As we strolled our way to the scattered set of deteriorated buildings, a putrid and rank smell overwhelmed our senses, this place was a pigsty. We found ourselves surrounded by waste and about forty adults who smelled so bad their clothes were begging to be burned, it seemed like they hadn’t bathed for what seemed like weeks. I have worked with the homeless for quite a while and have smelled my fair share of unclean fellows, but this group topped the charts. When I worked with the homeless I found a mystery crust covering their hands each time I shook their hands, the hands of these gentlemen; I was served forty crusty and rough hand shakes and “jambo’s” as their warm welcome. You could smell the alcohol on their breaths a mile away, they were as drunk as can be and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. These guys were completely addicted to this local brew which looked and smelled like sewage water. Most of these men made drinking their priority, more important than school fees for their children and food for their family was this alcohol. Whatever little money they are able to make one day they drink away the next. I have friends who have had to drop out of school because their father drank away their fees.

These guys are looked down upon by the religious crowd and seemed to have a hunger for God but aren’t accepted in most churches. A few of them started blurting out scripture in a drunken blather They were a good group of guys, definitely smelly but a very good group of guys. Most of them had gone to church but were kicked out or were chased out because of this addiction.

Many Christians get this “holier than thou” thinking mentality that ruins it for the rest of us. Why are Christians labeled with the stereotypical negative connotations, it is because of those over-zealous type that read a scripture and smack people upside the head with it instead of applying it to their lives. Those Christians holding up signs condemning gays and people who have had abortions and have put themselves up on a pedestal and act as if they are perfect. I heard a preacher here in Kenya say that he hadn’t sinned for twenty years, he sinned right then by lying. I have met so many Christians that are eager and willing to point out the flaws in someone else’s life by judging and condemning them, but aren’t willing to look at their flaws. I have learned that whenever we point a finger at someone we have four more pointing back at you.

I don’t look at myself as this incredible or perfect guy. I don’t think of myself better than anyone else. I don’t think that I am holier or less of a sinner than anyone else either. Unlike those zealous religious folks, I remember where I came from and the condition in which I became a Christian, it seems like those guys holding up the signs while they shout through blow horns have forgotten that they are sinners too. The reason I became a Christian is because I was so messed up that God had to send Christ to die for my sins, apparently those guys with the signs became Christians another way… maybe they got cool matching jackets for not being a sinner like me.

Romans 8:28 “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

I guess God had a mess up by tossing this one in the old bible huh? One of my favorite sayings is from an old pastor of mine, “I am just one poor beggar telling another poor beggar where to find food.” See I don’t have any food and I am no better than anyone else. I am just one poor beggar telling another poor beggar where to find food. Some of us forget about the fact that we are poor beggars just because we have a little food in our stomachs the truth is that we need Christ just as much as the next guy. It isn’t my place to judge or point a finger or kick someone out of a church because of an addiction or struggle. I haven’t forgotten about where I come from and the fact is that I still need God as much as I ever did.

I sat there and talked with these smelly and toothless drunk fellows. I apologized to them about what churches and pastors have said about them and how they had been treated, I tried to explain that sometimes we do a bad job representing God. I told them about John 3:17 and the fact that we weren’t there to judge them or condemn them and that they we would love to have them visit our church and if they did we would accept them with arms wide open. We told them that this was no way to live. They have wives to love and children to support and that they are missing out on life, we told them that just like us they need help because they are just as messed up as we are. Don’t worry about your addiction, don’t worry about what people will think or say, please come as our guests and sit with us this Sunday morning. I told them that we aren’t any better than them and that God didn’t send Christ to die on the cross to condemn them and hate them. No lie, as I spoke you could have heard a needle drop I think God sobered them up because their slurred ramblings turned into intelligent conversation. After a few questions we had a pretty overwhelming amount of interest in where our church was and what time to be there this Sunday, I am excited to see who comes.

Today I was reminded that I am nothing great. It isn’t my place to judge or to keep people from coming to church. It isn’t my responsibility to tell someone that God hates them and doesn’t accept them. My job is to love and show God’s love… I remembered that I am merely one poor beggar telling another poor beggar where to find food.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Carro’s surgery and recovery
Funds for different projects for Tumaini
I am going to town on Friday to buy the wheelchair for Stacy… I have had some difficulties buying it from this hospital so please pray that it goes well and that I get it
My speaking on Sunday

Randoms:
Apparently polygamy is a big hit here in Kenya
Bob Marly is cool everywhere… even in Kenya
I bought some matches today for the stove I just got woot woot… the matches are made of wax… isn’t that weird? I lit one and though I was going to break it.
It is impossible for me to leave my house without being followed by children or stopped five times by people saying “Hi Geoffrey do you remember me?” More often than not I don’t remember them… in fact I have NO CLUE who they are
A lot of people wear shirts and hats but have no idea what the writing on them means. Little kids walk around with marijuana leafs on their shirts and the F bomb on them. I have a picture of a girl at the youth camp wearing a marijuana shirt… ha ha

WORD OF THE DAY
Karibu sana
Cuh-re-boo sauna
Thank you very much or you are very welcome

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