‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father,
inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you fed me.
I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.
I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
I was naked, and you gave me clothing.
I was sick, and you cared for me.
I was in prison, and you visited me.’"
Matthew 25: 34-36
With a church in San Jose called New Life New Glory we had the opportunity to do homeless ministry after service on Saturday Night. After service everyone who wanted to help was called together and groups were formed. When everyone had a group, we set out for the streets. It was a weird, but awesome scene to see tons and tons of young adults going out into the streets to find those in need of warm meal. There were probably like 50 young adults ready to serve the least of these. My group decided to turn right down this one street and almost immediately we find a woman walking towards us quickly ready for some interaction and food.
Her name is Claudia- we ask her if she would like some comida (food) and she enthusiastically agrees and takes off almost leading us to the meeting place. We are struggling to keep with up with this woman wearing no shoes, rags for clothes and a smile the size of Canada. We get back to the meeting place with time to spare and so a couple of us sit with her on a bench. Immediately she asks about zapatos (shoes). A Tica (a native female Costa Rican) measures her foot and goes to see if there are any shoes her size. While we are waiting, Claudia is a bundle of joy. Laughing extremely loud. And about what? I still don’t really know. But her laugh was contagious. And let’s just say everyone was staring at us.
Claudia was anxious for her food and left our bench to sit closer to the people serving the food. The team performed the Everything Skit and a testimony was shared. And after this the food was served. I went to see Claudia again and she was wearing brand new black shoes. She was really excited. And she enjoyed the food and was ready for more. She had calmed down some and you could see the contentment on her face. From anxiousness to calmness. Her demeanor changed because of some shoes and a plate of rice and a cup of juice. Simple aspects of life that many of us can take for granted every day.
I don’t know where Claudia is today. But I can guarantee that wherever she is, her laughter and her smile are bringing joy and peace to those she encounters.
"And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth,
when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,
you were doing it to me!’"
Matthew 25:40
