Every Little Act of Kindness Counts

On September 25, 2022, our small group joined the Downtown Street Outreach Ministry for the first time. We are so grateful for this local mission experience. Some group members prepared food for the outreach, while another seven members went downtown with Bethany, Cornerstone’s Outreach Director and Phil, Communications Director, in two cars to distribute food and clothing items on that rainy day.

God’s Faithfulness
On our ride downtown, Bethany, shared two stories of past outreach teams to show God’s faithfulness. One, very often, even though it rained on their way downtown, the rain stopped when the team starts distributing food; and two, the amount of food prepared was always just right for the night. Once again, God showed His faithfulness and presence with our team last Sunday. Despite the heavy rainfall during our ride, the rain stopped just as we started food distribution, and we were also able to distribute all the food and reached out to 60-70 people that night. Praise the Lord!

We saw many faces that night: friendly, sad, tired and worried and want to share with you some of the people we met and things we saw…

A middle-aged man shared his story of how he came to live on the street. After venting out for a few minutes, he felt much better. He thanked us for the food and the listening ears. He expressed his wish to visit our church when he is back up on his feet. This is our prayer too.

A senior in his wheelchair at the corner of the street. He did not want any food from us. He felt cold and was not able to control his bladder. He was clearly in need of urgent medical help. The team was able to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Pray that he will receive medical help promptly.

A teenage girl sitting by the streetlamp. We gave her sandwiches and drinks. When we asked if there was anything else she needed, she said, “what I need you cannot give me.” She needed a place to stay for the night which we were not able to provide. Pray that she was able to find an affordable place to stay for that night.

There was a woman who approached us for food. We were surprised due to her appearance: she was adequately dressed and carried a large purse. However, her facial expression revealed the truth. Her face was full of anxiety, fear and sadness. We were glad to be able to give her some food and thankful for the reminder to not make assumptions.

There was a soaking-wet tent on the street. We wonder how the tent owner was going to sleep in that tent. We wish we had a tent to give him that night. As the weather gets cold, the need for socks, sleeping bags, tarps and tents is high.

Here are a few things we have learned…

We are privileged to live the way we do. God has provided for us abundantly. Be grateful for what we have – things, friends and families!

Better together – if we did not do this outreach as a group, some of us would not have the courage to do it. In serving together as a small group, we complemented and encouraged each other.

Acts of Kindness Counts
Although we were not able to satisfy all the needs of our homeless friends, every little act of kindness counts – a warm smile, listening ear, and caring heart. In addition to physical needs, many of them long for a relationship and positive interaction.

There is certainly a lot of work and support needed from the government and other institutions to serve this population. We, the church, also play an important role to fill the gaps and extend God’s love to homeless friends. We want to remind our homeless friends that God does not forget about them.

We are grateful that we practiced being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Amanda, Dawn, Eric, Simon, Miranda, Sandra and Terrance.