He moved to our area from New York, got himself a basement apartment, and spent last night on the cold floor. He went to Walmart to buy some blankets and food today and learned that his father had cancelled the business credit card they shared. He admitted that he was just flat out hungry.
Our church is not well-equipped to deal with drop-ins like this. We do have some programs for the needy, but they are very limited and structured. Fortunately, we had a church supper last night and there were lots of leftovers in the fridge. I brought him to the kitchen and filled a bag with hot dogs, buns, vegetables, and before I could put a bowl of fruit salad in, he asked me for a spoon. He started eating right away.
Our pastors were both out this afternoon, but I gave him the cell phone of one, who met him in the parking lot. The pastor learned this new convert wants to be Baptized, and also that his father is an Imam.
I probably should not have opened the door to a strange man. There were only two women in the office. And I wondered several times if he was telling the truth. He said he had visited two other churches before ours and that no one was there. I wondered if someone just didn’t feel safe opening their door. I’m glad I opened ours. I was blessed to feed a hungry man today.