Update Tuesday 17/01/12

Barry's dad past away last week.  He was on vacation when he had an accident.  Barry is not exactly sure what happened or what will happen next.  When things happen out of the country details and arrangements can be difficult to figure out.  They are especially hard to arrange when you live in a shelter and have limited access to the many modes of communication that many of us take for granted.

Barry is one of the guys I go to meet on Monday mornings, one of the bottle re-cyclers that I meet out side of the Beer Store each week.  He is there fairly regularly and, in fact, I met him the very first week I visited.  Yesterday, I saw him approaching and as he got closer I waved and asked if he wanted a coffee.  He looked up, greeted me with a "Hey" and indicated he would love a coffee.   He came straight over and as he poured the coffee he immediately began to share about his week, about his dad, and about the uncertainty that this upcoming week held.  It may have just been the cold, but I am fairly certain that I noticed his eyes glassing up with tears.   I had the opportunity to pray with him just before he headed back out into the street.  I gave thanks for God's promise and the hope for a future time and place with no more tears, sickness, dying or mourning and I gave thanks for His presence and comfort in the here and now.

I came away from my time yesterday grateful for the privilege of serving Barry.  I was amazed that he felt comfortable enough to share with me, and honoured that Barry would consider our relationship worthy of opening and sharing about his life.   Some guys open up and tell you their story right away, but many others are a bit more reserved.  In fact, many are pretty skeptical of others.  I have seen them down right ignore someone they did not know and did not trust.  Barry isn't that extreme but is a bit more reserved, until yesterday that is.   I realized an important lesson about people, about sharing and about discipleship.  I have been going to the store weekly for about eight weeks now.  It has been eight weeks of investing time and energy in being present, serving and listening.   And now, after eight week's Barry trusts me enough to open up, share and allow me to pray for him.   Real exchanges, and real discipleship are going to require an investment of time and energy.  It may be a bit slower than any of us would like, but in many cases, before we can speak into someone's life we must earn their trust.  We must be there, be interested, love and serve. 

I realize that I am exactly the same.  I am slow to trust.  I do not let just anyone speak into my life.  In fact, people often come up and ask if I have heard of this writer or that, this blog, or that preacher, read this new book, or that new song etc.  They are often surprised when I say no.  The honest truth is I am very reluctant to put faith in people I don't know, those who have not earned my trust and about whom I know little except for their public persona.  If I don't know someone, don't know their heart or their motives I am reluctant place confidence in what they have to say.  I should expect that others might be the same with me, and thus I need to invest time and energy earning trust.   I had already been thinking about the phrase below when my experiences with Barry helped me to better understand it:

There are many who would speak into my life,
Far fewer who would enter into it.  

True mentorship requires someone to enter into your life in order to speak into it.  I will look for friends and mentors and I will seek to be a friend and mentor. 
In whom are you investing time and energy in a personal and direct way?

I want to thank everyone who prayed for, contributed to or joined us in our outreach to the homeless last Sunday.  We served, fed and clothed many on a very cold winter afternoon and have enough supplies to both support one of the shelters and to go out again ourselves.  A huge thanks to Michael and Annabelle for all their time and energy in helping us to organize this ministry!  We will be heading out again in February and I will communicate the details as they arise.