Two Men, Two Encounters, One Hope

We went to Kensington and brought a lot of food, water, Gatorade etc. We served many people. As we went to the streets, we found a man named Dan. He was passed out laying off the sidewalk, in the street. Unresponsive at first, we tried reviving him. It took a few minutes, but he came to. He asked if we could rub his back. We couldn’t really understand what he was saying at first, but luckily someone in our group could make out his words. His back was severely hunched due to drug use. I tried to rub his back, but it was all bone. There wasn’t much muscle to massage, I felt spine and ribs. We tried talking to him but because he was greatly under the influence of drugs, he kept fading in and out. He told us he’s been on the streets of Kensington since 2016. That’s how long I’ve been clean, nine years! Dan kept slumping over so we picked him up and moved him to a spot where he could prop himself up against a pole from the El Train.

                  Next, we met Jesse at the park. He was passed out in the grass. His breathing was ragged and he was snoring. We woke him up; he had money hanging out of his pocket and I told him we didn’t want to see him get robbed. One of his eyes was messed up and discolored. He allowed us to pray for him. He wept as we were praying. I wish we would have spent more time with him. He kept thanking us as we walked away. We left him with some snacks and water.