Skinny

Belle Glade, Fl. : Thursday afternoon we were broken up into 2 small groups. We were given $20 and told to pray about how we were to use the $20 if we were to use it at all. Our groups consisted of 2 leaders and 4 of our students. Before I go any further with the story I want to tell you about a guy we met earlier in the day while doing street ministry (you'll understand the connection in a little bit). His name was Skinny. He was a tall slender man, who looked like he hadn't bathed in a few weeks. There was dirt built up in his fingernails, and his clothes were filthy dirty. His hair probably had not been washed in a long, long time. We talked with Skinny, handed him some water, and asked in which way we could pray for him. He definitely loved the idea of us praying for him, but did not want us to do it right then. We obliged and parted ways. Back to the afternoon. Our small group started praying by praise, thanking God for who He is. After that, we started praying for the city of Belle Glade. Following the prayer time we would discuss how we felt that God was leading us. Through our prayer/discussion/prayer/discussion we came to very specific areas where we as a small group felt that God was leading us: a group of run down apartment buildings, males in the community, hygiene products. This led us to one last time of prayer. At the end of the prayer time, God laid on our hearts the man we had met earlier on the streets, Skinny. This was in line with everything else we felt God speaking to us. He was a male, we met him in the same area of the apartment buildings, and he needed hygiene products.

We proceeded to the store to buy a hygiene gift bag for Skinny. When we left the store, we were going off of faith that we would actually see this man again. We looked at the gas station, we spoke to people on the street, we talked to more people on the street, we drove around asking people; nobody had seemed to know this so called man named Skinny. Our team was getting frustrated and the doubt was starting to creep in. We rode up on the chess courtyard where a group of Haitian men were playing. We asked if they knew a man named Skinny. In their language they spoke back and forth and back and forth, and then all at once they started pointing in the same direction of the gas station. There were apt. buildings across from the gas station where they said he lived; which would make since of why he was hanging outside the gas station. We drove to the apt. building and asked a group of people if Skinny lived there; they said yes. Our team instantly became excited. An old lady was outside of the apt. where Skinny supposedly lived. After talking to her, she let us go inside. What happened next, I will never forget in my walk with Christ:

I was the first one in and noticed there was absolutely no furniture in the apt. I was getting confused. The lady led us into the back room where a man laid motionless on a hospital bed. He was crippled and was not able to hardly move a limb. When trying to speak, we could not understand the man. What we soon figured out though is that this man's name was indeed Skinny and he was in dire need of prayer, along with, believe it or not a hygiene kit. We gathered around Skinny and joined in prayer for his healing and his health in general. I started off the prayer, or rather I tried, gathering my thoughts and emotions together which soon led to tears rolling down my face. All of our kids prayed for this man, along with Joel our leader. After praying we shared the gospel with Skinny and his wife. Though English was not their native language it was evident that this man was hearing every word spoken. Skinny said he believed in Christ and knew that He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and to provide us with eternal life. He had heard the truth and believed the truth.

I am amazed that God laid on our hearts through prayer a thin, frail man standing outside of a gas station whose name happened to be Skinny to lead us to the foot of a man in a hospital bed needing the touch of a Savior. Not to mention, his name was also Skinny. Earlier in the day I found myself having thoughts of going and encouraging people in the hospital close to where we were staying. God reminded me of this after I was sitting alone with Him trying to process what had just happened. Our prayer for our kids all week had been, "Holy Spirit make yourself real to our kids, encounter our kids, as well as us." What I know is this, when our small group walked out of the apartment building humbled and numb to our souls, God revealed Himself to our kids in a more than real way. He encountered us and wanted us to join His Holy Spirit in a room filled with the presence of our Savior. Our kids, along with myself and our other leader saw Christ face to face in those moments we were there. Our God heard our cries. He is faithful to his people. I am completely humbled to think that God wanted us (a group of people from Aliquippa, PA) to join Him in that room with Skinny. I praise Him for His call to care for His people. A God that is living, a God that is compassionate, a God that is loving, a God that will sit with a man on his hospital bed. We serve a God who is worthy of praise! Amen and amen!