The Best $21 I've Ever Spent

Two months ago my boyfriend and I and another couple were sitting outside at the South Bend Chocolate Company in South Bend. We happened to be talking about God when two guys came up to us and asked for money to buy beer.

My boyfriend, Nathan, recognized this as an opportunity, instead of saying "No," he said, "Yes, but we have to make a trade off." (I thought - "What is he doing?" Abort! Abort!)

Nathan then asked these two young guys if he could pray for them. In exchange, he'd give them a few bucks. Of course they said, "Sure." What followed next by these two guys was a big long list of their drug habits, lack of work and relationship problems.

They were very thankful for our prayers and we kept our word even though we knew our few dollar bills wouldn't be well spent. We prayed without them knowing that the beer would taste putrid to their lips. (If it did, we'll never know.)

Then the rest of the night went like this - more people walking up to our table, talking to us, telling us their problems and us praying for them. We didn't do anything, just sit there being available. God brought them all to us. We met a homeless man, and abused schizophrenic, and several drug addicts. (Only God could have orchestrated this. We weren't trying to talk to anyone, really.)

We were able to pray for each person, never leaving our table, but being intentional about looking for an opportunity to share the love of Christ if it was through a meal or few bucks or just prayer.

Fast Forward

Two weeks ago, the homeless man we met, called my boyfriend asking for entrance into the North Central Indiana Teen Challenge (Nathan is on staff there.). Nathan and this man have been in contact several times since, with even a phone call today about entering the program this week.

Today at church we saw the man who told us he had been abused and had a mental disorder. We went up to him and he remembered us. He told the friends he was with that our prayer for him really helped him and is still helping him today. He told us that he was able to get a steady income to keep his apartment and he would have money to buy food.

Nathan and I wonder when we'll run into the drug addicts that told us they wanted to change. We know we planted seeds. It may be possible that Nathan will receive another phone call from one of these young men. Who knows? Perhaps this week?

Summary

Nathan and I had the best time that night. Sometimes we don't realize how much we get blessed with we're a blessing to others. I have to say it was the best $21 I'd ever spent on people that the world would say "don't deserve it."