As our first week of SMI draws to a close, it is hard to believe that just a few days ago I was apprehensive about my interaction with the people I would meet. Would I have the courage to ask them about their faith and press even further to find out if they had a true relationship with Jesus Christ? How would I transition from talking about their blood pressure into talking about their faith, should I even bring up the name of Jesus or should I first establish rapport and then dive in? Even with the extensive 3 days of training that we had prior to starting outreach, I still had some hesitation. As a third year medical student, I felt a little more comfortable talking to patients about their physical and emotional health, but I had never received any lessons on how to approach a person’s spiritual health. This is why most of us chose to be part of SMI. Since we recognize the importance of sharing the love of Jesus Christ, we also realize that integrating it into your career might not be so easy. Being intentional about listening and understanding and letting yourself feel a person’s suffering require the grace and wisdom of God. Also, the Lord has also promised to give us the power to go and spread the gospel and the courage to ask difficult personal questions that would bring a person back to Christ.
As my team and I walked down Kensington Ave, we came across a couple that was seated outside their porch. Initially they shrugged us off saying they didn’t need any checkups but through God’s nudging we probed a little further and they agreed. Apparently, a few hours prior, the couple decided to part ways since they felt they were not compatible with each other any longer. The only problem was that the man did not have housing and he whispered to me that he was at the brink of tears and felt paralyzed by the situation – the can of liquor next to him was even more telling. After finishing his medical screening, I looked through our resources sheet and gave him two numbers that he could call to request free housing. I was so moved by this gentleman’s situation because it reminded me how one can be in such a vulnerable position yet put on a façade that everything is alright. When I asked him about church, he said he was a Christian but life had gotten in the way and he no longer attended church. I invited him to the local church we were partnering with but he immediately jumped in saying that he had a lot of things that he needed to rectify first before he could go to church. Now this nearly brought me to tears, because it is so hard for us as Christians to truly believe that Christ wants us and loves us just as we are. As I shared about how much the Lord loves him and is willing to have him just as he was – failures, mistakes and all – tears started coming down his face. We prayed as a team for the Lord to lift his burdens and to engulf him with his love.
There is really no perfect way to share about the love of Christ with others. The point is to just do it.
-Maureen Waweru