This day is a Christian day!

June 24, 2014

Days in San Francisco, journal 3

         Today I am going to write about something unusual that I was surprised me, but I felt full of joy.

At first, I'll say a bit about hanging out with friends that I met recently. One of them, named Devon, celebrated his birthday today. He is friendly and knows how to be a true friend. Often I used to tease him by calling him “American.” His would respond with a smile. Maybe I told too many jokes, but he did not take them seriously. Once I told him that sometimes I like to call people by their country name. One of my reasons for this is because here, in San Francisco, I met many friends from various parts of the world and it’s hard to remember all of their names. I simply can't. I need more time for it so it’s easier to call them (sometimes) by their country name.

The main goal of all of us meeting today was to volunteer at the Annunciation church. In this Church, once in a month they cook soup and make sandwiches for the poor.

I want to emphasize that San Francisco has a lot of homeless people who live on the streets. Yes, they live on the street. You simply see them around the city. One of the main reasons for the large number of homeless is this city has temperate climate: it is not too cold, neither it is extremely hot so it's a perfect place for them to survive outside. They don't have to think where they shall pass the winter season. Often, I see many of them by the beach living their life under the “open sky.”

       It is really sad to observe their condition, but if they had survived up to now, I am sure they would succeed further on in the future. They only know the street life, without a roof upon their heads. When I think of this, I say to myself: at least all of the city is theirs.

Seeing their daily life, it wounds me. I can't always help them, therefore when it happens that I pass by some homeless, I bend my head down and I continue walking. I don't know how else to act.

Last January, when I was in San Francisco with Borislav and Elijah, we met one homeless person in a bus. Borislav, without any problem, had started to have a conversation with him. By the end of their talk we had realized that this homeless person was quite educated. He even knew some history about the Balkans, about Macedonia, but unfortunately he lost his job and had ended up on the street.

Now, where I live, behind the Cathedral Church where St. John's relics are nearby, there is one homeless person that comes almost every day with his suitcase and his guitar. In my analysis, it seemed he lives on the street and he often stops there near the Church. He would sit on the stairs and a sleep would overtake him.

When I'll pass him, my heart breaks seeing his condition. Some thoughts that come into my mind are to take him at my place, let him shower, and then feed him. However I can't do that because this apartment is not mine. If the owner of the place finds out about it, he will kick me out along with my suitcases and then I wouldn't know where to go. When I came back from the store, often I'll see him on the stairs and I give him a banana. I've asked him a couple of times if he was hungry and he would nod and say yes and then I made him a sandwich.

         Now back to the events in the church. A couple of days ago, Devon had told me about the volunteering to which I said definitely I would go. When we got there, around 6 p.m., the food was already cooked. Only the soup was not ready. From our group, all were present: Devon, Natalie and the two Jordanian sisters, Georgia and Rania. Father Nico gave us sheets with informations about the free meal and we had to give out the sheets to the poor and the homeless. This impressed me the most!

          I've never ever been around the streets and inviting poor people for supper. This is what happened: Five of us were going around the streets and wherever we saw the poor or homeless people we asked: “are you hungry?” To others we would say: “At the Annunciation church there is a free dinner”, to the third one we would question: “would you like to eat soup and a sandwich?” We kept asking and gave them out one sheet to each person so that they could read how to get to the church.

I felt a bit uncertainty while talking to them. I wasn't afraid of the approaching to the poor and offering them a dinner, but I'v never done such thing before. Simply, we were coming up to them and asking: “do you want to eat?” Also it wasn't easy because you don't know to what kind of person you are talking: one young girl was sitting on the stairs, covered with a spring blanket, another one was sitting by a wall with a big suitcase, a third one walked by the street and you saw him, destitute. He lives wherever he finds a place. At one place where we went looked like small neighbourhood of homeless people. There were tents, it smelled of urine, some clothes were in water to be washed... the scene horrified me! In one moment we all were quiet and were trying to realize where we were and what we were seeking. Afterwords I told to the rest of the group: “ I can't stay here anymore. The smell is killing me.” At the same time I had thought about the struggle with which when we help the poor, we don't choose to whom we go. We have to be ready for any situations and to face any type of person. That is the true love of an Orthodox Christian!

We also had one interesting situation with one man. It was self evident he was poor. We told him about the meal and when we gave him the sheet, he asked us: 'Are you Christians?” We answered in the affirmative. Further on, he said that he has four friends and asked us if he could tell them about the meal. Without any hesitation we welcomed all of them. Then the poor guy also asked us: “can I bring my dog? He is hungry too.” What could we have answered? We told him that we will see about it when he comes to the church. The guy looked happy and before we left, he said: “This day is a Christian day!”

            I immensely thank God for this opportunity, for five of us going around the streets and inviting the poor and the homeless for dinner. Likewise I thank Him for He is teaching me not to turn away from the stink of those poor and homeless people because they are also human beings, but for some reason they had ended up on the street.

Indeed we have to extremely appreciate life. We should not forget to thank God for the daily bread since we have a place to live, while many do not. This is the starting point from where we need to begin: to learn to be thankful for the little things that we have, and for the rest of it God will grant us more.

For some people life could be heartless. It is like this for the people that I saw today. There aren't out there because God hates them. No, not at all. I am sure most of them will get their salvation, but what about us?

We, who pass by them without even looking, by helping and being compassionate to them, will we get our salvation?

We, who are overtaken by this world and the comfort in it, will ever learn how to love God and our poor and homeless neighbour?

We, who have become selfish and too individualistic, what kind of life lies ahead of us?

It's the life we live in our own world, with our own ideas and we think we can do everything on our own.

One being told me the following: “if you want an award, go to the poor and homeless and you will get it.” Here, in San Francisco I see them a lot and I will find my way to approach them and help because I want to learn to be a human being with compassion and with love!

Glory be to God for everything!

P.S. The soup was indeed delicious! :)

Edited by: 

KC   Cochrane