Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ - Matthew 25:34-40
take a walk up and down the streets of chicago and look around. did you encounter and come across any homeless people? your answer will probably be, "yes." did you just walk by? did you judge? did you give them the quarter that was in your pocket? did you ignore them and think they would buy alcohol or some type of illegal substance with the money they had?
i am assuming that we can all answer "yes" to these questions. we have all been there, we have all done that. however, i had a different experience this past sunday with about 70 high school students.
it was the annual high school thanksgiving service project and this year we went downtown to hand out burger, blankets, and Bibles to the least of these. we split up in groups, bought some burgers at macdonalds, and started to walk. and oh boy, did these students encounter many individuals that were thankful to see these kids. a simple burger or blanket went a long way with these people.
we didn't just walk by or judge - the students EAGERLY approached every wonderful individual on the street asking them if they would like a burger to eat, or a blanket to keep them warm, or even a Bible to read. they would ask them their name and ask if there was anything they could pray for them about.
one guy's pray request wasn't for himself, but for those people who just walk by, that the Lord would open their hearts to the homeless. ugh - hit in the gut. remember when we said "yes" to just walking by... his prayer request was for me!!
after handing out many, many burgers, a few blankets and Bibles, and walking a few miles - the students were ready to just sit down. it was cool to listen to a few share what they learned or saw while we were waiting for the train and then taking time in small groups to pray for those we encounter. what a blessing those prayers had to be to the Lord! i feel so honored to serve the Lord in this ministry alongside these students. it was so encouraging to see them so willing to give their time and money to help those who hardly have two pennies to rub together. looking forward to serving alongside these students for many more years.
here are some pictures of the students:
Greatest Small Group Girls :) 
our group. about 18 of the 70+ that came!
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