Often times we’re all concerned with healing hurts and watching them disappear. I worry sometimes that proper care is over looked. When it’s physical, we have pretty good indicators on progress. When they’re emotional, however, we all seem to be in a hurry and there’s no tangible way to say “hey, there’s still a gaping wound there – slow down.”
The Homeless Outreach Team was out a few Fridays back and a woman came stumbling toward the table we set up at Hollywood and Highland, our regular location for providing resources. She collapsed about ten feet from us. Sadly, this is not something out of the ordinary. She began to take off her shoes and then her socks. What I saw next will be burned into my brain for ages.
She had a diabetic ulcer a 1/4 of an inch deep and nearly 2 inches wide on the bottom of her foot. All that was there was red, raw, irritated meat. And she was now dabbing it with her dirty sock. I had to turn away to stop myself from crying and, if I’m being honest, throwing up.
My mother would get diabetic ulcers on the bottom of her foot. They ended up amputating because of it. They’re hard to heal and hard to keep clean. In a case this severe I really didn’t know what to do. So I prayed. What God ordered my team and I to do seems wildly unreal looking back, but we did it. And we’re better people because of it. We went over to meet Rachel, the woman in pain on the street. She was crying and upset, obviously, but still so kind and thanked us for acknowledging her.
She thanked us for acknowledging her. I still have difficulty wrapping my brain around that.
We asked her how we could help and she asked for new socks. Of course this would be the night we had run out. We had literally seen almost 50 people at the table by this point in the evening and were out of nearly all our resources. One of the team members was generous and ran into a store to buy her a new pair. Before that, however, came the most Christian act I have ever seen and will probably remain as such for some time.
God told us to wash this woman’s feet. Ulcer and all. We had the tools on hand to help her, but it was up to us to humble ourselves enough to be used by God, his mercy on this woman and to reach out in a real way to her. We had soap, bottled water, a wash cloth, bandages, alcohol wipes – we had everything we needed to help this woman, at least briefly. And so that’s what happened. On the corner of one of the busiest streets in America, we washed her feet.
She cried, she thanked us. We prayed with her and over her. She cried some more. It wasn’t long before she felt better. It was so fast it made our heads spin. She was able to eat. She washed her hair and face with the water and soap and then she stood up to walk, as if to test this new reality.
This woman who had fallen over, crippled in pain with a tremendous hole on the bottom of her foot, stood up and walked… With a smile on her face, no less. She was happy. She was thankful and astonished by her own abilities. She sat down to eat more of the resources we gave her and opened a gift we had given her, a Treasures Bag from our friends at Treasures who reach out to women working in the sex industry. They put together small bags with gifts like lip gloss, eye shadow, a mirror or other items that remind them that they are loved, valued and purposed.
When Rachel opened this bag and started putting on the makeup you would have thought it was Christmas day. She was so happy. No tears this time, just joy and excitement. She took her time looking in the mirror as she applied the lip gloss and she smiled so wide and proud as she added the eye shadow. She laughed. She had a bona fide giggle fit over her reflection! We went back over to check on her and make sure she was alright and she said to us, “I’m so happy! I haven’t felt like a woman in years! Thank you so much for these!” as she held up the gifts.
We went back to the table, humbled once again. The impact of a gift so small, of items so many of us women take for granted was enough to bring all of us at that table to our knees. The transformation we saw in this woman inside of 30 minutes was a miracle. The team of people that were used by and needed by God, for God, to reach her was a miracle. What was unlocked in that woman because of willingness, a servants heart and generosity is just astounding.
I’m proud of my team. Daily, I’m thankful for each and every one of them. I’m thankful that God loves me enough to restore me through this Ministry and that He trusts me to be a part of His stories. I’m thankful for all of the people, including organizations like Treasures, that support us and help us to reach the people on the street. Not just to offer them water and food, but to offer them hope. We reach their hearts, we get to speak to their souls. We get to wash wounds. We get to tell people that they are loved.
I am so thankful.
