10-02-09

I'm lying down on my back in the tent. It's noon and the sun is burning directly above. Sweat is puddling on the tarp around me. During the hottest part of the day it's a struggle between finding shade in a tent without the ocean breeze or suffering the sun with the occasional gust of relief. The sound of waves breaking against the reef serves as a form of torture; cool water guarded by jagged rocks. So close but yet so far.

Welcome to one moment of one day being homeless on the beach in Makaha, Hawaii. For our team, this wasn't permanent. We were houseless there for only four days. The more than 150 homeless men, women, and children who make that beach park and small stretch of woods their home live there year-round. Their lives are made of moments like the one above and others that are much, much darker. Moments where drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, heartache, and hopelessness take center stage.

But even with all the pain and disappointment that these people experience, when seven nervous outsiders showed up in their park, instead of letting bitterness harden their hearts, they welcomed us with open arms. They helped us set up camp. They gave us food and cooking utensils. They gave us valuable advice. They invited us into their homes and let us play with their kids. They treated us like family.

The night Jesus was arrested he told his disciples this:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. - John 13:34

Jesus loves us unconditionally. It doesn't matter how speckled with mistakes our pasts may be. He loves us right where we are. He welcomes us with open arms. He helps us set up camp. He provides for our needs. He gives us valuable advice. He invites us into a relationship with Him and encourages us to play and be happy like children.

When we had nothing, the people whom most of society would rather ignore took us in and loved us unconditionally. And while we were there, in part, to put ourselves into the shoes of those we are trying to love, we received much more from the experience. We walked into the situation timid strangers; unsure what God was going to teach us or how He was going to use us. We walked out "Uncle Andrew" and "Aunty Tasha", humbled with a new appreciation for many of the little things in life, with a valuable lesson in unconditional love, and some serious tan lines.