Devon

Our time of serving was over. We packed our stuff, cleaned the dorms, and headed to the airport. We had experienced poverty and homelessness at a different level, and we were on our way back to our families and loved ones. Getting out at the airport, I was concerned about connecting up with the rest of the team, as we had to be dropped off in 2 vans. And then I stopped....and turned around....

Sitting, right outside the sliding doors we were entering to get into the warmth of the airport, was a man. I hesitated, because that's still my first reaction, but then I bent down, stuck my hand out, and said, "Hi, I'm Steve." This man looked up at me, confused, and considering he had a beer in his hand, drunk. But he took my hand. While shaking his hand, I asked him his name. "Devon", he said. I asked how he was doing, and he asked if anyone had a smoke for him. JoAnn generously shared a couple of cigarettes with him, and then she squatted down to join our conversation. We told Devon about The Relief Bus, and handed him some information on how to find them. We prayed over Devon, and went inside. The end of it, right? Well, God wasn't done with Devon and JoAnn.

A little later, we're sitting in the food court, eating breakfast. Who do I see shuffling in? Yep, Devon. He moves together 3 chairs and lies down. A few of us had some packages of peanut butter crackers, so I took 1 over to him. He was appreciative. I found another package a little later and simply put it on top of the other one, as by now, Devon appeared to be sleeping. And then I headed through security to get to my gate. The end of it, right? Well, not quite.

About 15 minutes later, JoAnn approaches me. After I went through security, JoAnn and Bev held back because they hadn't yet finished eating. While they were there, some cops came up to Devon, telling him he had to leave. From JoAnn's telling of the story, the cops didn't look like they were playing around. Without hesitation, though, JoAnn approaches Devon and tries to reassure him things are going to be okay. The cops asked JoAnn if she knew him and she told them she'd just met him. And then, JoAnn saw a visible change in the cops. They relaxed. They became more light hearted. In fact, as they pointed Devon toward where he needed to be, the cops didn't even follow him. They hung back by JoAnn and joked amongst each other. Would this have happened had JoAnn not intervened? I don't know, but my heart tells me no.

There are 2 things that struck me during our time with Devon. As I was shaking his hand, he looked me deep in my eyes and wouldn't let go of my hand. We're talking about an eight or nine pump handshake. Yes, I'm aware Devon was drunk, but you didn't see his eyes. They were talking to me. Devon's eyes said "Thank you. Thank you for noticing me. Thank you for giving me dignity for a few minutes. Thank you for caring." You know, as I sit here and type this, it hit me that I wasn't staring into Devon's eyes. I was staring into Jesus' eyes. "Whatever you did to one of the least of these, you did to me."

Secondly, how many of us are brave enough to do what JoAnn did? 3 cops, directing a homeless man where to go, and, without fear, she steps right in. Don't get me wrong, the cops weren't being mean, but it still took courage for her to do what she did. And because she did, Devon's day was going to be better.

For those of you afraid to speak with a homeless man, woman, or child, don't be. Yes, some of them are missing teeth, some of them smell like they haven't showered in a while, and some of them are suffering from mental illness. But, I got to see Jesus' drunk, dialated, eyes in the middle of a dirty, confused, worn face. And those eyes were beautiful.