This is a testimony of how I got to appreciate the faith of others. This story is not a story that is common to all of us. I'm just blessed that God gave me an opportunity to witness this "thing", and I am here to share it with you.
This story is about a man in the streets. This is about a man classified under the marginalized sector of our society. His name is Kuya Paul.
February 20, 2010, Saturday. This was the day when the Grace Gospel Church Joshua Brigade went out to give tracts in Luneta Park. I started out to give tracts with the kids that were with me. People came and went. Some accepted the tracts, and some did not. At about the end of our tract giving, we gave a tract to a man. He accepted it and started to read the text out loud. He started commenting about the text and praised God for it. This man was Kuya Paul.
Kuya Paul is 62 years old. Kuya Paul speaks English quite well which in turn allowed him to have a small income by helping tourists who are walking around Luneta. Kuya Paul sleeps along Baywalk Avenue right now. He appeared to be a Christian by how he speaks. He told me that he had no church, but that he would often pray to God. I asked him about his experience in Ondoy. He told me that he had a shelter in Marikina, but that it was lost because of Ondoy. He told me that he lost his 5 year old son in the flood, but that he still had a 3 year old son.
Kuya Paul appeared to be a typical man in the streets. He has no shelter, he is poor, and he has to deal with the harsh economy of the Philippines. What touched me, however, was the strong faith that he has on our Lord Jesus. Amidst the things that happened to him, he is cheerful. He never said a word of complaint about God when he was telling me about his Ondoy experiences and about his poverty. He even thanked God that God allowed him and his family to be happy even in these harsh conditions.
What touched me even more was his constant reference to God. As I have mentioned, he always tells me of God's grace. He thanked God for giving him wisdom and knowledge even though he had only finished until grade 4. He told us to thank God for our education, our family, and our friends. He also is angry at Christians who took worship services lightly. He told me that he was disappointed with Christians who wear inappropriate attires to Church or when they are texting during services. He told me that when we face God, we should go to Him with utmost reverence.
Here is a man by Baywalk Avenue. He had nothing. Most of us are blessed with things we don't even need. Yet we still complain. I am so blessed to have met Kuya Paul. His unwaivering faith has inspired me to be strong in the Lord through tough times, to be content with what I have, and to correct people who are not giving their best for God.
Sadly, the chat we had was quite short. For the first time, 20 minutes talking with a stranger was short (he was, I thought, a brother in Christ), but I know that it was not in vain. God allowed Kuya Paul to remind me of things I would have otherwise neglected had he not told me about his experiences. We ended our chat when I prayed for him, and a word that he will go to Grace Gospel Church starting next week.
Here's hoping that no one from the church will reject or judge or shun him.
After this experience, I am fired up. I want to meet people like Kuya Paul where I can be encouraged by their big faith in God.
Praise God! :)
May God bless us as we continue to become more like Him, as we continue to encourage and learn from the fellowship, and as we learn from Christians outside our community.
