I recently mentioned my friend Francis, an older man with a long unkempt white beard, soiled and sweat-stained clothes, worn tennis shoes, and an odor that lasted in your mind longer than you wished. Though he is limited in social skills and displays some mental health issues, Francis reads five or six newspapers a day in the library, possesses a wide range of knowledge of the world, and most importantly is a believer in Jesus.
Francis’ mother was a university president, and when she died, left him enough money to travel the world. When the funds ran out, he lived on the street for a few decades until a mutual friend helped him secure a tiny state-funded apartment in San Francisco.
I remember one Christmas season when Francis had been ordered out of Union Square Plaza because of his appearance. He never hurt a fly in his life, but since his looks didn’t go with the downtown business section décor, they asked him to go back to where he came from. When I asked him about it, he wasn’t particularly hurt or angry about the incident. He was used to it.
His name and the name of the city is after another homeless Jesus-lover. Ironic, wouldn’t you say?
Anyway, I was hurt and a bit angry myself but I didn’t let it show. I just scooped him up and took him back to the Square, figuring that if we were together, he wouldn’t stand out so much. We ended up having a great time watching the ice skaters, taking photos of each other under the eighty-six feet tall Christmas tree, and enjoying hot chocolate before going “home,” which for me was my third story apartment across from Dolores Park. His was a spot where he’d stashed his sleeping bag on a sidewalk alcove on Powell Street.
I’ve since lost touch with Francis, but I have nothing but love in my heart for my friend. And if I’m not mistaken, he felt the same about me and pretty much everyone else he’s met since.
It’s image-bearing people like Francis that the YWAMers in San Franciso’s Tenderloin neighborhood serve every day. You may or may not be able to do what they do where they do it, but you can support their work financially and get a great book on Luke 10 at the same time! Here’s how…
Go to barneywiget.com, then click on “Latest Book”… Fill in the boxes and click on “Receive Download Link”… Click on “Book Download Instructions.pdf”… Follow those instructions and get your book! And please click on “DONATE WHAT YOU CAN HERE.”
PS, No, Francis is not in the photo. And yes, I am holding a banana while preaching. Don’t bother looking “bananas” up in your concordance. They’re not mentioned. Can’t remember, but I must’ve had some good reason for using it as a prop. Maybe I was just hungry?
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