He Will Find a Way

Blog post written by Kristen Yee (Irvine, CA) and Marci Yanagawa (Irvine, CA)

“For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. The King will reply, ‘I tell you truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” - Matthew 25:35,36,40

Last night we were given the opportunity to serve men, women and children living on the streets of San Salvador. To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect as we haven’t had much exposure to anything beyond our Irvine “bubble.” 

Before heading out on the streets, our team members prepared the meals in an assembly line. We packed up bologna/cheese sandwiches, chips, cookies, an apple and a drink. We rode on the back of the blue Sus Hijos truck, passing out a bag of food to every person that we saw along the way. As the night progressed, we encountered many different types of people that we weren’t used to seeing back at home. Some people were drunk or high, sniffing glue to lessen hunger pains. . Some were disabled. Sadly, we also saw people stuck in prostitution. Despite our shock, we realized that everyone deserves to eat, no matter their choices, priorities or status. Every person deserves to feel God’s love and we were honored to help play a role in that.

But the hardest part for us was when we ran out of food. We were driving back to the mission house when a young teenage boy came running up to the truck. He looked at us with big, hopeful eyes and a glistening smile as he asked for “comida” (food). Unfortunately, we had to explain that we ran out of bags and told him that we would be back “mañana” (tomorrow). Immediately his smile diminished and his eyes dropped to the ground. We watched as he turned to walk away with his head bowed down in despair. Everyone including the young boy knew that there was no certainty he would receive anything tomorrow. Our hearts sank. We couldn’t bare the thought of leaving an innocent child out on the streets, starving and alone. Tears began streaming down our faces as we watched his shadow fade into the darkness. 

Although we don’t know for certain whether that young boy received food tonight, we have faith that God will find a way to provide for him. We are beyond thankful for this unique experience because it opened our eyes to the tragic reality of this world. However, it also revealed to us that the almighty power and love of Jesus Christ that is far greater than any tragedy. We are grateful to God for breaking our hearts for the things that breaks his and know that this experience will change us forever.