ASIA — A young boy wandered into the alley outside the shop window. He stood there in a long torn shirt, a distant look on his face, and drool falling to the ground.

Vicky, a Crossworld worker, noticed him through the shop window while chatting with the owner, Rita. Their attention turned toward the street as parking attendants started to surround the boy, banging their sticks on the ground and making fun of him.

When they left, Rita grabbed a snack from behind the counter and slipped out the door. She carefully held out the snack, but he turned and darted out of the alley.

“One day he wandered into the alley covered in vomit,” she shared after returning to the shop. “I took out a bucket of soapy water and tried to get close to him.” Her eyes became distant as she continued to recall. “I put some of the water on my arm. Then he stuck his arm in the bucket and put some more water on my arm. I was eventually able to clean him off some before he ran away.”

Rita turned to walk to the back of the store. “I see him in the alley often,” she said. Later when Vicky left, she glanced down the alley and then back at the little shop door. Vicky’s heart broke each time she learned more about the people living on the street. And her heart yearned to share more about Christ with this kind shop owner.

When you see your community through God’s eyes, do the needs you notice excite or intimidate you? Ask Jesus to help you bring His love to life wherever life happens.

Italicized names were changed to protect identity.