- I met Daryl in 2013 on a humid summer night in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was an older man, probably in his 50s. I was with a group of high school students from my church, Eagle Brook. We were on a mission trip and had decided to go on a prayer walk down by the river. We were handing out water bottles to people and about midway through our time we walked up to him. Another group had just been talking to him so he didn't want any water. But we talked to him anyway and I'm so glad that we did. We learned that Daryl had lost his home in Hurricane Katrina. He had a large family and they were all separated in the storm. He told us that as the death toll rose he wondered whether any of those people were members of his family. Several years later he was still homeless. But that didn't make him angry with God. He praised God. In fact, towards the end of our conversation he showed us his most prized possession, which was also one of his only possessions: his Bible. Daryl had every right to be discouraged. It had been years since Katrina and he still had no home and no way of knowing where his next meal would come from. Daryl was one of the poorest people in the nation. He didn't own hardly anything and had only a few dollars to his name but he was richer in faith than so many people I know. His faith was incredible. He knew that God would take care of him.
- I met Jenny at the Marie Sandvik Center about a month ago. From the beginning, I could tell she had a joy and kindness about her that could only come from someone who knew God intimately. As I got to know her I could see her deep trust and faith in God. The first day I talked to her she told me about her miracle of the day. Her daughter had been wanting a dog for a long time and that afternoon they met a man who was looking to adopt out a dog to a nice family. After they talked a while the man decided to not just adopt out this dog to them but actually GIVE them the dog. She was so excited that God had blessed her family with a dog. Now to be clear, Jenny wasn't homeless but seeing as she was a patron at the center one can infer that she isn't exactly wealthy by the standard's of the America. But like I said, after a few minutes with her you know that she is very rich in faith. She could have chosen to be discouraged. She could have asked God why she didn't have a bigger house or why she had to come to the MSC for dinner or why she couldn't afford to buy her daughter a dog but instead she put her faith in God fully.
Daryl and Jenny are only two of the people I have met that had little in the standards of the world but were the richest in faith. Every mission trip I have been on I have met "poor" people with incredible faith and every week I volunteer at the MSC I meet people who give God the credit for every single thing they get. It just goes to show that those who are poor in the world's eyes are often the ones who are the most devoted followers of Christ and are the richest in faith.
"Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?"
- James 2:5
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