You never know what you’ll run into in the streets of Chichicastenango. Just a few weeks ago, I (Michael) was driving home and I saw a young man sitting on a street corner near the local fire station.
This isn’t all that unusual except that this man had no socks and no pants. I assumed he was drunk as, sadly, public drunkeness is not an uncommon sight here.
A light rain had started so we gathered up some clothes (a raincoat, pants, socks) and some food and water. As we pulled up, there he was, still seated on the corner and visibly shivering. Chrisi stayed around the corner with Hudson as I approached the man and quickly realized that he wasn’t drunk but had an obvious mental disability. A pair of pants in a bag sat next to him as evidence that someone else had tried to help him as well.
The man couldn’t communicate, but he showed obvious delight as he quickly ate the bread and two hotdogs I handed him. I couldn’t convince him to put on the socks or pants I brought him, but I covered him with the raincoat and prayed over him. He continued eating quickly and laughed several times. I patted him on the sholder and a local taxi driver called out a warning that we should be careful.
I couldn’t help but think of the Gaderene Demoniac who Jesus met in Mark chapter 5. Like that man, the man we met needed Jesus’ deliverance as well as the clothes we gave him.
That night we prayed over him and made our way home. The next day he was gone.
Please pray for this man who couldn’t even tell me his name. Jesus has complete freedom of spirit, mind and a self-controlled body for this man.
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