Lionel

One of the more exuberant characters at the Living Grace homeless center is Lionel. Technically he’s not homeless – he lives in the nearby Capricorn township – but he’s been out of work for a while and comes to the center for meals. He’s always bouncing off the walls, making jokes and laughing, clearly enjoying life despite his circumstances. Today he was even more enthusiastic than usual and he was eager to tell me why.

It seems he was on his way home yesterday when he ran into two ladies who asked him if he knew God. He said he had heard about some spiritual things at Living Grace, but he didn’t really know God. He invited them into his home, they talked for a while, and he ended up praying to commit his life to Jesus. “Something has changed inside me,” Lionel said. “I can feel it.” Amen to that! I told him that’s the Spirit of God who is now living inside him.

Later in the morning, Lionel came skipping into the building and breathlessly asked if I could write a resume (or C.V., as they call it here) for him. He had just spoken to a grocery store manager who told him there was a cleaning position if he could just bring a C.V. in. Of course, I was happy to help – just seeing the look of joy on Lionel’s face was worth the effort.