A man named Jason

One of my first weeks of DTS, we were sent out in teams to minister to people.  I was assigned to a team that was specifically focused on ministering to the homeless. Here in Hawaii, there are many homeless.  We were told that colder states in the US will pay a one way ticket to send the homeless here to Hawaii because that ticket is cheaper than paying for their funeral costs if they were to freeze to death. Here in Hawaii, the homeless wont freeze to death and have a natural food supply of avocado trees and coconuts.

During that first day, my partner, his daughter and I met a homeless man named Jason. Jason was a darker man with dreads and a self made palm leaf visor and was on the side of the road making crosses, birds, hearts, and whatever else out of palm branches and selling it to the tourists that walk by.  Jason also had a dog with him, and so we stopped to chat with him, and of course, to pet his dog.

We must have chatted with him for about 45 minutes that day. I mostly listened as my partner talked to him about God and the scriptures. Surprisingly, Jason knew a lot about God, Christianity and the scriptures and he entered into conversation with a lot to contribute.  Jason also made some great statements and acknowledged some incredible truths.  At one point, he even told a story about how one time when people were coming to attack him in the night, he called on Jesus for protection, and then made the profound statement that Jesus was the only way.

Jason made many good and true statements, but interspersed in the conversation, was also the acknowledgement of other spirits, his doubt in scriptures trustworthiness, and some other statements that just didnt quite line up...  As we conversed with him, he told us as some point that he grew up Jehovahs witness and used to go to church, but now, he explored his spirituality in different ways.

We prayed for him, and I felt impressed to tell him how much God loved him and emphasize his value.  I wish I could remember everything from that first conversation, but the overall impression as we walked away was that he had a taste of truth but was missing a lot.

Before we left, my partner that day give him a pocket new testament to read.  I also wanted to buy something from him to help him in his business. I noticed these bracelets he was wearing and asked if he had made the himself. He had, so I asked him if he had any to sell. He didnt but he said he would make them for me for $20. I realized this was a great excuse to see him again. I had $10 with me and handed it to him as a prepayment, knowing there was a chance Id never see him again, and we set up a time to meet there on the street the following week.

But I did see him again a couple days later and chatted with him, and reconfirmed the time to meet the following week. The following week, however, he was nowhere to be found.  Determined to see him and talk with him again, I carried the remaining $10 with me each time I walked down that street, but I didnt see Jason again for over a month.

In the meantime, I would get reports from my partner that he had seen Jason again, and Jason was different and almost angry.  Finally after a month, my partner told me that Jason was looking for me to give me the bracelets.

I cannot remember the time frames exactly, but finally one day, a friend and I found him.  He let me know he had been angry at me for in his mind 'not showing up', so I reassured him that I had been looking for him ever since that day and had not forgotten.  He didnt have the bracelets with him that day, but I gave him the remaining $10 to ease his mind and to bless him.

That day we talked with him for nearly an hour and I began to gently correct some of his false truths.  Once again, I saw fragmented truths... He would make incredible good points, but then say things that revealed the demonic.  From all I am learning, I saw someone tormented by many demonic spirits, someone who most likely had been very wounded and deceived in his past. Someone who trusted in  auras. Someone who believed in superstitions (he felt he had to cancel our prayers out from the first week because he believed they had brought trouble to him.)

One thing Jason said that day was that Christians are always giving 3rd party love rather than sincere love themselves. What he was referring to was the 'You are loved', 'God loves you' type statements. I pondered this as he spoke, and then, I expressed to him that I did sincerely love him. Had been thinking of him and praying for him ever since that first day we had met.

While I think this was meaningful for him, it impacted me also as I realized the truth of what he had said about 3rd party love and the power of actually GIVING love directly from me BECAUSE God loved me.  Yes God loved him too, but it is the power of God's love that allowed me to love directly that I suddenly realized was powerful.  It is through us loving that others feel Gods love!

That day as we left, I gave Jason a hug and we made plans to meet again to get the bracelet.  This time, Jason had my phone number to call me to come.  Still... when the day came, he never called.  My friend who had met him with me last, saw him a week or so ago and he didnt have the bracelets. He had the money now, and with only a week or so until I left Hawaii, I doubted I would get the bracelets and wasn't concerned for it.

But what an incredible story God had in mind!

These bracelets that had kept me connected to Jason for nearly 3 months now gave me a chance to see him again after all!  Each week, our whole campus gathers for worship service each Thursday night. My last Thursday in Kona, while I was singing, none other than Jason himself finds me to give me these bracelets!

We hugged in greeting and then he let me know he had heard I was leaving, and he had wanted to make sure to get the bracelets to me.  I was astounded! He had gone out of the way to honor our deal! He had even braved coming into a very loud worship service to find me.

I haven't seen Jason again since, but I am praying for him still... That he would find FULL truth, and true powerful amazing Love.... And also, that God would continue to fill me with sincere love that pours out to others, not just with words but in actions....