Goose. His name is actually Wayne. That’s what Graham wrote with a Sharpie on the backpack we gave him so he'd have something to keep his belongings in, few as they may be. Like most of the people 'Kingdom Here' ministers to, Wayne is homeless. We met Goose (I’ll tell you why I call him Goose shortly) the Wednesday before Christmas outside the Salvation Army on Greene Street in Augusta, GA. This particular morning Beau’s sweet grandparents were in the kitchen well before the rooster's crow making homemade sausage biscuits. We loaded up a couple of cars with biscuits, blankets, socks, shoes, Bibles (and many other necessities that we so often take for granted) and headed downtown looking for needs to meet.
In addition to the basic human needs it is necessary to add one more: the need for purpose. I feel it. All of our donor’s feel it. Beau’s grandparents felt it when they wanted to be involved with what God is doing through Kingdom Here. We all feel it. Every one of us. And Goose feels it even in the middle of the cold he lives in everyday. I know this because Goose told us about Daphne, his pet Goose. Yep, this homeless man has a pet goose! And, get this: Goose goes to visit Daphne everyday, rain or shine. To hear him talk about caring for this goose you would think you were listening to the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation discuss his rise to the top. Goose passionately spoke to us about his drive to meet Daphne’s only daily need- the need to be fed. I couldn’t help but think about my own basic need to have a purpose in life. And how, even though Goose didn’t realize it, he was helping me to find and fulfill my purpose.
As the conversation went on Robbie & I were able to connect with Goose on another level. He told us about his teenage years when he served with Mother Theresa in Africa and how he would carry refugees to the border for medical care. Often times the people he carried on his back did not survive the journey and died before they could be attended to. Even as a young man he felt the need for purpose. And even now, though his circumstances have changed, he is still pursuing the unending need by caring for his beloved animal. I was overwhelmed and blessed to be able to hear the stories this old man shared.
I’ve heard this many times before: boredom is "the lack of God-defined purpose in your life". I can’t help to wonder if our society were taught how to seek a “God-defined purpose” how different the needs of humanity might look. What if our children began utilizing their gifts and developing a God-given passion for the needy? What if the rich began yearning for God to redirect their resources in a way that honored Him and delivered the oppressed? How different would our world look?
Through Kingdom Here we are on a journey to transform our own lives from the ordinary lives we’ve been living for so long into radical lives filled with purpose and selflessness. Our mission is to literally be the hands and feet of Christ to those in their darkest hour by helping to meet their deepest needs. In doing so it is our prayer that God’s KINGDOM will be established HERE just as it is in Heaven.
We would love to have you on this journey with us.
Be Love,
Jamie for Kingdom Here
