I met this man in McDonalds, My friend and I went there to get a small soda and get out of the rain, we moved seats several times trying to find somewhere comfortable and we finally settled on a table off in the corner. This man noticed that we were moving a lot and he laughed about it saying that it didn't much matter where we sat a long as we had chairs. We all laughed, but then he kept talking. I could tell that something was up when he started talking, I could tell that he was not in a very good place in life. He asked me for some food and so I bought him something small and prayed with him, just trying to help him where I could. I was not expecting the reaction I got. He began crying, he cried really hard, and after the prayer he began telling me his story. He was a bit hard to understand but this is what I got,
This man was a member of the 2nd airborne division out of Georgia, he served up until the time that he was sent home with a purple heart for injuries. He served on a plane until it went down behind enemy lines. He survived by hiding underwater, when the enemy forces found the wreck. His pilot was not as lucky however, and he was injured heavily in the crash, so when the plane went down he was not able to escape the enemy soldiers. This man had to endure watching his downed pilot be beaten to death by enemy soldiers. unfortunately this was not the only event that he barely survived. Some time later he was near the crash of a helicopter, and if enduring two crashes wasn't enough, he was also badly injured. The blades of the helicopter flew off in the crash and hit him twice, I didn't believe him, until he removed his hat, and showed where it nearly cut the top of his head off, and lifted up his shirt, to show where the blade cut him from the shoulder to his waist. After his injuries he was too hurt to continue, both physically and emotionally, and he was sent home with a purple heart.When he finished telling his story through once, he told it again. and as he did, more tears sprang to his eyes. I know that this is not the first time that he has told his story, but I wonder, if this wasn't the first time in a while that someone has listened. This man was in pain, but he was receiving no help. with the head injury he sustained, I am sure that it would be difficult for him to find some as well. But I do know, that if I hadn't changed my plans to a more loose schedule, than this man would have probably not felt the love of God that day.
Sometimes when we are on missions trips or are going through life, we have a very objective mindset. We have a specific mission to perform and that comes first and foremost. I am guilty of this mindset at times. But we all need to remember this, sometimes it just takes setting aside your timescale to show love in a persons life, love that they may not be getting from anywhere else. I hope the readers of this blog will remember this man I talked about today, because there may be someone you run into today who is hurting, who just needs an ear to hear, and a heart to lean upon.
