You Say You Want A R{EVOL}ution
An Introvert Unchained
Julie Stiefel first came to serve with New York City Relief through our mobile outreach to the homeless in 2003. She never imagined how dramatically her life would take a turn through volunteering:
“When first introduced to serving the homeless, street people, the poor and needy, the un-loved, I was terrified. Being, at that time, somewhat of an anti-social introvert without a solid idea of where I fit into God’s Kingdom.
“The eight plus years of serving with New York City Relief, and the Relief Bus, made such a major impact on my life that I am NOT the same person
that I was.
“Fast forward 15 or so years to the present – God has taken an introvert with a real fear of social situations, and TRANSFORMED that person into an extrovert with so much LOVE in my heart that it nearly BURSTS out and encompasses everyone around me. I have been told that God SHINES out of me!
“Though we now live in a small southern rural community I find that people here face the same issues, lacks, and needs in their lives. God has taught me, and given me, a boldness that could ONLY have come from Him! Many of our new friends keep coming back for more and I have been able to share the source of my Joy.
“In a nutshell, I credit God, and my friends and mentors at New York City Relief, with turning this once timid introvert into a bold, outspoken extrovert sharing His Love totally through relationship evangelism.”
Tremendously Changed
Luis Flores was homeless on the streets of New York City. He came to The Relief Bus every week for the delicious food. It was there that Luis met a volunteer who struck up a conversation with him. That volunteer offered to pray for Luis and he accepted. His life was never the same. Luis explained through tears,
“It was a simple prayer, but it brought tremendous change. I felt like a new man. I got housing and am continuing my education in aviation maintenance. The best part is my faith has grown stronger. I’m thinking about mission work and serving more on The Relief Bus and praying for others.”
It took months, but Luis tracked down that same volunteer. He now goes to the man’s church and worships together every week. Both have been forever changed by that day they met. Click on the video above to hear his story.
Both Julie and Luis were swept up in a LOVE REVOLUTION. Their stories illustrate our third C.O.R.E. value at New York City Relief:
Revolution: Life transformation for the homeless, the addicted and those who serve them.
The way The Relief Bus outreach endeavors to help our friends living on the streets to experience life transformation is to first build a relationship, so that they know we care. We start by breaking bread and sharing a cup of soup together. Then we offer connections to resources that can turn their lives around such as shelter, drug/alcohol detox and rehab, job information, and local churches. By using this strategy over the past 28 years, we have seen true miracles happen in people’s lives.
Jesus himself was a radical revolutionary, but not like the zealots of his day that sought to throw off their oppressors through violent means. Jesus had come to infiltrate and subvert many systems: “might makes right”, caste systems, disenfranchisement of the poor, racism, patriarchal dominance, ageism and all other forms of injustice. In this Kingdom:
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
Many of the Jews expected the messiah to overthrow their Roman oppressors. Usually, when a system is overthrown, it is through force and violence. This Jesus revolution was also violent, but all of it was directed toward Jesus himself instead of his enemies. Even though he could have struck down his enemies, Jesus knew the real battle was for the heart of mankind.
“We journey not as those who have much to give and who have all the answers, but as fellow travelers toward light and liberation.”
Jesus came to start not a political revolution, but a LOVE REVOLUTION. Other rulers would fight and scheme for dominance, but Jesus’ followers would lay down their lives for widows, orphans, misfits and outcasts of society. It shook the culture and spread like wildfire. The world had never seen anything like it.
Strangely, Jesus was an agent of change not from the top down, but from the bottom up. He aligned himself with the common man. Rather than rule through power and coercion, Jesus led by example: washing feet, touching lepers, embracing the broken, treasuring the rejected. He called his followers to not Lord authority over others, but to imitate him in becoming a servant to all.
No one could believe what they were hearing. This ran counter to everything they knew and accepted. This message was contagious, and out of the unconditional love and acceptance that people received, they turned from their old ways, sold what they had and gave to those who had not. Rather than seeing what they could get away with, they tried to see how much they could give away. A revolution had begun.
This new movement was one of personal and societal life transformation, but not in the way we usually think it will occur. The way we experience life transformation is not through having all the answers and figuring everything out. As Henri Nouwen said,
“We journey not as those who have much to give and who have all the answers, but as fellow travelers toward light and liberation.”
In this new paradigm, we give up control, lay down agendas and simply start loving people the way they are with no strings attached. We don’t seek a platform as much as a personal connection. The Kingdom of God is grassroots. Life transformation happens one person at a time. Viva la rEVOLution!
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