“You’re not from Philly, are you?”
“You’re not from Philly, are you?” a man in the park said to me on our last day in Philly.
The church was holding its weekly cookout in the park across the street. I was making my way to the end of the line for burgers and hotdogs when I gave him a cheery “Hello”.
I responded to his question with a small smirk and said, “No, how can you tell?”
The cookout was being hosted by people who technically were not from Philly, so I assumed it was a lucky guess. But the older man told me that I looked too nice to be from Philly, that I had a light in my eyes that showed something more.
That was probably the nicest compliment I have ever received. Seeing an opportunity to share the gospel, I told the man that what made me different was Jesus. He smiled and said he knew.
Surprised by his own knowing smile, I learned that this man had spent some time in prison and found the Lord there. He now attended the church and enjoyed the community events that brought the people of Philly closer to the Lord.
By his words, as well as those of another man we met doing street ministry one day, they told my team that Philly was a city hidden in darkness. That much evil went on in the streets and homes of the community but it was a blessing to see teams like this come out and share the Gospel. It brought them hope and encouragement to do the same.
The youth group that came to Philly found many stories that week that clearly pointed to the Lord. It was an incredible week, one I was thankful to be a part of.
