A few hours before street missioning, I told one of my missionary brothers I wasn’t feeling up to it. The fire and zeal in my heart felt dim that day. My brothers gave me some words of encouragement that helped for a bit, but the discouragement still lingered.

When it was time to mission, I headed to St. Michael’s. Once there, all of us missionaries went to the chapel to invoke the Holy Spirit, asking Him to prepare our hearts and send us out on fire for our friends on the streets. As we prayed, I begged God for an outpouring of grace because I was really feeling my human limitations—my capacity to love felt small.

After prayer, we headed out. I tried to surrender what I was feeling and focus on bringing Christ to others. My mission partner, Carissa, and I walked toward our zone, hoping to see some of the same friends we’d met before. Amazingly, five minutes later we ran into three of them! It was such a gift to see familiar faces. Even though the conversations were short, they lifted our spirits. Afterward, we realized the Lord had answered our prayer so quickly—we couldn’t help but laugh. I had never seen a prayer answered that fast, and joy filled my heart.

As we continued our mission, an hour passed without meeting anyone new. Feeling like we were wasting time, we prayed again for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Soon after, we encountered two men at the edge of our zone—one named Bryan, sitting on the sidewalk with his friend. We offered them coffee and began to talk.

Bryan shared that his wife had divorced him, and after some bad decisions, he ended up on the streets despite once having a successful career as a software engineer. As he spoke, I felt the Lord giving me the grace to see him through His eyes. He was a man of faith, which helped us connect deeply. Bryan kept blaming himself for where he was. I told him that his actions—his sins—aren’t who he is. Those are just things he did. His real identity is that of a beloved son of the Father, no matter what he’s done. A small grin appeared, and tears welled in his eyes. It didn’t make sense to him, but I knew he felt the truth of that in his heart.

As we talked, one of Bryan’s friends joined us—a younger guy in his early 20s named David, who goes by Rain on the streets. Hearing us speak about faith drew him in, as he was also a Christian. Carissa and I barely said a word; David spoke passionately about the struggle of living by faith while battling addiction on the streets.

Then he said something that’s stuck with me ever since: “It feels like we’re in a parallel universe living on the streets. People walk past us as if we don’t exist. But it’s people like you who remind us we’re in the same universe.” Thanks be to God for using this mission to reach His lost sheep.

After our conversation, Carissa and I prayed with David and Bryan, then gave them both big hugs. I felt such deep love for them. When I hugged them, it felt like Jesus Himself was embracing them through me. My heart felt like it would burst from the love the Lord was pouring in.

What began as a burden turned into a beautiful encounter. Only by God’s grace was it possible. The Lord showed me I am not in control. It doesn’t matter how I feel before the mission—God is in control, and by His mercy, these encounters happen. All I have to do is call upon His name and give Him my heart so He can share His love through me with others.

~Tomás Guzmán

A Parallel Universe