Facing Death

Sometimes missioning and visiting our friends on the street can be heavy. We have the privilege of accompanying people in some of life’s deepest grief and suffering. 

One day during street ministry, my mission partner and I noticed a group of people standing clustered together, so we decided to say hi and offer coffee. As we approached their tents and the group, we quickly realized something was wrong. I was speechless and a little in shock as they told me their friend had died and watched as his body was being taken away in a black bag. The two homeless friends there agreed to coffee, which ended up being a doorway for us to enter just a little into the depth of their grieving hearts. Although it was heartbreaking, it was also so providential that we found them when we did because it gave them someone to process the death with together. We ended up having a very good encounter with the two men there, Biz and Turtle, whom I had met just once before.

Turtle, who’s usually reserved and quiet, opened up a lot, saying he didn’t feel like turtling today. They shared about their friend Erik who brought the three of them together to form some semblance of community which is so rare on the streets. All three were sober and supporting each other, camping together, and watching each other's things. They shook their heads in disbelief that their friend, who they said was a great guy, worked as a cook with a charity, and had died due to medical reasons in his tent. He was trying to get into medical housing but it hadn’t worked out. His medications got stolen a month back and he’d been in the hospital because he was so sick. He had finally just come back with medication. But when Turtle checked on him that morning, he was stiff. Turtle cleaned up Erik’s tent and things, then there was a moment of silence as we all looked in the space where Erik used to be. How beautiful that we could all honor and remember Erik’s life? Sadly many people die each year on the street, alone, with sometimes no one to care for or pray for them. Erik’s life mattered. Every person’s life matters. Even though I never met Erik, I felt like I was introduced to him by Biz and Turtle that day.

Another fruit of this conversation was getting to know Biz and Turtle more too. They opened up about some of their past, their broken families, crazy stories, relationships, and mental health issues. And the next time I saw Biz, he continued to share about his past trauma and mental illnesses. It’s very humbling to know that by accompanying people and listening to the wounds of people’s hearts, that I can be an instrument of healing. 

This encounter has stuck with me a lot. In moments like this in the mission, when we face heavy stuff, I run to prayer and give it all to Jesus. After this there was a Mass offered for Erik’s soul and I’ve continued to pray for him. Prayer is absolutely essential in this mission.

~Maria Nehnevaj