Revive will relaunch this coming Sunday in Kaimuki. Revive is a community outreach ministry of Inspire Church.

I did a dry run this past Sunday to iron out the logistics. I picked up McDonald’s cheeseburgers at 10:30am (when lunch menu items became available.) I attended service at 11:15am at Kaimuki High School. After service, I grabbed the burgers and an umbrella from my truck. Unfortunately, no one was available to help out on this first trial run.

I prayed, then crossed the street. I cut through the Market City Shopping Center and walked up the ramp. I crossed over Harding Avenue to the freeway overpass. I noticed right away that things are different here. In Chinatown, people can have meals and showers at River of Life. The smell is a lot stronger here.

I offered food to the the first two men that were there. They were very appreciative.
One of the guys said, “You know, you don’t have to be afraid of us.”
I replied, “I know. We love you guys. I’ll bring some friends next week.”

I went to the next tent. The woman was too shy to come out. She stuck her hand out to collect the food. She was very thankful.

The next encounter was heartbreaking. An elderly man was eating foul food that he said he found in the trash. I told him to have this instead. He was extremely happy to receive fresh cheeseburgers. Very grateful….

A man walking by asked for food. He said he was homeless. He thanked me for the food.
Another guy yelled at him from across the street. He ran across the street through stopped cars to chase him down.

I then came across an older couple lying on cardboard. (Everything smelled bad here.) They too were surprised and happy to receive the food.

I crossed the street at the light and entered the Market City Shopping Center parking lot. There I saw the other guy who was being chased down earlier. He was staggering and yelling in the rain. My first reaction was to walk the other way. I felt God encouraging me to approach him. “You still have cheeseburgers in your bag.”
I said, “God, how did you know that?”
I offered the guy food, and he quickly snapped out of his tantrum. He said, “I’m so hungry. Thank you. What’s your name?”
I said, “Alan.”
He said, “You look like my uncle.” We actually had a normal conversation. Only thing, we were blocking traffic in the parking lot. I looked at the driver, she was smiling.