Faith in Action - PA & NY

Karl Leitzel, Faith-Friend: "Being in the shadows along 5th Avenue at midnight among the homeless, watching the bright and swirling nightlife of Manhattan go by with hardly a glance in our direction, was a fascinating experience. Everyone on all sides, the homeless men (and one or two women), the upper crust beautiful people stepping out of their limousines in front of the luxury hotel just across the street, and the gawking out-of-town tourists, all seemed to so much accept the preposterous situation of people trying to sleep in their cardboard boxes on the hard steps of a big old church while others spent hundreds of dollars on an evening out right next door, that no eyebrows were even raised. I didn't feel particularly angry about it at the time, more perplexed I suppose. "That's just the way it is", to quote an old rock song, and there are probably no simple answers, but much of what Jesus teaches us about how we are to love our fellow man seems to make it a completely incongruous situation. So, like many others before our group and after, we did what little we could for a couple of days and then went home to our relatively secure and idyllic lives. We handed out sandwiches and blankets, and some used clothes we brought in big bags in the vans, and we talked quietly in the shadows with them and prayed with those who accepted the offer. Jesse, Joseph, Saino, others, most probably still on the streets even now as the weather turns more bitter. But I'll always remember the bits of conversation, some of it very lucid and well-spoken, some a bit slow or of questionable reality, and the genuine openness and humbleness of most of the street people. It's something I hope everyone will do at some time in their life, and perhaps on a regular basis. Upon our return home, I was inspired to write a song as I sorted out my feelings. You can view a video of me singing it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUDidWP2ays . I hope you find it moving. If so, feel free to comment on the video or email me at karl@keleitzel.com ."