ABWE missionaries, Denise and Bill, were getting ready to leave McDonald’s one evening, when they were stopped by a young man who quietly, desperately asked them for 15 cents. Instead of handing him money, the Brauns bought him a hamburger and began talking with him as he ate. His name was Pasha.
They were deeply saddened by his story. He was in his early twenties. With bitter sorrow, he recalled how his mother had abandoned him; and he could never forgive her. Now he was hitchhiking to the only place in the world where he had any known relatives: a cousin, in a far-away town.
As they shared with him about salvation, Bill asked him if he had a Bible. Pasha gestured to his backpack, his only baggage, and told the Brauns that the woman who had given him a ride had also given him a New Testament. In a town with very few believers per capita, God had placed two in this traveler’s path, within hours of each other. When Denise told Pasha how she thought this was amazing, the young man seemed to agree.
And as they continued to talk with him, Denise found herself wishing they could do more for him.
“In these situations, I wrestle with ‘WWJHUD’,” Denise wrote. “What would Jesus have us do? Find a place for him to stay? Bring him home? I realize there are risks—in the past we’ve been burned in a similar situation. But should we insulate ourselves from risk for the sake of our safety, or should we reach out and leave the risks to the Lord?”
“Please pray for wisdom for us,” she continued, “to discern when God’s plan might include more than a burger, some literature, and a discussion about the only One who can meet his greatest need.”