I stepped off of the bus and looked around.  Face after face.  Life after life.  I saw homeless people, immigrants, drug addicts and prostitutes.  I saw broken people, forgotten people… I saw the “least of these.”

As volunteers inside the bus started serving soup and hot chocolate, I smiled.  This was going to be a good trip!

One of the many children in NYC who struggle under intense poverty.

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My own culture

In a city filled with wealth, there are inevitably many who have nothing.

So… New York City.  Like many places I’ve been, it’s filled with deep disparity.  The very rich and very poor live right next door to each other.  But unlike the slums of Nairobi or the mountains of Panama, this community speaks my language.  This culture is my own.

And while I won’t need to worry about eating meals of goat brains and pig ankles, I am preparing myself for an experience that will hit very close to home.

For the next four weeks I’ll be living and working with a ministry doing some incredible things on the streets.  It’s called New York City Relief (www.nycr.org).

NYCR’s mission is “to respond to God’s heart for the poor and broken by going to the streets to offer food, compassion and connections to resources that lead to life transformation.”

Essentially, they have turned two old school buses into mobile soup kitchens.  They drive the buses out each morning from their headquarters in Elizabeth, New Jersey and set up shop in each of NYC’s boroughs throughout the week (North Bronx and Harlem on Tuesdays, Manhattan on Friday, etc.).

While they are there, volunteers with The Relief Bus distribute delicious vegetable and rice soup, freshly baked Portuguese bread and hot chocolate or iced tea, depending on the weather.  People come from all around to enjoy a tasty and nutritious meal and to talk and laugh with the team.

The Relief Bus set up in South Bronx.

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More than just food

But it doesn’t stop at just food.  Each Relief Bus is a fully equipped resource center for people needing jobs, shelter, clothing, drug rehab or prayer.  In their 21 years as an organization, NYCR has touched the lives of tens of thousands of people by directing them to their partner organizations all over the city and getting them connected with life-saving programs.

The Relief Bus, a symbol of hope for many in downtown New York City.

Get any of The Relief Bus staff talking and they’ll tell you story after story of life change and transformation that has come about simply by being available to the broken souls they have met on the street.  Because of the Relief Bus, people have turned their lives away from drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution and crime to become fully functioning members of society.

But most importantly, The Relief Bus offers something that is in very short supply on the dark streets of New York City… compassion.

The light of the kingdom of God shines through each of these incredible Christ-followers, and their own stories of transformation are an amazing testimony to the hurting people that come to visit the bus.

Homeless men can find a listening ear to help them process the stress of their day-to-day lives.  Female prostitutes can talk about their choices without feeling judged and shamed.  Drug addicts can cry about their helplessness to a person that will not hesitate to offer hugs and prayer.

And along with all of this, despite being in a city filled with distrust, The Relief Bus is rock of consistency.  They operate rain or shine.  They head out on holidays.  People in North Bronx know that every Tuesday morning, the Relief Bus will be at 183rd and Grand Concourse… No matter what.

The Plan

In broken English, this Guatemalan immigrant said it best. "Full stomach, happy heart." Good work, Relief Bus!

This is the organization I will be “embedded” with for the next four weeks.  I’ll be gathering stories, learning about urban American social injustices and writing about the incredible work God is doing on the streets of New York.  I’ll be sleeping in homeless shelters, experiencing a night at a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) drop-in center and even living for a few nights on the street.

It’s going to be difficult on many levels, but I know that what I learn will give you and I a valuable new insight into the plight of the poor in our nation’s cities.

Oh, and without wanting to give away the ending, I have a feeling we’re going to see God at work in some powerful ways!

So stay tuned to World Next Door all this month for my latest stories from the street.  Follow me on Twitter (@barryrod) for regular updates on my experiences.  But most of all, prepare your heart for the stories that will begin in just a couple of days.  Who knows?  They might just change your life as well!