One morning in the beginning of April at 5:15am, I was awakened by the sound of several gun shots. I looked outside to see if everything was okay. I heard someone yelling, "I'm shot, I'm shot, I'm shot." I couldn't see the person, but I heard him. At first, I honestly thought someone was joking around because it didn't sound urgent or desperate. The voice sounded like they were just saying, "I'm shot," just to say it.
So often there are gun shots in the neighborhood, and people are not hit, it's just people firing into the air. I waited a minute and didn't call 911 right away. About a minute later a guy ran to my door with blood all over his hands. He had been shot in both of his hands. He said, "I'm shot, let me in!" I've never seen this guy and I didn't know the situation behind it. I didn't know if someone was after him, or if this was an accident. I didn't want to put myself in danger, so I told him, "I can't let you in, but I'm calling 911." Immediately, he ran to another door of someone he knew and went inside. I called 911.
Within a few minutes I realized there were actually two guys who had been shot, the one who came to my door and the one who was yelling, "I'm shot." Since I couldn't see this young man, but knew he was on the other side of the building, I asked my neighbor to walk with me over to where he was. We walked up to him and I realized that it was one of the guys who comes for lunch on Wednesdays. Because he is 18, he has also come to Friday Night Teen Ministry before as well. He doesn't come often to either ministry, but when he does, he is disrespectful and rude. Most of the guys are respectful, or if they aren't that way at first, they change fairly quickly. But this young man who I will call Gabriel has remained distant,cold and disrespectful. My heart would break for him when I would see him, but I kept my guard up. But this night as I saw him shot in the leg, my heart was moved with compassion despite how he had treated me in the past.
When I got over to him there were a few people around him. He was trying to get up and walk to the ambulance. I told him to just sit and wait so he wouldn't make the wound worse. Some of his friends and cousins around him said, "Do you want us to come to the hospital?" He looked around and said, "I want all of you to come." When he said this, he looked at me as well. I don't know if he looked at me on purpose or on accident, but I decided that I didn't care if he wanted me there or not... I was going. These guys who come for lunch on Wednesdays are like sons to me. As I pray for them, see how they live their lives, see their hurts, their addictions and the PURPOSE God has for them, they have become my sons that I carry in my heart. I love them dearly. So, I decided not to let this son go, no matter what I thought he would think about me. By how he has acted towards me in the past, I was pretty sure he didn't like me or want anything to do with me, so I wasn't sure what his response would be when I showed up at the hospital. But, I have seen God use situations like this to melt the coldest heart and form a lasting bond between me and the hard hearted.
I arrived at the hospital and his mother and sisters were there. They looked at me like, "What are you doing here?" I explained who I was and how I know him, then they warmed up. They began to share with me that he doesn't live in my neighborhood but he is always there hanging out with the wrong crowd. They told me the story of what happened that night. Gabriel was walking down the street and a car pulled up to him. The guys in the car acted like they were going to shoot him, but Gabriel grabbed the waist of his pants to act as if he had a gun, so the car pulled away. A few minutes later he was in my neighborhood, a few buildings over from mine when the same car pulled up to him again. They pulled out an AK-47. firing several rounds. One of the bullets hit his leg. Another bullet went through the apartment window of the young man who had earlier come to my door with blood on his hands. The bullet went into his window and hit his hands.
As we waited to be able to see Gabriel, God gave me an opportunity to pray with his Mom and sisters and get his Mom a coffee. Gabriel's mother and sister went into see him. Thankfully the wound didn't go all the way through his leg or hit bones, etc. But since the bullet was so large, it knocked off a piece of his leg bigger than the size of a golf ball. As I waited there, I prayed in tongues silently that there wouldn't be any retaliation. I was aching on the inside because so often I have seen things like this turn into wars which last months, one side fighting against another.
His Mom came out and told me that he wanted to see me. When she mentioned to him that I was there, he said, "Yeah she's cool, I want to see her and have her pray for me." I was so thankful that God was giving me favor with him. I was able to be in the room during the most painful part of cleaning the wound. When I walked in the room, I stood by his bed and grabbed his hand. I looked him in the eyes and told him how much I cared about him and that it would be okay. We looked at each other almost in shock, but in a good way, Gabriel thinking, "Why would she want to be here?" and I was thinking, "Wow, God, I'm so honored that you let me be here." He looked me in the eyes and with sincerity said, "Thank you Rachel for coming." I have never heard thank you come out his mouth before, so it really blessed me.
The doctors needed to do a test on his leg which required a large needle being inserted into his knee. I sat at the foot of the bed and put my hand on his foot. He screamed because it hurt so badly, so I put my hand on his foot and prayed. He continued to scream because he was in so much pain, so I went up by his head and rubbed his head to try to calm him down while I prayed. I stayed in the room for a while and then left so his girlfriend could come back in the room. I waited in the waiting room with his family and the family of the other young man
who was shot in his hands. We were there for about 3 hours then Gabriel was released.
The other young man had to stay longer because he needed surgery on his hands.
I left the hospital in awe. I was so amazed at God and that I He had me in John DeShields when it happened. He had me at the right place at the right time. I was so thankful to Him! It was a huge ministry opportunity. I came home and went outside to clean up the blood on my porch. Not all of it came up, but in a way, I was glad that it didn't. It is a reminder to me that the blood of Jesus is greater than any blood spilled in this city.
I went around to the building behind mine to clean up Gabriel's blood as well. As I cleaned up those blood stains, I almost felt like I was doing something symbolic. I was happy to clean them up, because it seemed to represent what happened that morning at the hospital and what I do every day. I believe being there at the hospital was an act of "cleaning up the blood."I was able to plead with both families not to retaliate. I believe that through our prayers and acts of God's LOVE, we are "cleaning up the blood" that has stained this city for decades.
I haven't seen Gabriel since that morning, but I believe He felt the LOVE of God that day. My prayer is that a seed was planted in his heart that will eventually draw Him to JESUS.
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