As I sat in a particular restaurant in the middle of town,
an elderly man somewhere in his sixties, dressed in a local security uniform
walked to me and sat beside me. He turns his head to one side and looking me
right in the eyes he said, “Please help me with anything. I just started work
in this place this week and I don’t have anything to take home to my wife and
children. Please help me, anything is something.” I kept my face as expressionless
as I could. He thought I didn’t understand him and wanted to repeat himself. “I
heard you sir. Please give me some time.” I said, stopping him. I was
reflecting hard on this man’s situation, not knowing how to assist him. He
needs more than the change in my pocket. I planned to engage him in a chat when
I’m ready to leave but he went from table to table and left before I was done.
While on the same table, another woman dressed in black walked
in and came straight to me. “Please help me sir. I’m a widow with four
children. We don’t have food at home please assist us.” I parted with some
money immediately and continued with my meeting.
Later that day as I reflected, it dawned on me that there are
lots of corporate beggars roaming the streets now. I was startled by the fact
that within a few weeks, I’d met with different kinds of beggars, each with their
pitiable stories of difficulties.
The worst cases are those that move from place to place with
children. In one night, I met two women in the same area, each with a child not
more than three years old. Their stories were the same. I took time to observe
them and noticed they knew themselves. It’s like a business. They used the kids
who they claim are their children as begging tools, objects that are meant to
provoke public sympathy and generosity.
I met a man at a bus stop with a little girl he claimed
was his daughter. “Please help us, my car ran out of fuel just down the road and
I need some money for fuel.” He held out
the four liter keg in his hand to me, almost kneeling down there as he begged
for assistance. I helped him. Few weeks later, I met the same man again with
the same girl and the same story. I was very upset. Before he spoke a word to
me, I let him know we’d met before. “I’m sorry sir, please go your way and
leave us alone. Someone else will help us if you won’t.” His response shocked
me. He’s a lost case and the future of that little girl seems in jeopardy.
Have you ever met any of these corporate beggars recently?
How did you deal with them, with scorn or with pity? With suspicion or with love? Women beggars carrying babies are common sight around. How should we respond to them?
The Lord Jesus says, “Be
generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a
bank in heaven far from bank robbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank
on.” (Luke 12:33. The Message)
All the same,
some of us don’t want to be ripped off by some Con, especially one that
uses children as their offering basket.
Kingdom Exploits With Uche 
It also happen here in Bujumbura and. All over town you see many women carrying babies and are strategically positioned to beg.
What shall we do?
Is a beggar a poor man?
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On the streets of New York City a few weeks ago, I saw a man begging – and a woman looked at me and said, “don’t listen to this one – he was here 3 weeks ago, and 3 months ago saying the same thing.”
Yet I gave something to another guy in another place who quietly stood holding a placard about work. Lots of people have indeed lost their jobs and their homes. A better investment might have been for me to spend the time with him to help him get a job – but I was a tourist in town only for a couple of days. At least, that is my excuse. There is none really.
Bottom line is: New breeds of beggars may demand new ways of helping.
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It is great to see your dilema and your pondering of what to do with these types of beggars. The pondering and contemplating is the most important part of the process and the learning.
Judgement is according to what set of glasses we wear. Help to those who are in need is a response that needs a particular sensitivity to our inner voices and examples we have laid before us.
To know how to respond in each circumstance needs time for us to process inside our own authenticity of heart, and a clear mind to find the balance between helping or not helping these beggars on an individual basis. This processing shows we want the dignity of the beggar to be the highest motivation on our list of do’s or don’ts instead of a blanket response either way.
To remain sensitized and authentic in each situation needs a deeper look than just how things look or we can figure out through the lenses of our eyes, ears, nose, touch, and taste. There are other dimensions to be keenly aware of.
This practice of processing is time consuming but rewarding. Never under-estimate the power of who is needing the education or who is the one who is needy, it may be us and we think of all those who approach us as the needy.
Think, process, feel, engage, and understand the next step may be more significant than just handouts but the need to have a revelation as to why does this earth allow us the opportunity to be invaded with needs of others. It might be for them, but it might be for us.
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Even those who have jobs or are in positions of responsibilty have decided to steal the little that is supposed to go to the helpless. like health official who steal government medicine and sell it privately.
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