Our Friend Gino

Late night on January 27, a little man named Gino finished his journey in this life and walked into the embrace of Jesus. Gino was a friend to many people in our community. Countless stories will inevitably emerge from the woodwork of how lives were impacted by this bent and tiny homeless old man. In many ways Gino was an enigma, but through his humility he touched more lives than any of us realized.

I was honored to know Gino as a faithful presence in our church. Recently I learned that he considered his homelessness and poverty a ministry, a way for him to both depend on God and show kindness to others. I have listened to people talk about how we helped him, how we gave him rides, brought him meals, and met many other needs. On the surface it appeared that we were the ones helping Gino. And although this was true - we were doing all these things - upon deeper reflection, I began to realize that really it was Gino who was helping us in the most important ways. 

During the years Gino was with us, faithfully belonging to our little body of believers, I often had the lingering intuition that perhaps Gino was an angel in disguise. Hebrews 13:1-2 tells us "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Angel or not, I believe God brought Gino into our lives to test the authenticity of our faith. And Gino was willing to be set apart, self-sacrificially, to be used by God.

Gino chose to be content in his poverty, taking joy in complete dependence on God. And because God uses people, we, the people of this community, became the vessels through which God cared for and provided for Gino. Through his life circumstances, Gino gave many people the opportunity to engage in and practice the Way of Jesus. There is no better teacher than experience and hands-on practice. Whether he intended this or not, Gino gave us an extraordinary gift, the gift of ministering to Jesus himself every time we put aside ourselves and our own agendas to help him. In the spirit of Mother Teresa, Gino chose the simple path, the little way, and by doing so, taught us that God can most often be found in the small and most humble people and circumstances, the little daily acts of kindness when we serve our neighbor.

Jesus taught that every time we feed a hungry person, give a drink to someone who is thirsty, befriend the lonely one, take care of the sick, visit a prisoner, or make a stranger feel at home, we are, in reality, doing this for Jesus himself. And every time we choose not to do these things for those in genuine need, we are also, in reality, choosing to leave Jesus out in the cold. As Gino lived a life of poverty - as he became the needy one - he unwittingly became the face of Christ. His life allowed many people in our community to practice the Way of Jesus as they showed compassion towards him. Through his life people were given the opportunity to practice loving Christ and grow in the fruits of the Spirit by faithfully treating a "least one" with patience, kindness, and gentleness.  And now our lives are forever imprinted with a picture of what God’s love looks like - and how we can be a part of God’s story - because of Gino.

Gino could often be found in the public library where he taught English as a second language to those needing instruction. His Bible was often open, along with his heart, eager to share Jesus. Gino was the one who encouraged others. Whoever you were, Gino's eyes lit up when he saw you! He always made you feel he was happy to see you, and I never heard him complain. In the hospital not long before he died, Gino looked at me and said, "when you smile at God, he smiles back!" This is how Gino lived. He mirrored God's happy face to anyone who looked his way. If he wasn't an angel, he came pretty close!

Let’s learn from Gino's example and continue walking in God’s ways more and more. Let’s set aside the busyness of our day, and, instead of hurrying by, sit down next to that person who is alone. Talk. Smile. Get to know someone. Get a plate of food and share it. Take time to show others how much they are valued. Genuinely desire to know one another. We may not get another chance to do what matters most.

Gino, we will never forget you and the joy on your face. You are an example of what God can do with a life that is dedicated wholly to him. You taught us in unexpected and unconventional ways how to live and love like Jesus did. This is the only thing that matters in this life, and you proved it. You also taught us that the Church is not divided, that the Body of Christ is in many places, yet one in purpose. As many Christians worked to care for you and be your friend, we often did not know what the other was doing. As Jesus taught in Matthew 6:1-4, "the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing." Caring for you was done out of genuine love and not for attention or recognition. God worked through your life to remind us and encourage us that God’s people are all one family.

Thank you, Gino, for being the face of Jesus to us.

We love you, and we will not forget you and the important lessons you taught us.

"When you smile at God, he smiles back!" ~Gino

by Heather J. Willis, author