Face-to-face vs writing a check

Recently I received comments that what we are doing lacks focus and isn't the right way of approaching the homeless. Further, the person indicated that it was better to send money to the established service organizations that are already in place. Oh, of course I was going to reply... This is what I said in response (some parts edited for clarity)....

I think I should clarify what the focus of what we're doing with Praxis is:
We are actually meeting face to face with the homeless and learning their stories. It is infinitely easier for me to simply write a check and send it to Union Gospel Mission, and our family and many others do that. However, it changes a person when they stand and talk to a homeless person, for either 5 minutes or for an hour (like we had the opportunity to do last weekend). Sure, Jesus ministered to thousands at a time (Sermon on the Mount, feeding the 5000, etc...), but He also took the time to talk to individuals. The focus for Praxis isn't efficiency, it's faithfulness. And in talking to the homeless, I've learned more about what they like about these organized service groups, and what really offends their sense of self-worth. That's something I would not learn any other way. That's another aspect of it: learning. And when we listen to their stories, we give them a dignity they say they don't get from certain organizations.

At the beginning of each day, we put our time in God's hands to bring people to us to talk to. Does that seem unfocused? In one way, yes. In another way, to acknowledge God's sovereignty can't be a bad thing, can it? Obviously we're not transitioning people to high-paying jobs overnight, but when we see someone without a hat or gloves and it's -5 degrees out, then I'd say that the organized charities missed this person, and that we are exactly where we need to be.

Now, we have dropped items off and Union Gospel Mission and Naomi House, and will continue to do so. (Soon I'll post about what the kids in CrossWalk @ CrossRoads have done: it's awesome!).

Absolutely, there has to be people plugged into the service organizations, and I applaud those people and the passion that God has given them. However, I have an informal rule that if people don't get my particular passion, then it's likely they aren't meant to serve there. I am called to talk face to face with the homeless and to give them dignity. That's it. Others are called elsewhere, and should serve elsewhere. I'm not big on convincing people that they should serve the way I'm called to serve. That's not God's way. All I can do is tell my story, and something will stir in someones heart, or it won't. That's it.

This is becoming a spiritual discipline, in the sense that Richard Foster means (see note on his books below). We are putting ourselves in front of God and asking God to both work in us and work through us.
I can't stress enough: until you stand in the cold, in a park or on a street corner, and create a space for a homeless person to unpack their emotional & spiritual baggage, you won't really understand them. And after all, Jesus died for that individual also, so how can our giving them a bit of dignity by listening to their stories be a bad thing?
Comments?