The Bristo Care Van team goes out regularly on the first Saturday of each month to serve rolls and teas / coffees / soups to the people on the streets around the city centre.
Looking back it’s possible to see a number of trends over the years: for instance over the last two years there has been a significant presence, off and on, of Eastern Europeans coming to the van. We at Bristo are blessed in having a multilingual congregation, and it’s been great to have folk in the team able to speak to these people in their own languages.
Another trend which I’ve only recently become aware of is how much more, compared to any previous time, service users have voiced appreciation about the work of the van; and I believe that this appreciation is as much to do with the regularity and dependability of the service being offered, as it is the service itself.
As an example, on the last Bristo van, in July, a service user’s son came and thanked us for effectively being a lifeline to his father over his period on the streets. Again there was this underlying sense that he meant ‘my dad depended on you every day and you didn’t let him down’.
I believe this faithfulness and consistency of witness is an important part of what the Lord calls his church to.
I think I speak for the whole Bristo team in saying that it is a privilege being involved in this work of God in Edinburgh.
Craig Smith
