homeless ministry, part 1

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." ~1 John 4:9-11

i'm so excited, because today was my first day joining troy and katie in the homeless ministry they began last year! we met up at franklin park around 10:30 this morning, with katie, troy and shannon bringing all the goodies. (troy and katie brought about 45-50 servings of chili, a huge bag of candy and some bagged lunches to give away as well.) rachel from my small group joined in too, which i was so excited about. it's great to have fellowship with people who share the same passions in terms of how we choose to serve the body of Christ.

anyways, we prayed in the car, bundled up, and brought out the cooler to the park, and a few people started walking over right away. i was taken aback by how many homeless people there were outside (between mcpherson square and franklin park there were too many to count) despite the weather, but i guess that's what it's all about- really not having anywhere to go.

just a few of the things i learned while i was out today, through conversations, experiences and observation:

-how thankful the men were that we were there. my goal in serving was/is to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to serve those who need him and need to be in relationship with him to stay off drugs and avoid temptations that will make them worse off, and i think it's true that to those people, we really were God's provision coming through for that day. our actions were fulfilling their prayers and our hearts' convictions to serve in this manner really did show God's love for them.

-i was surprised that everyone i talked to was so clear in mind and spoke so well. i figured we would encounter many more people who were drugged up, glassy eyed, and stumbling around, but at least for today that wasn't the case. aside from a few people who didn't speak english well, and a couple that maybe talked about jobs they didn't have, i think everyone had a pretty good clarity of mind.

-i was actually shocked by how freely these people conversed about God and the gospel. it was ironic, really. we were going out to show God's love, also with the intention of ministering to them, but one of the men Walter, whom rachel and i talked with for about 30 minutes, was giving us lessons on salvation and reading the word! he knew his stuff, too. Walter is from south carolina. he has some sort of early eye condition (possibly cataracts), kind of a big teddy bear body, and only about 12 teeth in his mouth, but smiled the whole time we talked to him and laughed a lot. he just couldn't tell us enough about how blessed he is. he's got a roof over his head at night so he doesn't have to sleep outside, he's switching on to social security soon so all he has to worry about is food for the day, has a great doctor (dr. madonna? is that for real?), a social worker and a psychologist who from what it sounds like, will all kick his butt if he misbehaves at all. when rachel and i first started talking to him, he talked about how he has housing right now, so i sort of slipped in a sentence about God's provision- after i said that he quoted scripture before i could even bring it up! amazing.

-i learned (just factual information) that the big red brick building next to the park used to be a shelter, and last fall the mayor closed it down. i guess people protested before they closed it, but nothing could be done about it. it makes me even sadder then, when no less than 20 minutes later i heard a story from another man who went to a shelter last night, but it was full, so he was given a sleeping bag, but then had it stolen from him. we were only outside for 2 hours today, we were bundled up to the nth degree (at least i was) and i got into a warm car 2 hours ago and i'm still cold! i can't imagine spending the night outside at this time of year with so little to keep warm.

-i was amazed by how many others were outside serving today. as we left franklin park to go to mcpherson square there were 2 cars parked on the side of the road handing out food and bottled water to people, and when we got to mcpherson square there was a big van handing out clothing to people. praise the Lord for everyone providing for others in their own way!

honestly, this experience blessed me a lot more than any of the people we tried to minister to today. i can't wait to go again- i know that God has a purpose in opening this door for ministry at this point in my life, and can only grow me through it.

here's a thank you letter that one of the men, Shamsuddiyn, made for the people who come down and help them every week. isn't it beautiful?!

also, this song gets me all psyched up about sharing God's love....i know, i'm ridic. can't help it.