As written about in the other blog, our church got the responsibility to fill the boot needs for the women at the shelter and then it happened -
Right before the Thanksgiving Eve service a person gave me $300 so we could buy all the boots that are needed. What a great way to start the Christmas season.
Chris and I got to brave the crowds on Black Friday to make the purchases, but guess what? There were no crowds!!! We got great parking places at the two places we went to. That is so awesome, I can't stand large crowds.
We got all the boots that are needed with some money left over and we get to deliver them to the Center on Saturday.
The lesson - God provides!!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Do you have any ribs?
Today was delivery day. It was very cold and windy.
We decided to visit the folks that got kicked out Monday.
We found about 5 tents all crammed together only about 10 yards from where they were on Monday. They have simply moved across a property line. They know where all the property lines are in this area.
Two of our friends were in their tents just trying to keep warm. They came out, along with a cute cat. Normally, they don't take the food we offer, they have a few places in the area that support homeless, but they wanted what we had. This showed me that they are pretty depressed although they were doing their best to stay positive.
I told them we had PBJ and stuff. One of the homeless jokingly asked if we could get them some baby back ribs instead. The other agreed. We joked about pretending that the sandwiches would be baby back ribs, but it was not all that funny.
There is that feeling again - helplessness in the middle of a terrible situation.
We left the food and went on our journey. It was much colder after that visit.
We decided to visit the folks that got kicked out Monday.
We found about 5 tents all crammed together only about 10 yards from where they were on Monday. They have simply moved across a property line. They know where all the property lines are in this area.
Two of our friends were in their tents just trying to keep warm. They came out, along with a cute cat. Normally, they don't take the food we offer, they have a few places in the area that support homeless, but they wanted what we had. This showed me that they are pretty depressed although they were doing their best to stay positive.
I told them we had PBJ and stuff. One of the homeless jokingly asked if we could get them some baby back ribs instead. The other agreed. We joked about pretending that the sandwiches would be baby back ribs, but it was not all that funny.
There is that feeling again - helplessness in the middle of a terrible situation.
We left the food and went on our journey. It was much colder after that visit.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The book was delivered
Remember the guy I met on Saturday and promised to give him a book on Monday? If you can't read the post titled, "30 Pounds an Hour."
He was there and I gave him the book. I also found out he has a facebook account. We are now friends and he also writes a blog filled with poetry. This guy is pretty interesting. He is very intelligent and is doing what he can to get things back in order in his life.
He even put this blog on his facebook account. It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.
The lesson - Always be read to tell everyone about the hope you have.
He was there and I gave him the book. I also found out he has a facebook account. We are now friends and he also writes a blog filled with poetry. This guy is pretty interesting. He is very intelligent and is doing what he can to get things back in order in his life.
He even put this blog on his facebook account. It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.
The lesson - Always be read to tell everyone about the hope you have.
Moving on up
I had a neat conversation with one of my favorite people at the Center.
She showed me a purse and asked me what I thought. Since I have been married for 20 plus years, I knew that I had better like it even if it looked like any other black purse I had ever seen in my entire life. It's not that I don't like purses, I just don't pay attention to this kind of stuff at all.
After she received the compliment, she proudly told me that she paid for the purse. It was bought at the Thrift Store for something like $4, but she was so proud that she actually bought it with her own money. It was not a handout and that meant a lot to her.
The told me her first step up the ladder was when she quit using a backpack. When you are homeless, you need to keep as much stuff with you as possible.
Once the backpack was gone, she used a purse that either was given to her or one that she found somewhere.
Now, she has a job (actually, her and her husband have started a business), a room and now can actually purchase something and not rely on handouts. Her and her husband are really neat people.
The lesson here - One step at a time - keep movin on up.
She showed me a purse and asked me what I thought. Since I have been married for 20 plus years, I knew that I had better like it even if it looked like any other black purse I had ever seen in my entire life. It's not that I don't like purses, I just don't pay attention to this kind of stuff at all.
After she received the compliment, she proudly told me that she paid for the purse. It was bought at the Thrift Store for something like $4, but she was so proud that she actually bought it with her own money. It was not a handout and that meant a lot to her.
The told me her first step up the ladder was when she quit using a backpack. When you are homeless, you need to keep as much stuff with you as possible.
Once the backpack was gone, she used a purse that either was given to her or one that she found somewhere.
Now, she has a job (actually, her and her husband have started a business), a room and now can actually purchase something and not rely on handouts. Her and her husband are really neat people.
The lesson here - One step at a time - keep movin on up.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
God uses unusual things
As soon as we got to the Center, we heard that the very large camp was being kicked off the property by the police. We did not see them at the Center, it was strange.
Joe had us put together about a dozen meals and asked if we could take food to them. I went with one of our volunteers. It was just starting to rain and the temperature was in the mid 40s. I hate those cold and rainy days.
When we found them, a few tents has already been put up on a different piece of property. The owner of that property gave them permission to stay there for a week. After that, no one knew where they were going to go.
We brought the food and it was greatly appreciated. One homeless friend had me leave a message at his wife's job, so that she would not be surprised when she came home from work. That was weird.
Before we left, I said, "Let's circle up and pray, we need God to help us in this situation." They all agreed, that is not unusual. The unusual thing was who prayed. One of the homeless guys volunteered to pray. It was beautiful. Such a heartfelt prayer. I could only imagine how God felt when that prayer was presented to Him.
We left with empty boxes, but we certainly saw God move.
The lesson - God starts to do unusual things when things are not the way they usually are.
Joe had us put together about a dozen meals and asked if we could take food to them. I went with one of our volunteers. It was just starting to rain and the temperature was in the mid 40s. I hate those cold and rainy days.
When we found them, a few tents has already been put up on a different piece of property. The owner of that property gave them permission to stay there for a week. After that, no one knew where they were going to go.
We brought the food and it was greatly appreciated. One homeless friend had me leave a message at his wife's job, so that she would not be surprised when she came home from work. That was weird.
Before we left, I said, "Let's circle up and pray, we need God to help us in this situation." They all agreed, that is not unusual. The unusual thing was who prayed. One of the homeless guys volunteered to pray. It was beautiful. Such a heartfelt prayer. I could only imagine how God felt when that prayer was presented to Him.
We left with empty boxes, but we certainly saw God move.
The lesson - God starts to do unusual things when things are not the way they usually are.
What a dilemma
On Monday, the largest camp that we know of was told to leave the property that they camp on. About 25 people live in the woods and many are regulars at the Center.
The problem is that all these camps are trespassing and probably violating all kinds of codes. This group was told to leave or they would all be charged with trespassing. Many people already have records and this would only add to their problems.
They got permission from the owner of an adjacent property to spend the night. After that, they don't have many options. Please pray for this group.
Here is the typical order of events that leads to this problem.
First, a few homeless people camp together so they can look out for each other and stay safe. The police usually are aware of the camp, but if no one complains, they look the other way.
Second, the camp grows because they support each other.
Third, stupid people start doing stupid things. Unfortuatly, many of the homeless have addiction issue. The addiction is usually illegal and the different ways to earn money to support the addiction are illegal as well.
Forth, the cops come to send a message to get things to calm down. The cops don't know who is doing what, so everyone gets hassled.
Fifth, the stupid stuff continues and the cops tell everyone to move on.
This ends up hurting everyone, even the ones who are not being stupid. There is one person in particular who has a job, takes care of her husband, does not do the stupid stuff, but now is homeless without a place to camp, now that is homeless. She was so upset, but she listened to me and Anne and I even got to pray for her.
Now the dilemma - how do we help? What can we offer? How do you help them to do what they need to do to get out of the situation?
How can she continue to "do the right thing?" How do you live in a community to protect each other, but a few bad apples are messing it up for everyone?
The hardest part of this whole deal is the helpless feeling you have when you see everything that goes on. The lesson here - God brought us to this point, He must have something up His sleeve. We must continue to do what we can, there is always hope when our God is involved.
The problem is that all these camps are trespassing and probably violating all kinds of codes. This group was told to leave or they would all be charged with trespassing. Many people already have records and this would only add to their problems.
They got permission from the owner of an adjacent property to spend the night. After that, they don't have many options. Please pray for this group.
Here is the typical order of events that leads to this problem.
First, a few homeless people camp together so they can look out for each other and stay safe. The police usually are aware of the camp, but if no one complains, they look the other way.
Second, the camp grows because they support each other.
Third, stupid people start doing stupid things. Unfortuatly, many of the homeless have addiction issue. The addiction is usually illegal and the different ways to earn money to support the addiction are illegal as well.
Forth, the cops come to send a message to get things to calm down. The cops don't know who is doing what, so everyone gets hassled.
Fifth, the stupid stuff continues and the cops tell everyone to move on.
This ends up hurting everyone, even the ones who are not being stupid. There is one person in particular who has a job, takes care of her husband, does not do the stupid stuff, but now is homeless without a place to camp, now that is homeless. She was so upset, but she listened to me and Anne and I even got to pray for her.
Now the dilemma - how do we help? What can we offer? How do you help them to do what they need to do to get out of the situation?
How can she continue to "do the right thing?" How do you live in a community to protect each other, but a few bad apples are messing it up for everyone?
The hardest part of this whole deal is the helpless feeling you have when you see everything that goes on. The lesson here - God brought us to this point, He must have something up His sleeve. We must continue to do what we can, there is always hope when our God is involved.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A good kind of tired
What a weekend!! We got to serve at the center on Saturday and on Monday!! We ended up serving a total of about 95 people when you combine the two days. Fortunately, many came to both days making it easier for me to build the relationships I have with several people.
We also had two totally different groups from our church serving on the two days. So many people are being used by God and the word is spreading. God is touching our volunteers, it is so cool.
I was pretty much wiped out after our Monday. Again, I came back with absolutely no food, just empty containers and coolers. Even though I was wiped out, I was thinking ahead to the delivery day we have this week and the next time we serve in December. That is a good sign, to be tired, but ready for the next round.
A lot happened on Monday, look for another post or two that will address a specific story in some depth.
The guy I mentioned on the previous post returned and I was able to give him the book. This guy is a very intelligent person and we had some good conversations. We are now friends on Facebook and fellow bloggers. He writes poetry and I really need to check it out.
My shopping buddy was also there and he remembered my name. This has been an on going joke and he was very proud of himself when he got the name right. He is a very nice kid.
We also had two teenagers there. A very sad story, please pray for this family.
It looks like a Bible study will be starting very soon. Somewhere around 11 homeless friends are looking forward to getting into the Bible as a group. That is so cool.
Well, that is all for now. Remember, I am tired, so I need to get some rest.
We also had two totally different groups from our church serving on the two days. So many people are being used by God and the word is spreading. God is touching our volunteers, it is so cool.
I was pretty much wiped out after our Monday. Again, I came back with absolutely no food, just empty containers and coolers. Even though I was wiped out, I was thinking ahead to the delivery day we have this week and the next time we serve in December. That is a good sign, to be tired, but ready for the next round.
A lot happened on Monday, look for another post or two that will address a specific story in some depth.
The guy I mentioned on the previous post returned and I was able to give him the book. This guy is a very intelligent person and we had some good conversations. We are now friends on Facebook and fellow bloggers. He writes poetry and I really need to check it out.
My shopping buddy was also there and he remembered my name. This has been an on going joke and he was very proud of himself when he got the name right. He is a very nice kid.
We also had two teenagers there. A very sad story, please pray for this family.
It looks like a Bible study will be starting very soon. Somewhere around 11 homeless friends are looking forward to getting into the Bible as a group. That is so cool.
Well, that is all for now. Remember, I am tired, so I need to get some rest.
Monday, November 17, 2008
30 pounds per hour!!
I think we set a record on Saturday, but I can't find the category in the Guinness Book of Records.
We experienced our first Saturday at the Day Center and it was packed. We have joined forces with another church to meet the needs on the 3rd Saturday of each month. This was a special meal, the other church provided deep fried turkeys and we provided all the traditional Thanksgiving sides.
A total of 105 pounds of turkeys were cooked AND eaten in 3.5 hour period. As fast as they could be cooked and sliced, they were eaten. We ended up serving 50 homeless friends this past Saturday. We did not take any food home, it was all eaten or taken back by the homeless friends.
The cool thing was that we had a whole different set of people serving from our church than we do on our other day, the 3rd Monday. As usual, God was present and our volunteers were blessed.
I had to run to the store to get drink mix and cups and was accompanied by a new Homeless friend. This guy is only 25 years old and knows the Weis like the back of this hand.
I ended up sharing Jesus with a new guy. He is very smart and is approaching Jesus in a very analytical way. I told him I would bring him a book when we serve again on Monday. I hope he shows up - I will bring him a copy of More Than a Carpenter, by Josh McDowell.
We experienced our first Saturday at the Day Center and it was packed. We have joined forces with another church to meet the needs on the 3rd Saturday of each month. This was a special meal, the other church provided deep fried turkeys and we provided all the traditional Thanksgiving sides.
A total of 105 pounds of turkeys were cooked AND eaten in 3.5 hour period. As fast as they could be cooked and sliced, they were eaten. We ended up serving 50 homeless friends this past Saturday. We did not take any food home, it was all eaten or taken back by the homeless friends.
The cool thing was that we had a whole different set of people serving from our church than we do on our other day, the 3rd Monday. As usual, God was present and our volunteers were blessed.
I had to run to the store to get drink mix and cups and was accompanied by a new Homeless friend. This guy is only 25 years old and knows the Weis like the back of this hand.
I ended up sharing Jesus with a new guy. He is very smart and is approaching Jesus in a very analytical way. I told him I would bring him a book when we serve again on Monday. I hope he shows up - I will bring him a copy of More Than a Carpenter, by Josh McDowell.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
We actually needed an interpretor and we had one!
Today was delivery day.
Right off the bat, things were different. The camp site for one of our regulars was a total mess. It looked like someone went through all his belongings. Things were just not right. We left food and a note. We circled up and prayed for him. Please pray for this guy.
Next we met a new person. She is in her 20's and is 6 months pregnant. She is staying at a hotel under the watchful eye of another one of our friends who helps everyone. She is concerned about what she is going to do. There was a fire or something in the house she rented a room and now she is on the streets. I told her about the Day Center and that she could get connected to services there. She promised she would visit on Saturday. Pray she follows through and the right connections are made. I will let everyone know if there are specific baby needs.
Then things got even stranger. We went to a site where we are basically checking up on the homeless friends. They don't go to the center much and they had asked us to not walk near the camp. They got kicked out of another area in the spring because of too much foot traffic causing too much attention.
This place is surrounded by several businesses and there were several people just hanging out about 50 yards from the path to the camp. I told two of our youth to quickly leave the bags and get right back in the truck. They did that, but those people watched everything we did!! Oh well. Then, one of them drove his car up to my van and got out. I was very worried. I thought I blew it. I got out to meet them and told the youth to pray.
They guy was really hard to understand. I don't hear well, but there was something else going on. I finally figured out that he was speaking Spanish!! Guess what? I had not one, but two youth who speak fluent Spanish!! Each youth has a mom from a Spanish speaking country!! I lead my new friend to the van and introduced him to one of these youth. It was so cool to watch them communicate. Our new friend, who is originally from Cuba, lead us down to the camp. He told us how he works nearby and has been taking care of the folks in this camp. He was even getting a bit frustrated that one of them was not looking for a job.
Then one of the homeless friends showed up and all 4 of us chatted for quite a while. They had been getting the food we were leaving and they really appreciated all that we had been doing. They even gave us permission to come down to the camp to leave food and visit. Our relationship has deepened.
Later, the youth who was doing the translating, said the Cuban guy kept telling her that, "your dad is a good man." He was referring to me. We got that corrected, but he was still impressed and wants us to join them when he cooks rice, beans and pork for those in the camp.
That was really cool. The lesson here - God provides even when we don't understand what is going on, He will bring someone who does.
Right off the bat, things were different. The camp site for one of our regulars was a total mess. It looked like someone went through all his belongings. Things were just not right. We left food and a note. We circled up and prayed for him. Please pray for this guy.
Next we met a new person. She is in her 20's and is 6 months pregnant. She is staying at a hotel under the watchful eye of another one of our friends who helps everyone. She is concerned about what she is going to do. There was a fire or something in the house she rented a room and now she is on the streets. I told her about the Day Center and that she could get connected to services there. She promised she would visit on Saturday. Pray she follows through and the right connections are made. I will let everyone know if there are specific baby needs.
Then things got even stranger. We went to a site where we are basically checking up on the homeless friends. They don't go to the center much and they had asked us to not walk near the camp. They got kicked out of another area in the spring because of too much foot traffic causing too much attention.
This place is surrounded by several businesses and there were several people just hanging out about 50 yards from the path to the camp. I told two of our youth to quickly leave the bags and get right back in the truck. They did that, but those people watched everything we did!! Oh well. Then, one of them drove his car up to my van and got out. I was very worried. I thought I blew it. I got out to meet them and told the youth to pray.
They guy was really hard to understand. I don't hear well, but there was something else going on. I finally figured out that he was speaking Spanish!! Guess what? I had not one, but two youth who speak fluent Spanish!! Each youth has a mom from a Spanish speaking country!! I lead my new friend to the van and introduced him to one of these youth. It was so cool to watch them communicate. Our new friend, who is originally from Cuba, lead us down to the camp. He told us how he works nearby and has been taking care of the folks in this camp. He was even getting a bit frustrated that one of them was not looking for a job.
Then one of the homeless friends showed up and all 4 of us chatted for quite a while. They had been getting the food we were leaving and they really appreciated all that we had been doing. They even gave us permission to come down to the camp to leave food and visit. Our relationship has deepened.
Later, the youth who was doing the translating, said the Cuban guy kept telling her that, "your dad is a good man." He was referring to me. We got that corrected, but he was still impressed and wants us to join them when he cooks rice, beans and pork for those in the camp.
That was really cool. The lesson here - God provides even when we don't understand what is going on, He will bring someone who does.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The van was packed, I wish you could have seen it
Today, I got to see God in action and watch others try to figure it out.
We have gathered quite a collection of clothes, sleeping bags and blankets in the foyer and I needed to get it all up to the Day Center. I had the youth who delivered on Thursday help to load the van, it was huge. I also put all the clothes that were in the food pantry in the van. It was even more packed. Finally, I put the clothes that had been in my car in the van. It was now packed. The back seats were down and it was filled almost up to the roof!!!
Chris and I went to the Center while it was open on Saturday. Right when I turned off the van, there were three homeless friends waiting to carry everything up the stairs. It took several trips and several helpers. Everyone we talked to were so thankful. It really felt weird to receive the thanks and I was very quick to point out that God was the one who was making all this possible.
I was able to introduce Chris to many of the homeless people we now know. That was cool.
When we left, one of the homeless people really went on and on about our church. I told her that we were just following God and we were very thankful to be helpful.
God is so good and it was plainly seen in the van full of stuff and the thankful people in the Center. Let's keep following God and see what will happen next.
We have gathered quite a collection of clothes, sleeping bags and blankets in the foyer and I needed to get it all up to the Day Center. I had the youth who delivered on Thursday help to load the van, it was huge. I also put all the clothes that were in the food pantry in the van. It was even more packed. Finally, I put the clothes that had been in my car in the van. It was now packed. The back seats were down and it was filled almost up to the roof!!!
Chris and I went to the Center while it was open on Saturday. Right when I turned off the van, there were three homeless friends waiting to carry everything up the stairs. It took several trips and several helpers. Everyone we talked to were so thankful. It really felt weird to receive the thanks and I was very quick to point out that God was the one who was making all this possible.
I was able to introduce Chris to many of the homeless people we now know. That was cool.
When we left, one of the homeless people really went on and on about our church. I told her that we were just following God and we were very thankful to be helpful.
God is so good and it was plainly seen in the van full of stuff and the thankful people in the Center. Let's keep following God and see what will happen next.
A nice visit
Today, we did a delivery. Since this is a 5th Thursday, we really didn't have to do this, but we decided to go anyway. I also wanted to swing by the Laurel people since we don't see them all that often and we had heard that a large number of them were going to be kicked out of the area they are camped.
We also had a visitor, Maina went with us for the first time to see what is going on in this ministry.
When we went on our visit, I was blown away by the number of tents at this location. There had to be 10 tents and our good friend at that location told us that we could find about 5 other tents just a short walk away. It was amazing.
I met a new person and saw several others that are regulars at the Day Center.
We ended up talking to one of our good friends who calls himself the big brother of that area. He does look out for others. I told him that we just came by to visit and we really did not have enough food for him at that time. The cool thing was that he was totally cool about just visiting. The food was not a big deal. In case you are wondering, the people in Laurel do have other resources for food.
Our homeless friend really enjoyed the visit. In youth group the day before, we ended discovering a Bible we had meant to give him. We wrote his name in the Bible, but, for some reason, never got it to him. He was really happy to receive the Bible and said he would read it.
The lesson for today -- A good sign of a good relationship is if just visiting is OK. We certainly have reached that level of a friendship in this case. God is so good.
We also had a visitor, Maina went with us for the first time to see what is going on in this ministry.
When we went on our visit, I was blown away by the number of tents at this location. There had to be 10 tents and our good friend at that location told us that we could find about 5 other tents just a short walk away. It was amazing.
I met a new person and saw several others that are regulars at the Day Center.
We ended up talking to one of our good friends who calls himself the big brother of that area. He does look out for others. I told him that we just came by to visit and we really did not have enough food for him at that time. The cool thing was that he was totally cool about just visiting. The food was not a big deal. In case you are wondering, the people in Laurel do have other resources for food.
Our homeless friend really enjoyed the visit. In youth group the day before, we ended discovering a Bible we had meant to give him. We wrote his name in the Bible, but, for some reason, never got it to him. He was really happy to receive the Bible and said he would read it.
The lesson for today -- A good sign of a good relationship is if just visiting is OK. We certainly have reached that level of a friendship in this case. God is so good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
