Need Prayer- Homeless Ministry

[rebecca]

Could you please pray for our family tomorrow? We will be going into a rough part of downtown with our church to witness and feed the homeless. My children will be coming too.

[Eli Brayley]

The Lord bless and keep your family, and may you guys be a blessing to the homeless community in your city. Galatians 2:10

[4him]

Hi Rebecca,

I'll most assuredly pray for you as you take the gospel to these homeless people. I share your burden for these people, as this is something my wife and I and our 3 kids have been doing as well. I have to say that I find the open-ness and lack of pretense that many of these people have, to be refreshing. What I do find challenging, is getting them to see their need for Christ, but of course that's the job of the Holy Spirit.

I thought you might be interested in checking out this sermon, since there's a story on it about a homeless man (David) which will bless your heart, I believe :

downloads1.revivalgodsway.com/1/SID1168.mp3

One thing I talked about when I shared a brief message at the street mission in our city, was how all of us as humans have addictions of one sort or another (not just street people). This was to show them that sin is part of the human condition and I wasn't approaching them as the 'good guy', but rather as a saved sinner who had been just as much in need of God's grace as they are. So when I talked about the types of the things we can be addicted to, I expanded upon the standard things like drugs and alcohol, and said that we as humans can also be addicted to things like bitterness and hatred. So we need God's power to forgive other people. As well, I said that we can be addicted to pride. This is shown by the fact that there are many people living in our city whom most people would describe as 'nice people', but as nice as they seem, they are not willing to acknowledge that the God who created the whole universe, should have a right to become the master over their lives.

I had an interesting experience once while at a street mission. I was sharing with a guy there who told me that he had just recently gotten out of prison. I explained to him that when God sets us free, our freedom is not a product of our outward circumstances, but rather is a deep and abiding peace that goes with us wherever we go (even in prison). When I said this he responded excitedly, "Wow that's really cool, because I just read that very same thing in the Decision magazine" (he pointed to a magazine that was sitting on a nearby table).

Somehow I think God had been speaking to him. ;D. Praise God.

My wife and I will be praying for ya !

In Jesus,
John

[rebecca]

Mar 29, 2008 22:37:53 GMT -7 4him said:

Hi Rebecca,

I'll most assuredly pray for you as you take the gospel to these homeless people. I share your burden for these people, as this is something my wife and I and our 3 kids have been doing as well. I have to say that I find the open-ness and lack of pretense that many of these people have, to be refreshing. What I do find challenging, is getting them to see their need for Christ, but of course that's the job of the Holy Spirit.

I thought you might be interested in checking out this sermon, since there's a story on it about a homeless man (David) which will bless your heart, I believe :

downloads1.revivalgodsway.com/1/SID1168.mp3

One thing I talked about when I shared a brief message at the street mission in our city, was how all of us as humans have addictions of one sort or another (not just street people). This was to show them that sin is part of the human condition and I wasn't approaching them as the 'good guy', but rather as a saved sinner who had been just as much in need of God's grace as they are. So when I talked about the types of the things we can be addicted to, I expanded upon the standard things like drugs and alcohol, and said that we as humans can also be addicted to things like bitterness and hatred. So we need God's power to forgive other people. As well, I said that we can be addicted to pride. This is shown by the fact that there are many people living in our city whom most people would describe as 'nice people', but as nice as they seem, they are not willing to acknowledge that the God who created the whole universe, should have a right to become the master over their lives.

I had an interesting experience once while at a street mission. I was sharing with a guy there who told me that he had just recently gotten out of prison. I explained to him that when God sets us free, our freedom is not a product of our outward circumstances, but rather is a deep and abiding peace that goes with us wherever we go (even in prison). When I said this he responded excitedly, "Wow that's really cool, because I just read that very same thing in the Decision magazine" (he pointed to a magazine that was sitting on a nearby table).

Somehow I think God had been speaking to him. ;D. Praise God.

My wife and I will be praying for ya !

In Jesus,
John

Thanks John, that's very encouraging. I'm not very experienced with helping the homeless so I appreciate the insight you have shared with me. Any more suggestions you might have along the way I would be very interested in hearing.

[rebecca]

Were getting ready to leave in a little while. I am kind of reluctant to bring my kids but I guess this is where faith comes in. My oldest is good though at keeping an eye on them for me.

The Lord just gave me a wonderful idea a minute ago "care bags!" I could put all of the little necessities in the bag along with some tracks and a bible. Maybe even a gift card for a restaurant.

[rebecca]

From my blog:

My husband and I fed the homeless today along with some members of our church. We decided not to bring the kids because of any diseases like TB. It was such a blessing to be able to minister to them and to serve them. The bread we were able to get donated from the grocery store went a long way. We cooked chicken, green beans, sweet potatoes and rolls. We gave them pies, pastries and donuts for desert. With the bread we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and put them in a bag with a candy bar and a track. We had a little assembly line going. Some of us would make the sandwiches and bag them and the next person would put the sandwich in the bag along with the track and candy bar. We were very well organized. Praise God everything went so smoothly and we all just got busy doing something.

Before we served them Pastor Marsalek gave his testimony. They hear the gosple before every meal. I talked to this man who does this on a regular basis and he said he gets very few responses. Most of them seem happy just the way they are but their are a few responses every now and then. But it's that one soul that makes all the difference.

They were very polite and most of them said thank you. They seemed very thankful and appreciative. They were very thirsty because it was hot today here in Florida so I kept filling up the pitcher and giving them refills. It actually felt like 80 today. They serve the homeless twice a day there and they need all the help they can get so I offered to help them when I can on my days off work. They also have a sidewalk Sunday School that I am interested in so I may give them a call.


They expect the homeless situation to get worse again very soon because the city is tearing down the "Tent City".

[4him]

Hi Rebbeca,

Great to hear about how things went with your ministry to the homeless people !

I thought you might enjoy this story about David Ruffin, who formerly was a homeless person. You may have seen this before :

Pastor Jim Cymbala: I see this guy three rows back sheepishly looking at me in the center aisle, and I said to myself, as God is my witness, "Oh, man, what a way to end an Easter Sunday. Someone is going to hit me up for money," which happens a lot here. As he gets close to me, he smelled worse than any human being I had ever smelled in my life. The odor was so horrible -- of the street, of filth, of sweat, of urine, that when I talked to him I had to look away to inhale. I would look back at him breathing out. He put his finger in my face, and he said, "Reverend, I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus that you were talking about. I’m going to die out there. I don’t have a hope in this world unless somebody changes me." At that moment I became so convicted of my lack of love, of my lack of compassion. At that moment, I forgot about David, and I said, "God, forgive me." God baptized me afresh with such love and compassion that I began to just weep for my own need and for what I saw God doing in David, and David sensed it. I dropped my hands to my side; he came against me, and he fell -- his face, matted hair, filthy -- fell against my chest and tie, and I put my arms around him.

Ruffin: When I embraced him, I felt that I embraced something that was real, that this man really stood for the Lord. It was that love that drew me.

Pastor Cymbala: Suddenly, that smell became the most beautiful perfume I had ever smelled in my life. It was as if God was saying, "If you have any value, it’s this smell that I sent you for," because that’s the smell of the world that Jesus died for. Jesus didn’t die for a nice, clean, neat little world. He came for that which was lost and ruined. That night David gave his heart to the Lord, and now his testimony is being used to bless countless people. He’s one of our most trusted workers now here in maintenance and security. David Ruffin is a man of God.

In Jesus,
John

[rebecca]

Apr 9, 2008 15:26:12 GMT -7 4him said:

Hi Rebbeca,

Great to hear about how things went with your ministry to the homeless people !

I thought you might enjoy this story about David Ruffin, who formerly was a homeless person. You may have seen this before :

Pastor Jim Cymbala: I see this guy three rows back sheepishly looking at me in the center aisle, and I said to myself, as God is my witness, "Oh, man, what a way to end an Easter Sunday. Someone is going to hit me up for money," which happens a lot here. As he gets close to me, he smelled worse than any human being I had ever smelled in my life. The odor was so horrible -- of the street, of filth, of sweat, of urine, that when I talked to him I had to look away to inhale. I would look back at him breathing out. He put his finger in my face, and he said, "Reverend, I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus that you were talking about. I’m going to die out there. I don’t have a hope in this world unless somebody changes me." At that moment I became so convicted of my lack of love, of my lack of compassion. At that moment, I forgot about David, and I said, "God, forgive me." God baptized me afresh with such love and compassion that I began to just weep for my own need and for what I saw God doing in David, and David sensed it. I dropped my hands to my side; he came against me, and he fell -- his face, matted hair, filthy -- fell against my chest and tie, and I put my arms around him.

Ruffin: When I embraced him, I felt that I embraced something that was real, that this man really stood for the Lord. It was that love that drew me.

Pastor Cymbala: Suddenly, that smell became the most beautiful perfume I had ever smelled in my life. It was as if God was saying, "If you have any value, it’s this smell that I sent you for," because that’s the smell of the world that Jesus died for. Jesus didn’t die for a nice, clean, neat little world. He came for that which was lost and ruined. That night David gave his heart to the Lord, and now his testimony is being used to bless countless people. He’s one of our most trusted workers now here in maintenance and security. David Ruffin is a man of God.

In Jesus,
John

That's a wonderful story!