friday update 2-15-19

Blessed Portion Friday Night Update 2-15-19

Hello Everyone,

Thanks to Amber Gaskill we had 3 roasters of macaroni and cheese with ham, salad, bananas, donuts, and cookies....and it went fast!!!! Thank you Amber for being willing to undertake a big task for those we serve!!!

So to start off the night our sweet friend Cierra Braden had a surprise for us....she is now a proud owner of her own car!!! So great to see her moving forward in all things and doing so well. She never wants to eat when she comes and visits, but sometimes I can make her eat and that always make me happy!! So she is sporting a new ride and again we are so happy for her!! Also our sweet friend Jim made the again 40 minute walk to come visit and eat. He has such a thin coat on ...I will never know how in the world he stays warm with how far he has to walk, but he never complains. He comes and visits, eats and always gets his usual snack bag. So simple and heartwarming!!!

At the next stop we unloaded the rest of the food and heard some pretty hard prayer requests. Love the honesty of one man as he asked for prayer to be set free from his addictions. We are in awe each week of those who are willing to put their struggles out there for others to pray for. It takes courage to come out to strangers being vulnerable and transparent and I can learn from those moments as well. Also heard from a friend who needed prayer as the anniversary of his brother's death is here.....so hard to lose those we love. We listened to the song with this post and it's a good one!! Talks about how the things of this world are not satisfying and we need to surrender all to God. How that God comes in and wrecks our lives in a good way and that is the best place to be. How we don't have to know what tomorrow will look like, because God has those in His hands. It is so hard to not be able to control what happens to us, but in this world the Bible says we will have trouble. We will have heartache and yet God is the one who comforts us and walks with us....isn't that wonderful to know that we are never alone?

Our last few stops were extra hard tonight as we helped an old friend who went from being outside for over 15 years to inside for about 2 years, and now again outside. He has had some rough moments this past year and its hard to see someone you love go through so much pain. Tonight when we saw him he was on a THIN blanket and covered up with a THIN blanket--and remember it was only 28 degrees tonight at 9:30. So we managed to move him from his spot to another spot where we managed to give him a little more cushion with blankets and tried to block some of the wind he was having. Found a few blankets he had around him and they were literally frozen together. Trust me when I tell you it took two people pulling each end as hard as they can (like in a tug of war game) to undo the ice. We were able to fix his area up a little better with some sternos for heat. If anyone needs help opening those just ask Amanda Chapman Dunaway.....she just happened to have a silver dollar and was able to pop them open!! (Sorry Amanda just had to put that in there!)So anyways we got him set up and said goodnight and we would see him Sunday for church.

Everyone we meet downtown has a different story and it's multi-faceted as to why they are without a home. With our friend he's not a drug addict or alcoholic-- he just is in a bad spot right now. It's hard to walk away seeing someone in the dark hunching up to a little sterno for some sort of heat and them being appreciative for a few blankets. Its hard to see friends in these times of trouble and not know how to help--because they have to figure some things out for themselves first. One thing though that our friend and many other friends know is that they are loved by many and Jesus.

People need love, they need listening ears, a willingness to show up and help how they can. People need to know that there is a consistency with those around them and that they are not defined by what they have done or have not done but rather by what JESUS DID for THEM. Pray for those struggling to stay sober. Pray for those who are at a loss in their minds as to what to do. Those who are at the end of their rope and want to quit and be done...pray that they allow Jesus to have full control over their hearts, lives, choices and that they surrender. Pray for more options in Fort Wayne for all who need housing, better insurance, and resources to help them stay on track.

Thank you to Pathway Community Church, Grace Summit Church, Hamilton Church of Christ, Christina Scheiber, Trinity English Lutheran Church, Jacquie Aldrich, Michael Jordan, Amanda and Eric Dunaway, Kristy L. Stemen, Claudia Wessner, Deb Diller, Renee Eich- Curneal, Jo Anne 'Habegger' Emerick, Auburn Massage & Wellness Centre, MJS Apparel Screen Printing & Embroidery, Jennifer Lynne Diederich Stebing, Mark Stebing, Sarah Bigelow Lapadot, Amber Gaskill, everyone who donates items over and over again.... THANK YOU!!!

* Quick side note...last Sunday a woman was in need to get back to her husband in Texas. Long story of why she was in Fort Wayne, but we got her back to her hubby. She called the other night letting us know she was safe and sound and thankful for the help to get back home. So thank you also to those of you who help financially so we can help others!!!