Friday Update For 2-19-21

Blessed Portion Friday Night Update For 2-19-21 "I AM SOMEBODY!" Hello Everyone,

Heading downtown tonight my van said it was 19 degrees!!!! So....that means super cold and as I thought about how cold I was going to be, I thought about how cold it would be for THEM.... ALL NIGHT-- not just for an hour and a half. Puts things into perspective if you let it.

When I arrived there Hallmark Home Mortgage-NMLS#53441 and Maria Rios made an amazing beef stew and it was so perfect for the cold night. Thank you to Tracy White, Rhonda Powell, for bringing everything and preparing such a perfect meal. Also thanks to our dear friends Eric Dunaway, Amanda Chapman Dunaway, and their small group including Lance and Michelle Yoder, Doug and Brenda Morris, Craig and heather Barkey, and Lance and Belinda Burton and their small group. They came down on a cold night but all had smiles and open hearts towards others. They also decided to put together several bags of food for a few of our friends who now have their own place!! Again love seeing how the body of Christ works and how much goodness can be accomplished when we work together!

So tonight was a night in where we gave away a lot of hand warmers, socks, blankets, and coats. There were some we tried to convince to go to the Rescue Mission, but again for whatever reason, they refused and so we just had to make sure they were warm for the night. Talked with a few who we haven't seen for a while and it was nice to catch up. One friend decided not to ride his bike for 5 miles to come and get some food because he was cold and thankfully we were able to send a to-go with another friend headed back that way.

As we circled up to pray we shared how one friend recently said over and over to us on a phone call that "He is SOMEBODY." He shared how for so many years he had been homeless and now he isn't. Shared how he has a good job, a place to stay, and is doing well and yet still feels he needs to remind others and himself that he is somebody....he's no longer a loser, a homeless person, not a taker but making his own way. He loves Jesus with all his heart and yet the past is hard to overcome. The way he used to describe himself is no longer relevant but those self-describing words are hard to overcome. As we have listened to him we try so hard to tell him he IS doing good things....and yet for him, it's hard. Hard to figure out how to all of a sudden manage bills, bank account, be responsible at a job, and all the stresses that come with responsibility. I listened and thought about what others have said to us in the past how that transitioning from nothing to something is hard...and stressful. So our job is not to only help people get off the streets, but also to help them AFTER they get off them. To help them figure things out and encourage them. So that is what we will do as long as we can!!

Thank you to all of you who help us in the many ways you do. We are a huge team and we are blessed. Thank you to the many small groups who make lunches for our friends each week after church. Thank you to those who pray for us, and for our friends. Have a great week everyone and remember.... Ask someone to church next week and offer to give them a ride and maybe buy them a coffee afterward....never know it may just change their life forever and just possibly yours as well.