Homeless Ministry

5:15 am on a Saturday morning and my alarm reminds me to sacrifice a little. Myself and my two roommates roll out of bed and drive through the gray marine layer that has settled thick over the city. We head for the office to start making coffee. In a slight state of grogginess I prayerfully go about the task of making pot after pot of coffee. Eventually we fill a ten gallon cooler with coffee, pile into the vans and head downtown to Harbor Drive where the homeless are beginning to wake up for the day. Some of us end up on the street across from the Convention Center where the homeless crowd is a little older and reserved while the rest of us end up on the other side of Petco Park with the rowdier party crowd. As most people start to wake up they are really grateful to wake up to a cup of coffee and a muffin they don't need to go looking for. And everyone is looking forward to just having someone to chat with. I spend quite a bit of time talking with a guy named Chris who's always been on the street. If I had run into him anywhere else in the city I wouldn't have had a clue he was homeless. Nice guy, articulate, well kept pretty balanced sort of person. Somehow the coming DTS outreach to Thailand came up and he asked all kinds of question that opened the door for me to share why we would go half way across the world or even come downtown to help people. The love of Jesus. So it was the beginning of one of many new relationships made again this past weekend. A chance to step outside of my comfort and sit in someone else's living room (sidewalk) for a bit. One of many

"The Manor"

The hallway smelled like urine and the doors to each room were stained with years of dirt. Through open doorways I could see frail bodies crumpled into balls on cots. As we followed the director of the nursing home down corridor after corridor, my heart was wrenched with sadness at these forgotten peoples lives. The worst part...I wasn't in some third world country, I was next door to my home. And when I say next door, I mean next door. I can see into the concrete courtyard of the nursing home from the windows of the apartment where I live with all of the DTS girls.
For over a year I have walked by, driven by The Manor and felt a stirring in my heart to help in some way. The morning I finally walked in there to offer the help of 16 young people, the activity's director threw her hands up and said, " I prayed for you all this morning!"
So there we were pushing wheel chairs down the hall, serving coffee, juice and cookies and just listening to people who were desperate to be heard. I listened to a Mexican man named Bernardo tell me over and over again how him and his wife had worked really hard all their lives to have nice things and how they never even had children because they just wanted to work hard. Now Bernardo's wife is gone, he has no children and he sits alone with only an occasional cigarette to look forward to.
So here we are, being used to bring a little light and love into ordinarily dark and lonely days. Here we are taking blind people for walks when they would normally just lie in bed all day every day. My heart hurts for these forgotten ones, I wish I could spend hours upon hours with each and every one. For now I'll do the little that I can and pray for more hearts to be touched to come and give a little of their life and their love.

Broken Legged Lamb

Here comes a renewed effort to post weekly updates on my blog...
The first ever San Diego DTS has been in session for almost a month now and let me tell you, it has been something special. With a group of 12 students and 4 staff, there is a very family oriented flavor to this school. We have been hearing amazing, life changing teaching and spent a lot of time praying and interceding for different areas of our city and world together. I have been thrown back into extreme community living with a vengeance as I am living in a 3 bedroom apartment with 9 other girls. It's been crazy and fun.



On a personal note... I have been walking through a very difficult season of life for awhile now as a result of a few different things. For a long time I have tried very hard to keep up appearances and be all things to all people or live up to the expectations that I imagine people are putting on me. But eventually that all falls apart and we come to a place of complete and utter dependence on God's grace and mercy. Which is where I find myself. I have been so comforted by the truth of Jesus being our shepherd. Right now I am that lamb that strayed away and the shepherd had to bring me back and as shepherd's do, break my legs and carry me on his shoulders to have me grow so intimately accustomed to His voice. It is a place of pain yes, but also of a real closeness to my Lord and savior.
I really do apologize for my extended silence. It seems that it is always harder to communicate when one really needs to in a time of difficulty, than it is in good times. But I am coming back again. Much love to all.