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Happy Birthday To Me!

2011-12-17T23:50:00.003-05:00

I am hitting the "Publish Post" at the strike of midnight and I will turn another year older at the same time! Only by the grace of God, I have made it to see this ripe ol' age!
In celebration of turning 51, my goal is to do the same number of random acts of kindness in the next 51 days. Please give me suggestions as to what I can do!
It has been 2 years since I have posted last. Can I tell you how much I miss writing down my simple life and sharing my ramblings with those of you who are interested in reading? It saddens me when I reread my old posts. In some ways, I don't know that person any longer. That lady used to focus on being used by God. It saddens me because I feel like my life has gotten too busy to be that available to Him. My New Years Resolution, just decided on!
Gotten hit that button...it is 11:59!
Peace, Love and Sunshine,
Heidi

Why we do what we do each Sunday in the park

2009-09-24T22:40:00.000-04:00

Below is an email I received from an amazing 16 year old who has experienced homelessness first hand. You see, we have served his father many times on Sundays.
By the grace of God, his father is now off the streets and is rebuilding his life, one sober day at a time. Praise be to God!
Please take a minute to read his paper. I promise it will bless your day.
Heidi

Heidi,

This is a paper that I had to write for my language arts class! It was a persuasive speech expressing whether or not higher-class society is responsible for the "poor" population!
I got a 100 on the paper and the teacher plans to publish it.
I hope you enjoy!

---A Poor Country with a Lot of Money---
People in the United States will argue for hours and tell others that our country is “bankrupt.” Even if our economy is struggling, is it really fair for people living in a nice home, with nice cars and a nice job to say that we don’t have “enough” money to support the poor people living on the streets with no home, no car and no job? I strongly believe that it is the higher-class society’s responsibility to support and help the poor people in our nation! Through sacrificing our time and money we can build support groups for less-fortunate people, and we can be an essential building block in turning their lives around.
Time is a very precious gift to every American. If you were to survey ten poor people in Georgia and ask them what they want most, I guarantee nine out of ten of those people would tell you they simply want people to interact with. Just taking a couple hours out of a weekend to care for other people could dramatically change someone’s life. Living life in poverty is based half off of the mindset that people have of themselves. If they live their lives thinking no one cares about them, they will most likely not care about what they do and where they go in life. When you spend time with people, they begin to believe that their life really matters. This belief will cause poor people to have a mindset towards changing their life, for the better. Time is a precious gift to all Americans, but we have to be careful with the way we spend it.
The biggest discussion between people these days is about where their money is going. We worry so much about how we spend our money, yet we never seem to worry about the people in our neighborhood who just lost their job or their only source of income. People who do not have money cannot really make a change in their life if they have no way of paying for certain necessities. Sponsoring a poor child, who lives in Kenya, only costs thirty eight dollars a month. These children have absolutely nothing. Now think about what just five dollars each month could do for the lower-class people in America. There are poor people in America who also need our help. Just a little bit of money can make a huge difference in someone’s life.
When I take time to think about a solution to our unequal country, the word people continually pops up. People can make a difference. People are the solution to our problem. Not just any kind of people; we need dedicated, hard working people, who are willing to give what is necessary in order to make a difference in someone’s life. When these people step forward and show that they want to help people change, lives will be altered. Poor people will have new lifestyles. We are the solution!
Though this economic problem may continue for many years, we have the ability to change the fate of our country. Our time and money are so valuable to others, and our commitment of these two resources will be what changes people’s lives. We need to stop thinking about how “poor” we are, and start thinking about the rich opportunity we have to help those who are truly in suffering. This country will change. Will you be a part of the change?

Exciting news to share!

2009-09-15T23:03:00.004-04:00

Sooo much has happened since my last blog! I just have to write.....

16 days ago, I put out a plea to my friends to step up and out in serving God by helping out with the ministry I volunteer in each week. Every Sunday, I serve along side of some amazing people by feeding the needy. The number of people showing up to eat is growing every Sunday. We are up to approximately 300 people each week. Since that plea went out, God has moved many people. With the check the mail lady (I love that lady!) brought me today, a total of $550.00 has been given back to Jesus! I am BLOWN AWAY by the love so many have showered this incredible ministry with. You humble me.

Our youngest, Halton, came home with big news last week. He has decided he no longer wants to be a high school math teacher. God has been pulling at his heart strings to go to bible college! How cool is that? With our blessings, he withdrew from AASU and is currently getting all the admission paperwork together to start school next month, pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies. You can just imagine how we are beaming with pride for him being obedient to God's calling.

I am starting a new job next Monday! I will be working at my church, Savannah Christian, as Ministry Assistant to Local Outreach! How exciting to have a job that is right in line with my passion in life!

God does speak to us. He spoke to everyone who donated money to the park ministry. He spoke to Halton with direction He has for his life. He spoke to me when He gave me a job I was not even looking for, but I am sure I will love.
What is God trying to speak to you about, and are you listening for His voice?

Serving Him while I am waiting,
Heidi

Jesus in envelopes Part II

2009-09-04T22:47:00.002-04:00

Back in July, I blogged about Jesus appearing in my mailbox. I had better polish up my mailbox because He seems to like the inside of it!

The number of people we are feeding in the park each Sunday has groooooown. The number of people I have cooking, has not. Last Sunday, we fed right around 300 hungry children of God. On one had, the increasing number excites me because that is a huge crowd to hear The Word. On the other hand, it concerns me that we will not have enough food to feed everyone. The past 2 weeks, we have run out before all were fed.

God spoke loudly to my heart on Monday:

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

And He did!
I posted a plea on my Facebook Monday asking for help in making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for this Sunday. Before the sun went down, I was contacted by four people in Ohio that I have not seen in years! Two of the people, I went to high school with thirty, (ouch!) years ago. The other two are cousins I have not seen in forever! How good is God? Since they are all out of town, they decided to send Walmart gift cards to help with this week's menu of PB&J, fruit, dessert and water. I was also contacted by a sweet eighty eight year old lady who had seen the article in the newspaper about the ministry. She said she was too old to come out and help, but that she wanted to send me a check to help out! What? How cool is that? She told me that she is going to ask all her Bingo ladies to write a check also! Too funny!
We will have more food than we need this week. Not only have long distance brothers and sister in Christ responded to the need, new local volunteers will be standing shoulder to shoulder with us this Sunday!

Jesus promises the desires out our hearts. His promises are always true. His truth brought $200 to my mailbox in the past two days!

I think I am going to kiss my mail lady tomorrow!

Letters, pictures and shoes!

2009-07-13T08:55:00.005-04:00

Here are a few pictures from the park last night.

J.R. reading cards and looking at precious pictures of his two children. My friend was touched beyond words.

Johnny with his new shoes! He only had a pair of flips flops and they had fallen apart yesterday morning. He called me before I left for the park, I sent out a plea to my friends and blam, he received a pair of Timerland Boots!
Ask, and ye shall receive. Mathew 7:7

Wishing you a great week of looking for opportunities He puts before you to serve Him.

Jesus in an envelope and Jesus in a tent!

2009-07-11T20:46:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I received an envelope in the mail. I had no idea who the return address was, so I was not expecting to be blown away one more time by Jesus this week. Why would He not continue to rock my world?
In the envelope there was a letter from J.R.'s ex-wife, Sherrie. It was the sweetest letter to basically thank me for contacting her about J.R. earlier this week.
Now here is where this blog gets good...
Also in the envelope were cards written to J.R. from his two children (19 and 16). Sherrie also sent him numerous cards. There were current pictures of his son and daughter (great looking kids!) included, and the last picture taken with J.R. and his children.
How valuable are the contents of the envelope going to be to J.R.? Can you even imagine how emotional this is going to be for him? God is so good.

Friday nights at my church, Savannah Christian Church, there is a 12 step, Christ based, recovery program. I try to invite everyone at the park to attend. So when Kristin and I were giving out bananas this past Tuesday, I invited those we spoke to, to come. I promised I would be there to meet anyone who decided to take me up on my offer to buy them a bus pass back to their camp, if they showed up. Well, late afternoon yesterday (Friday) I was belly aching about not wanting to go to Celebrate Recovery and how no one would probably show up from downtown anyways. Awe, I was wrong! My cell phone rang with the receptionist at my church on the other end telling me there was a lady waiting for me at church! Ye, of little faith, I said to myself!
A sweet older lady named, Patricia, got up yesterday and prepared all day to come to the recovery program. You see, it takes all day to bathe and wash your hair when you live in a tent and have to wash out of a bucket of water that I am sure is not clean.
It then took her a few different buses to reach the church.

This has been a week of more blessings than I deserve.
God moved mountains so Richard's family could be found and notified of his death.
I received a beautiful email from his daughter.
I got to spend the day with one of the most special people in my life, loving on His children in downtown Savannah. Who knew what would come out of that case of bananas? Jesus arrived in an envelope. His love will continue to bless the man I have the privilege of delivering memories of his children to tomorrow.
Last but not least, a dear lady who sleeps in a tent all by herself, listened to the sweet sound of Jesus calling her name to meet Him at church.

I am hanging on to my skirt, cuz I don't know how Jesus is going to breeze through my life next week, but I am expecting Him! To be continued.....

Blown away by Jesus!

2009-07-07T23:01:00.003-04:00

Richard, one of my homeless friends died over 2 weeks ago. We have diligently trying to find family members to notify them...road block after road block. Yesterday i did some serious praying for breakthroughs. After many hours on the phone yesterday and continuous prayer over each call, God gave me the name and phone number for Richard's brother in NJ. I spoke with him last night and all Richard's siblings know their brother died. No one deserves to lie in a morgue for over two weeks.
Today I received a phone call from one of Richard's children. She was so appreciative that there was a memorial service for her father at Old Savannah City Mission. A pastor from my church did the service, along with some of Richard's friends sharing memories. She cried when I told her that her father accepted Jesus a few years ago.
How comforting to know her father had a family in Savannah, ever it be, a family made up of homeless people. Wouldn't we want someone to memorialize our loved one, should they die without family around?
Anyway, that was ONE cool way I encountered Jesus today.

Here is a copy of the email I received from Richard's daughter tonight. She also emailed some pictures of her father when he was younger. He looked like he could belong in anyone of our families.

Hi Heidi,
I wanted to e-mail you sooner, however I have been trying to see about having my father cremated , and Asking for some assistance from his family in order to do so.
I would like to thank you for everything you have done for my father, and let you know how much I truly appreciate it! I'm planning a trip for Savannah for the 6th, 7th and 8th . I was wondering what your schedule looked like for any of those day's? However do keep in mind I won't really be there till later on the 6th due to the 16 hour drive! But any of the other day's would be fine! My Plans are paying my respects to you , the church and his friend's who were there for him!
I really loved my father with all my heart, and had only wished he would allow for me to help him, but since he wouldn't allow me to do so, I'm extremely grateful that he was surrounded by people who loved and cared about him, that puts my mind at ease!
I thank you , again for everything. And Look forward to meeting you and my father's friends!
if you could send me 6 of his memorial services this way I can give them to my brother's and sisters , that would be so very kind of you!

The second way, also came about in the form of a phone call.
Today my dear, dear friend, Kristin, and I went downtown with a case of bananas to give away. Banana by banana, we shared God's love, prayer and hugs.
One of my friends, JR, asked me if I would call his ex wife and let her know he is still alive and going to church and hanging around "church people". He asked with such conviction and big crocodile tears,
that I knew he really wanted me to call her.
So, I called and left a message. Hmmm, would she be happy to hear his name, or was there a lot of destruction in her life being married to an addict. Well, I got a phone call back from her and she was so happy to have gotten my phone call. She thanked me a million times for passing on JR's message. One of her prayers is that he will seek God and get his life straightened out. And, that is the only way he will beat his demons. JR's children will be happy to hear their father is alive and thriving. Thank you, Jesus! She asked me if I would give her my address so she could mail this things. Even though there is probably a lot of mud under the bridge of their marriage, he is still the father of her children. She also told me if I ever knew of anything he is in need of, she will send it to me to give to him.

The third way was also a phone call! Can I tell you how much I am loving my phone?
Another homeless man called me to tell me that he is sober today (cocaine addiction) and tomorrow he is checking back into a rehab center!
He just wanted to let me know that prayers were working and to thank me for not giving up on him.
God NEVER gives up on us. Never, ever, ever.
So tonight, my friend (who looks just like one of us, you would never know he is a crack addict) is sober and tomorrow is a new day in his life.
Thanks for listening to my amazing couple of days! I am blown away and continuing to stand in awe of Him.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday

2009-05-16T07:09:00.030-04:00

Friday was the hardest day of my 2 week stay in Haiti. I allowed the enemy to fill my head with anxiety about not leaving with the majority of the team on Saturday. I was also anxious about getting the sickness that was spreading like wild fire throughout the entire team. A couple of years ago, I got really sick in Haiti for the most of my time there, and I NEVER want to be sick there again! So, I did the only thing I knew to do. I dove into God's word and spent the day in prayer.
A 15 year old girl named Wilda came in for surgery. Wilda was born with some form of Cerebral Palsy. Her mother brought her in to have surgery in hopes that she would be able to walk. At about 8pm, she quit breathing. After 4 times of shocking her heart, it started beating again. However, she was not breathing on her own and her outcome did not look good. The amazing part is how all the Haitians responded to Wilda taking a turn for the worse. They broke into worship, and I mean worship! You could hear their singing all over the mission. As I finally turned in for the night, I fell to sleep with the sound of God's children honoring their Savior. The sounds of crying out for a miracle.

Saturday at 4:30 a.m., the team that came for only one week left. It was sad to see them go, as we have all grown very close.
My day was spent in the minor room, and we were jam up busy! Saturday was supposed to be a slow day, NOT! It turned out to be a fantastic day!
Anxiety? Nope, my God took care of that battle for me!

On Sunday, I finally got to go to the far West! I have been wanting to visit there ever since I started going to Haiti in '06. Everyone that goes there always says it is absolutely beautiful and nothing like the parts of Haiti we get to see coming and going out of the mission. Boy were they right!
Diane, Emily, Pam and myself loaded up in the back of a pick up truck along with the two missionaries, Curtis and Danielle who live out there and and an interpreter.
We crossed the river that is multifunctional. It serves as a laundromat, car wash, bath tub and bathroom!

As soon as we got to our destination we went to church. It was the last day off a week long revival. People traveled for hours to help the church celebrate the revival and also the church's birthday. We sat through a 4 hour service! After church we had lunch at Curtis and Danielle's house. They then look us on a walking tour of the land to show us where their new house is being built along with the future orphanage they will run.

Curtis and Danielle

We also got to enjoy the beautiful water! The water was many different shades of blue and the mountains were gorgeous!

When we got back on the beach, some sea shells mysteriously appeared by our towels while we were swimming. Some of the children on the beach found them and put them on display in hope of making a sale! After some negotiation, I paid $2.00 and a bag of Skittles for a beautiful conch shell!

When it was time for us to load back up into the truck, we had quite a few more passengers than we did on the way in! Some of the people who made the long journey earlier in the day to attend church, hitched a ride back to town with us. Chickens and a dog were part of the group as well!
Sunday was truly a gift from God. It was so nice to see the beauty of His country. Away from the city life, the filth in the streets, the stench in the air, the corruption and the noise, lies a land of mountains and clean water. Another sweet kiss from Jesus.
We found out once we returned to the mission that Wilda had died during our time away.
God gave us a day away from all the sadness of death.

My new "do" compliments of 4 hours in the back of a truck!

Diane, my traveling buddy!

Tues, Wed & Thurs in Haiti April '09

2009-05-11T21:13:00.013-04:00

I learned a new creole word on Tuesday. It is La Kanciel, which means rainbow. As Diane and I were leaving the missionary’s house, one of the orphans was pointing at the sky and yelling over and over to us, “La Kanciel, La Kanciel.” We had no idea what she was trying to tell us until we saw the most beautiful rainbow in the sky! Yet another sweet kiss from Jesus. He made the same covenant with all of His people, and He loves to remind us of that covenant no matter where we live or travel. The little girl who taught us La Kanciel is a new resident at the mission. Her aunt dropped her off because she can not longer provide for her. It in not common for children to be raised by someone besides their parents. It seems like it is the normal for fathers and mothers to just up and move to the big capital city of Port-Au-Prince and leave their children behind to fend for themselves.
Wednesday was a busy morning in the minor room. The afternoon and night was spent with a pillow over my head thanks to a migraine!
Ah, the rising of the sun and the setting of a headache! Thanks to my miracle drug, Treximet, I woke up feeling great! Thursday was a day for some of us to get off the mission and go to the island of Tortuga. I have never muster the guts to go to Tortuga in trips past. All I can envision are the Haitian boats you see on the news that try to make it to Miami, but sink! Yep, that is exactly what they look like!

And the best part (not!) is Haitian men put you on their shoulders to carry you to the boat! Talk about feeling uncomfortable, and ready to drop at any time! Our ride to the island was absolutely beautiful! The water was so many different shades of blues and greens. Once we got on the island we were greeted by a handful of children. They were so happy to see us “blancs,” which means, white people. The children that go to school took a break so we could do a little VBS for them and fed them lunch.

They sang us a couple of songs and then we told the story of Noah and the Ark. As the story was being told, a boy drew a picture in the sand of a big boat, a sunshine a rainbow (La Kanciel!) and water. How priceless to watch him draw us a picture of the story he was hearing!

I saw something I will never forget. A little boy sitting beside me was picking skin off the bottom of his feet and eating it. It made me so sad and made me feel sick at the same time. I suppose when you are hungry enough, you will eat anything. How is it, I can go to any restaurant I want and order what I want, and this child is eating his own flesh?

When we got back to the mission, I had a visit from a couple I met almost 2 years ago when they brought their 18 month old daughter to the mission. Her name was Lovely and she came in to have a hernia repaired. Unfortunately, Lovely ended up dieing 2 days after her surgery. I spent the entire day of her death and burial with the family. I witnessed the very different way their culture deals with death than how we deal with it. I visited Lovely’s home before I left that year and promised to keep in touch with them each time I come back to Haiti. Last year they asked me to bring them pictures of Lovely the day she died. Word had gotten out that I was back at the mission, so they came to see me. It was great to visit with them. They seem to be doing better financially than they were last year.

It is nice to meet up not only with friends that come from all over the U.S. each year to serve at the mission, but also the Haitian friends made over the years of serving God in His country.

First 3 days of my 2 weeks in Haiti

2009-05-10T20:50:00.012-04:00

Yea, God sent me back to Haiti! This was my 4th mission trip to the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Mission Monkey was so glad to be going on another mission! For those who don’t know his story, he travels on all my mission trips. He also goes on mission trips with my friends! Last year he managed to go to Haiti once and Africa twice! He is one lucky monkey!

Savannah Airport, 5:30 a.m. Last time of being fresh and clean for 2 weeks!
Myself, Rosanne and Diane with Mission Monkey

Our day of travel was uneventful, which is always good! Watching the reaction of the first timers, brings me back to my first time traveling to the mission. Words cannot describe the filth and the stench of the streets. How do people live like that? It is all they know. They don’t know about hygiene or sanitation.

Our first full day on the mission started out with going to the church across the street. I love to watch different kinds of worship. One thing I can say about the Haitians is, they love to sing...and loudly they do it! Their worship puts us Americans who looked like we are bored to death singing, to shame!
The rest of the day was spent cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning! There was a lot of things to do to get the 2 new operating rooms ready for surgery the next day.

Before I went to bed, I pulled out my journal to write down my thoughts of the day. It was then I found a note my dear friend Jody, had written to me last October when we were in Haiti together. She had written it the last day we were there and stuck it in my journal. I had not seen it before. God knew exactly when I would need to read her words and His timing was perfect! One last sweet kiss from Jesus before I drifted off to sleep!

My assignment for this trip was to work in the minor room. This room has two bays in it. People who need stitching up, lumps removed, circumcisions, extra fingers removed (very common to have 6 fingers in Haiti), broken bones set and basically anything that does not need the major operating rooms, come to the minor room. The hallway outside the minor room is very very crowded, chaotic and loud! People walk for hours to see the doctors. They also are really patient to wait in that hot hallway ALL day.
A man brought a 8 year old boy to the mission after watching him get hit by a motorcycle. Motorcycles are a form of taxi, and they are dangerous. Each year we see more and more accidents because of how crazy they drive them. The man who brought the boy in, saw him get hit and also watched at the driver kept on going. So he tackled him off the motorcycle and sat on him until the police came. After they took the driver to jail, he brought the boy in for medical care. The little boy had a huge gash under his eye and also a broken clavicle. The man stayed until the boy’s parents came to the mission. He explained to the parents that they had better give thanks to God for the mission. Neither one of the parents were Christians. They did allow us to pray with them but did not want any part of Jesus. In a culture where men generally do not have a lot to do with children, it was great to see this man praising Jesus for being his Savior and also for taking care of the little boy. He blessed us all by seeing his unselfish ways to take care of one of God’s children.

Newspaper article about my friend James

2009-03-13T22:41:00.002-04:00

Hinshaw: What would Wesley do?
creede hinshaw | Friday, March 13, 2009 at 12:30 am

(Photo: Savannah Morning News)
Contextual linking provided by Topix

This is a true story about two metal outstretched hands on Reynolds Square.

I basked in the sunshine last Friday morning on a park bench in Reynolds Square (the northernmost square on Abercorn Street), having pedaled my bike downtown in the glorious weather. Azaleas were already abloom there. A mockingbird graced the square with song and a honeybee perched on my blue jeans enjoying the sunshine with me.

A bronze John Wesley presides over Reynolds Square, standing atop a pedestal and garbed in his English vestments, his left hand holding a bible and his other arm outstretched in the direction of the Lucas Theatre.

The nearby historical marker quotes the sculptor as saying, "Wesley's right hand is stretched out in love."

On a bench across the way sat a woman with a hooded sweatshirt and a plastic bag stuffed with her possessions. Soon a lanky blue jeans-clad man, carrying a bedroll sat on the bench next to mine. He lights a cigarette and we strike up a conversation.

He is in his early 50s, he says, an ex-con twice over having spent 10 years "paying his debt to society" as he describes it. He's been in Savannah six months and wants to find a full-time job as a roofer or a carpenter, but nobody's hiring... especially ex-cons.

He gets odd jobs, but never enough to afford a room for the night. And so he sleeps in ditches and homeless shelters.

We talk about the twists and turns of life. He says he would never have imagined 30 years ago that he'd in his present situation. I ask him about his parents. Could he stay with them? They are in their late 70s, he says, and it's all they can do to care for themselves, so he doesn't burden them.

He's come to Reynolds Square because Christ Church serves a free sack lunch later in the morning and he's going to wait in line soon. I must look trustworthy to him because he asks me if I'll watch his bedroll while he finds a bathroom.

Returning to the square he moves to "my" bench and spotting my newspaper asks if he can read the sports section. He reads while I write in my journal. We talk some more and he is on his way.

Later, as I leave the square, I notice the depiction of another outstretched hand, this one emblazoned on a metal sign affixed to a post at about eye level. The open palm of the hand has 40 cents falling into it, dropping as if from heaven. But the hand is encircled in bright red with a red slash running diagonally across the palm. Beneath this symbol are the words:

NO PANHANDLING

City Code 9-1001

I am glad this warning stands at John Wesley's back where he cannot gaze upon it. I believe he would disapprove.

The benches in the square are not church pews, but they could be. And the people sitting on these benches, many of them poor, are not Wesley's parishioners, but they probably would have been.

It may be against the law to beg for food or money in Savannah. But it's not against the law to give voluntarily, and I'm glad churches are freely doing so.

__________________________
James called me tonight because someone had told him about the above article. He was very upset, to say the least. The person that told him about the article, also told him they published the location of the ditch he sleeps in. He was afraid he would be arrested tonight after he laid the shower curtain down on the cold ground and then covered himself up with his blanket.
After reading the story about him, I called him back and read it to him. He felt much better about the contents and the fact that he would not have to find another "safe" place to sleep.
James is a sweet, sweet man who loves The Lord. He is trying to have faith that God is going to pluck him out of the valley that he is in. He told me tonight that sometimes he stays up all night, under an entrance to a business, where there is light, and dives into God's word. When was the last time I stayed up all night with The Lord?
Later on this month, James has a job for about one week, helping another man that I have blogged about earlier. David was homeless when he first started coming to the park to feed on Sundays. Eventually, he found a place to live and is now in the process of starting his own construction business. That is who is giving James a chance to make some money this month. James is planning on using that money to rent a room for a couple of weeks. With all of his heart, he is trusting in The Lord to provide the means to stay in that room, indefinitely.
Please pray for this incredible, humble man, whom I am proud to call my friend. Pray big. Don't ask God to do something small in his life, but to move mountains for His faithful child.
P.S. At the end of Hinshaw's article he said that he was glad it was not against the law to give money voluntarily. He gave James $20.00 as they parted ways that day.

Cold, wet day in the park

2009-03-01T23:27:00.011-05:00

Saturday night brought bad, bad storms. I don't remember ever hearing such rain and loud thunder. I listened to it from the comforts of my warm, dry bed. Thoughts of my homeless friends that were sleeping in ditches, under overpasses, in bushes and on park benches crept into my dreams.
Sunday afternoon when we all showed up to feed in the park, there were a lot of wet, cold people waiting to eat. Those that slept out in the environments, had a hard, miserable night. The lucky ones that got a bed or a place on the floor of a shelter were also wet. You see, the shelters make the people leave at 5:30 a.m., so they were kicked out in the torrential downpour.

Wrapped in a wet sleeping bag

A couple along with their daughter, who is in 2nd grade, has been coming to the park for lunch the past month or so. The little girl has no clothes to fit her. She is always wearing her mom's very large clothes. Not only does she not have her own clothes, she only has a pair of flip flops to wear in this winter season. Yesterday was like Christmas to her! She received 2 brand new pairs of shoes, a coat, a hat, ( that set her off into a giggle attack), pants and some toys! All of this was made possible by volunteers that give up their time on Sunday afternoons to love on God's children.

Kateri with her new shoes and new coat! Just her size!

Kateri and Rhonda The hat that tickled Kateri's funny bone! Priceless.....

When I asked if I could take a family picture, Rex, the father, told me they had never had their picture taken all together. I cannot wait to bring them a copy this Sunday!

After we finished up in the park, a few of us took some of our homeless friends out for a cup of coffee!

Samuel, me, Oron and Ben.

Rhonda's boys, James and Justin with our new friend, James. He just walked to Savannah from Charleston and is headed to Florida. God put him in our path, so we bought him a cup of hot chocolate. We had a great time just hanging around the coffee shop and laughing!

As with all my Sundays in the park, it was really great! I am looking forward to the warmer weather however. Come on high 70's that are predicted for this weekend!

Rest for the Soul Weekend

2009-03-01T16:07:00.028-05:00

Wow! I cannot believe it has been over one month since I have written on my blog!

Renee, Chris, Heidi, Laura

Last weekend God blessed me with a weekend get-a-way with my girlfriends! We went to Orlando, Florida to see Joyce Meyer. She is an amazing woman of God who has written a bizillion books and has her own T.V. show(s). The conference started on Thursday night. That night, 950 people gave their life to Christ! How cool is that?

Renee (white jacket on right, laying hands on a new believer in Christ)

On Friday we had about a 4 hour break before the evening session began. During the break we walked the streets of Winter Park, Florida and found a great place to eat lunch.

Renee, Chris, Laura, Me, Jody, Robin

After we finished eating, we placed the leftover food in a box. We wrote scripture on the lid and then prayed over it. Then we asked God to show us the exact person to give this food to. The food was carried around all afternoon. No one we saw looked like they were in need of food. So off to the conference we headed. Just as I was about to turn into the arena, I saw a couple sitting by a lake in front of the conference area. I told everyone to hold on as I made a slight illegal lane change and up on the the side walk we went! Jody and I jumped out of my car and with food in hand, proceeded towards the couple. They were very happy to have been given our left overs from lunch. We made sure they knew Jesus, prayed with them and then headed back to the car. As we got in, someone in the back seat asked if we invited them to come to see Joyce Meyer with us. Out jumped Jody to extend the invitation. To our amazement the lady (Tammy) told Jody that Joyce was her and her husband's (Jesse) favorite author/speaker. They said they would LOVE to hear Joyce speak. Off we went to park the car and head inside the arena, not really expecting to see them again. Once inside, Laura had the idea to talk to security about Tammy and Jesse bringing their processions inside the building. Ok, so we, or should I say, God, got that all arranged. Off we were to find our new found friends. To our amazement, they almost met us at the door! They had hid all their stuff in the bushes. It was so awesome to sit next to them for the next 2 1/2 hours! When Joyce came on stage, you would have thought they had both just seen Jesus! Their faces were priceless! Tammy is about to finish her 8th time of reading completely through the bible! Her bible is literally held together by a bumper sticker that is only too appropriate!

If you have read my blog for very long, you have heard me reference my "Jesus perfume."
I know I am wired differently than most (no comment needed by any of you!), but this is what I refer to when I know I have been hugging on Jesus' children who are not as fortunate as myself to be able to bath and put on clean clothes everyday. Well, I got my Jesus perfume on that night, and I LOVED IT! I am not so sure everyone else sitting around us enjoyed the aroma, but I sure did! Before you start passing judgement on me, remember God made me this way!
Renee, myself, Jesse, Tammy, Jody

Saturday morning, we were pleasantly surprised to find Tammy and Jesse sitting up front
at the conference waiting to hear God's word that Joyce was going to bring!

After the conference was over, we headed out to give some more food away to people in need. Jody's small group at her church has a really cool ministy. It is called, "Body and Soul Bags." They make up bags of non perishable food and keep them in their cars and when they seem a homeless person, they give them a bag. Not only are they able to give them food to fuel their body, they also include a tracts to feed their soul. Almost immediately after leaving the arena we spotted a homeless man sitting on the ground. Laura and Chris grabbed a "Body and Soul Bag" and headed out to talk to the man. His name was Phillip and they led him back to Christ!

We spent the evening watching a movie and eating junk food! There are A LOT of details being left out of our last night in Orlando! All I can say is, I don't think I have ever been in such excruciating pain from laughter! Renee, I got you good sister girl, and I have to pictures to prove it! That's all I have to say about that!

I thought I was giving birth, my back hurt so bad from laughing!

Our weekend was a blast! Joyce taught us the cure for stress. It is resting in God.
She taught us that miracles come in "cans." I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Fruit of the spirit can only develop under trial.
We need to sit, stand, walk and run with Jesus.
Sit=enter into God's rest
Stand=against the devil
Walk=with God and life choices
Run=our race to win
So when the enemy starts stirring up trouble for you this week, I encourage you to ask The Lord to deal with him because you are on vacation. He promises to fight our battles for us. May your soul be at rest in Him.
P.S. Forgive me for any editing what needs to be done, I am out the door to church. No worries, my soul is on vacation!

These arms are made for hugging, that's just what I'll do....

2009-01-27T23:13:00.006-05:00

If you know me at all, you know that I love to hug! There are times when I hug first, and think later that maybe I freaked that person out! Hugs are good, I believe we all need them. So, that is what I do!

Tonight I had the privlege of going to Old Savannah City Mission with 7 other people to help serve dinner. We got to sing some good ol' gospel songs with everyone and then hear God's word. Afterwards we broke bread with those who needed dinner and a bed for the night.

Savannah Christian Church has an amazing program called, "Celebrate Recovery." The program was started by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. He wrote, "Purpose Driven Life." Each Friday night, people with "hang ups or hurts" come to worship Jesus and then break into small groups. Basically, it is a 12 step program that is Christ centered. I have started going each Friday night, and I love it! I go for 2 reasons;
The first reason is, I have hang ups and hurts, (don't we all?) and the second reason is because I invite people we feed each Sunday to come on Friday nights. So, how can I invite people to something and not be there to welcome them?

Tonight was awesome to see so many people that I have become friends with through Celebrate Recovery and my Sundays in the park! There was a lot of hugging going on at the mission!

One more note about hugs....when you hug someone and they have perfume on, you will smell their perfume on your clothes. My favorite perfume is what I call, "Jesus Perfume!" That is what you will have on when you take the time to hug on someone who does not smell like what you are used to smelling. But know that person needed that hug more than you will ever know. I love me some "Jesus Perfume!"

I encourage you to hug 5 people this week. Hug on people that you would not normally hug. We all need to know that we still matter, and hugs are the best free thing you can give to someone that can validate their importance to you. We must all be important to the kingdom of God, or we would not still be here!

Some more catch up for you burger!

2009-01-24T18:07:00.010-05:00

So, I have been a slacker in the blogging department...again! Take off your bun, (did that sound right?!) and I will add some catch up on your burger!

Update on the homeless evacuation in the tent cities (see blog from January 7th).
The City of Savannah's Police Department has decided there are not enough shelters for all the homeless people to stay in. DUH...oops, was that un-Christian like? Anyway, they are now going to let the people living in tents, stay where they are! And, they are putting porta johns in these "cities" along with handing out blankets. Well, that is what the paper says, but neither has happened as of yet. Don't make me call the T.V. station again and do another interview! Ha Ha! Bottom line is, someone listened and I find this as a huge praise Jesus!

Brian, Halton and I went to Texas last week to see Brian's family. We had a great time! Of course our diets went out the window as soon as we started our travels! Brian's nephews, age 15 and 13, are in a Praise and Worship band so we had fun sitting around and listening to them play. I got to play the tambourine and tried to make a joyful noise unto The Lord! It was fun!
We all went to see the movie, "Mall Cop!" It was sooo funny! Not one curse word..now that is a miracle!

Halton and Brian in line for popcorn. I thought this pic was sweet with Halton's hand on his dad's shoulder!

On our flight home, I sat next to a guy who is in Savannah working for a couple of months. We talked for a long time, really nice guy. Halfway through the flight, I put my iPod in and started listening to a sermon. That's when I heard it. A voice inside my head said, "Ask him to church." What? That would be awkward. Nah, I am just going to finish listening to this sermon. "Ask him to church." I heard it again. My mind would not let me concentrate on the sermon any longer. I knew if I did not do what God was telling me to do, I would beat myself up later. So I took out my headphones and looked over his way. He was just staring out into the darkness. Before I knew it, I just blurted it out. "Have you found a church to go to while you are working in Savannah?" He looked at me like he had just seen a flying saucer pass by this window! He told me that he was just looking into space and thinking about how he needed to get back into touch with God and start going to church again! He said he used to be really involved in church and how he missed that feeling of peace. I told him all about my church and he said he would come visit! How stinkin' cool is that? I just love "God moments!"

The park ministry is growing by leaps and bounds. It is growing by the number of people we are feeding and by the number of volunteers that are showing up to feed and minister. With the economy the way it is, I anticipate more and more people in need of help. God continues to amaze me with His many blessings. For Christmas, some friends sent me a gift card for $100.00. They said to use it for what is needed for the park. Little did they know we desperately need a karaoke machine so everyone (all 150ish people) can hear the message. So thank you, Lynn and R.D.! Because of your faithfulness to God, everyone can now hear God's word each Sunday! You rock for Jesus!

What we do!

Raising of hands as to who believes!

Our gentle giant David, and a friend in the park. When you find yourself not having a good day this week, look down, count you feet and you will be counting your blessings!

Missions 101

2009-01-13T10:21:00.002-05:00

Click on the cartoon if you need to make it bigger.

A true emotion from God and for God!

2009-01-10T22:32:00.006-05:00

Every time I listen to Graham Cooke preach, my heart feels like it is going to pound out of my chest, literally.
Do you ever love on God so much that your heart hurts? It is a feeling of wanting to get soo much closer to Him. If only I could touch a piece of His garment for a split second....
I encourage you to listen to Graham's divine words with your eyes closed. Then listen to it again with your eyes open to see the pictures. Lose yourself in Him.
I would love to hear your comments after listening to his video.

click here

Don't mess with MY people!

2009-01-07T22:14:00.010-05:00

Yesterday there was a story on the news about homeless people in Savannah. The police are making all the people who live in tents, evacuate their "camps." The officer went on to say that the homeless need to take advantage of all the different programs to help them get off the streets. He also said that they need to use the shelters as a place to stay. The story came across as there are a plethora of options for the homeless.
I was livid after watching the video a few times. First of all, there are not enough programs offered. Secondly, there is not enough shelter space now, for those who want off the street. One shelter has a 5 days in, 5 days out rule. So you get to stay in for 5 days, then you have to be on the streets for 5 days before you can come back.
Other shelters charge $10.00 a night to stay. The Salvation Army charges you 30% of your income to stay there. So if you are homeless, that means you have no money, and they want to charge you to lay your head?
The more I brewed about the story the madder I became. So, I called the T.V. station and spoke to the reporter. He graciously listened to me and told me that MAYBE he would call me for a follow up story. Imagine my surprise when he called me this morning and asked me to meet him today! I quoted Jesus in Gal 6:2 Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. I also referenced what we do each week in the park is being Jesus to the hurting. Unfortunately, all my God references were cut out.
Here is the interview.

http://www.wtoc.com/global/category.asp?c=153752&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=15094&topVideoCatNoB=153746&topVideoCatNoC=133146&topVideoCatNoD=135069&topVideoCatNoE=153742&clipId=3225256&topVideoCatNo=15094&autoStart=true&clipId=3314483&topVideoCatNo=15094&autoStart=true

(you will have to copy and paste because I am not a savvy at this as some people, KRISTIN!)

I would love to for the person who came up with the "evacuation" idea to come to the park this Sunday and look into the eyes of people we feed and hear their stories. Tears flow freely when grown men talk about their prize procession of a shower curtain and a sheet to shield them from the elements of night.

A mother's heart broken

2009-01-06T20:38:00.004-05:00

Cynthia did leave the hospital without Christopher today. It was incredibly sad. The same time she was being wheeled out, two other mother's were leaving, with their babies.
My heart broke and still is.
The last few minuted in her room, I explained how God has his hands on our life and that He makes decisions on our behalf, for our good. I tried to explain it in a way that she could wrap her broken heart around. She told me that she knew a lot of people are praying for her. However she did not understand if a lot of prayers are being said for her, then why is she leaving her baby behind. I did my best to explain trust and faith. We need to always trust that God is in control of ALL situations and He knows what is best for us.
I found out tonight that DFACS has made their decision that there will never be a time Cynthia can have unsupervised custody of baby Christopher. Her family is going to try and talk her into giving them temporary custody. That way, she will be able to visit him and he will not go into foster care.
Her court date is this Thursday, so I humbly ask you to offer up prayers to our, all knowing, ever loving, constant rock.
I cannot imagine going through life without my faith and trust in Jesus. Cynthia is facing all of this without a relationship with Jesus. Please pray this will bring her to Him.

Catch up..and not the kind you put on a burger!

2009-01-06T00:01:00.011-05:00

So, it has been quite some time since I have sat down in front of the keyboard to blog.
This is probably going to be a very random writing since there is so much to catch up on.

Christmas was good. After much prayer, I invited a couple of people from the park to our home for the day. I was nervous about it at first, not knowing how it would all play out. Everyone in the family (except Brian), could not understand why I would want to invite homeless people to our house for "their" Christmas. I think they were all just anxious about the unknown. Luckily, it went great! Everyone showed up sober and we shared a lot of laughs! I had a whole new captive audience to show my Haiti videos to! Hey, who does not like home videos, right! Ha Ha!

Megan, Heidi, Brian, Steve...my friends from the park

New Years was pretty much uneventful. We went to a party a couple from church was having. Whew, drank way too much diet coke! P A R T Y! We were home in time to watch the ball drop (why would anyone want to be part of that crowd, I do not know)!
New Years day, Brian cooked amazing hamburgers! Byron and Sherrie spent the day with us, so that is always a good day in my life! After dinner we played Cranium, and I laughed so hard I could not speak! It was a fantastic way to start 2009!

I have been excited about the new year. Excited because I cannot wait to see what The Lord has in store! He gave me John 3:30 as my verse:

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30 NIV
This is the ASSIGNED moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines. JOHN 3:30 The Message

God has been growing the park ministry like crazy! Last week I got a phone call from a lady saying that her mother was turning 50, and all she wanted for her birthday was to help the needy! Whooo Hooo, come on down! They brought all the food, and tons of it!
Talking to them after everyone was fed, they asked a lot of questions about why we do what we do each week. It was an amazing time of evangelism because none of them go to church. We got to share why we love on God's children. We explained that we don't just show up and hand out food, but that we are in relationships with those we feed. I know seeds were planted.

Speaking of relationships, we have been feeding a pregnant lady named Cynthia each week since March. This past Sunday we were going to do our inaugural baby shower in the park! We had it all planned, cake, decorations and lots of gifts. Well, I got a call on Friday saying she was in the hospital and in labor! She was not dilated enough and she told me the baby would not come until Saturday. I went to see her around 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, and she was still was not dilated very much. When the doctor came in, he discovered the baby was breech. Off to surgery Cynthia went. Now mind you, all of her family lives local, but not one of them was there for her. It was very, very sad. Before she went to surgery, she asked me if I could please stay until she came out of surgery. Sure, no problem. Baby Christoper was born at 5:54 p.m., weighing in at 6lbs 8oz! When she got back into her room, she found out that she could not have Christopher in her room with her all night unless someone stayed the night with her. She started to cry. I looked around the room, and I was it...no one else. How could I not stay? I wanted to go home and sleep in my bed. Quickly, God reminded me about the scripture He gave me a few days before. This was not about me, it was about Him and his hurting child. It was time for me to put "me" on the sidelines. So I did. I got home Sunday morning at 8:00, with no sleep.
Without breaking any confidential trust, I ask you to PLEASE pray for Cynthia and baby Christopher. Their futures are very fragile right now. I am giving her a ride home from the hospital tomorrow and I am not sure baby Christopher will be going home with her. Why God thinks I am capable of handling these situations, I do not know, but He keeps putting me in them. If God can use me, He can use you.

I know it is kind of late for a New Years greeting, but I wish each of you a year of falling deeper in love with the One who paid an incredible price for each of our sins.
You are each precious to me! I love you xoxoxo

I love my December Birthday!

2008-12-21T16:35:00.017-05:00

If by somehow I missed telling you, this week was my birthday! I am one of those very obnoxious people to be around during my birth WEEK! I don't just want to celebrate my birth on the actual day, but the whole week!
On Tuesday, 10 of my girlfriends took me to dinner and then to see Newsong in concert! I was blessed by 45, yes 45, phone calls on Thursday, the actual date! I love my friends¡¡
Growing up, I always wanted a June birthday. Being born 7 days before Christmas, I always felt robbed of "my" day! Being so close to Christmas, people are busy and money is tight. I got a lot of Birthday and Christmas presents combined. Robbed, I am telling you, I was robbed!
This year, Jesus showed me why I was a December baby! I asked people to give me gloves, hats, scarfs and underwear instead of gifts so we could give each person in the park a Christmas present! Boy did Jesus shine through all of my friends! Every person in the park got a wrapped present, a bag of candy, a hot meal and lots of hugs today! I bought elf hats for everyone to wear today. It was awesome!
After we were done feeding, a handful of us went to the local coffee shot and hung out. It was fun to fellowship with those who serve and those who we serve! Ultimately, we all serve the Almighty One who came to earth to set each of us free. It is because of that little baby we have freedom! Thanks you Jesus!

Donnette reading God's word.

Leon and me..please pray for peace in his heart

Megan and Steve-they are both doing great!

Rhonda the Reindeer and Ms. Henrietta!

Santa?? I tried all my charm to get him to wear an elf hat! No go!

All caffeined up..and no place to go!

CB and David....standing around looking pretty!

David with his new glasses Jesus gave him via Walmart!

God gave us three amazing Christmas gifts:
The forgiveness for everything we've ever done
A promise and power to live today and
The security of knowing our home in heaven is there for us when we die.

I wish each of you a beautiful day celebrating the birth of the One who made our salvation possible. And that is the ONLY gift we need. Peace.

Walmart-my new favorite place to shop!

2008-12-13T20:31:00.005-05:00

Wednesday, my friend David from the park (I blogged previously about him), called me to tell me he broke his glasses the night before. He was quite upset because he cannot see without them, and wanted to know if I had any suggestions as to what he should do. The only answer I could come up with is to call the Lion's Club. No luck with them.
David's work is about to run out and he is very unsure if he is going to end up back on the streets. Needless to say, he was very down.
Later that afternoon, I went to Wally World to return some Christmas ornaments. As I walked by the Optical Department, something told me to go in and just ask if they could help David with his dilemma. Hmmm, wonder where the thought came from?! So I walked up to the counter, introduced myself and told them about David's situation. The girl told me she would talk to her manager and then call me. The next day I got a call from Ben, the manager, and he asked me a bunch of questions about what we do in the park each week and about David. Then get this...he said to have David come in and he would take care of !00% of the cost for a new pair of glasses! What? I was just hoping they could give him a good discount!
Why should I be surprised that Jesus would take care of 100% of David's needs? I was only hoping for a piece, when I should have been expecting the whole?
I JUST LOVE TO WATCH GOD GO!!!

Come rain, His light is still going to shine!

2008-11-30T16:01:00.027-05:00

Donette and her fashionable (?) self!

So, there was some "slight" rain in the park today! We know we are sweet and all, but we none of us melted, (well, I kind of did!).

Our ministry was hugely blessed this week by The Richmond Hill United Methodist Church. They donated 50 lbs of chopped ham and more spiced apples than we could serve! The leftover meat and apples were taken to The Old Savannah City Mission, and boy were they glad to have all of it! Pay it forward, baby!

Thanks for bringing the canopy, Jeff and Renee'!

Leroy (on right) is our faithful doughnut hander outer each week!

This pic is funny! Renee' holding an umbrella for the tall men! You go girl!

Leroy, David, (our FAITHFUL supplier of bottled water EVERY week), CB and David's mini-me!

Laura, do we need to talk?

Our precious, precious Chelsea and Laney! Ok, they could have melted because they truly have a sweet heart for Jesus.

Last week I spent a lot of time in prayer with James Smith. He is one of the most gentle man I have ever met. He has been coming to the park for the past three months. Last month he brought me some strawberries because he said we bless him each week and he wanted to bless us. Well last week I noticed him standing by himself so I went over and gave him a hug. He told me that I had no idea how much he needed that. He was broken, and I could see it in his eyes. James went on to explain to me that there is no work to be found and his bed at the mission would be given to someone in two days. I asked him where he would go, and he said that he would take a sheet and a shower curtain and sleep in the ditch. Ok, I became a blubbering idiot with tears flowing down my cheeks. We prayed that God would open a door for him. What that door might look like, we did not know. James has been prayed for all week by my family in Ohio, my dear friend in Florida and lots of her friends, also by a lot of you.
Today James was a different man. If he does not have a job by Wednesday, he is going to take that as confirmation from God that he is to move on to a mission in Dalton, Ga. There he will have a roof over his head and employment. It is already set up for him. God has provided transportation for him to get there!
He humbly said his goodbyes and could not thank me enough for what takes place in the park each Sunday. Please keep him in his prayers as he continues to listen to God for direction.

This is another man I met last week. His name is Keith and is struggling with addiction. Today he was so excited to tell me that he went to another addiction meeting last night, and church today! Praise Jesus, you rock! He is living in his car and has a good job, but is blowing his money on something that is keeping him in a pit. Please lift him up to our Lord for strength.

This is EXACTLY why I go to the park each week!

Lots to say!

2008-11-21T22:10:00.011-05:00

Seems like life has been going way too fast lately. I can see the whirlwind somewhat slowing down! Now I get to put a couple of weeks into one blog! Lucky you..not!

Seventeen weeks ago, I started a college class called, "Perspectives". Basically it is a class on how Jesus called us the salt of the earth and how we can be used to to fulfill the purpose He has for us. It really focused on how God is a God of missions. The homework was INTENSIVE, to say the least. It was a great class! However, my feet did a happy dance in my kitchen when I finished the final! This now frees up many, many hours in my week!

My Sundays in the park are still amazing! I simply adore the people that I serve The Lord with each week. God continues to grow His faithful servants to donate their time and money to prepare food each week. I love each and everyone of you (-:

Three weeks ago, a man in the park told me that he would not be coming to the park anymore and that he was sad to tell me goodbye. He went on to tell me that he had found a place to live and now had a job, so he did not need for us to feed him anymore. The most amazing part of this story is that he was smiling! When I met David at the beginning of the summer, the streets had beat him down, bad. He was the most negative person I think I have ever met. Probably the most stoic person I have ever talked to. He was like that all summer. We prayed each week for God to provide a way for him to get off the streets, and He did! After David told me about not coming down to the park anymore, I suggested he continue to come down and help. His eyes lit up! He could not believe that we would let him help us. What? We are all in this together! So the next Sunday, David showed up and before the message was given he stepped up and gave his testimony to all the people standing in line to be fed. It was a tear jerker to listen to him share what God has done in his life and to encourage others to put their trust in The Lord! Very cool stuff!

Bill Wilson, who I blogged about previously is still continuing to give me his tithe each week!
His story would be a great sermon from the pulpit.

Wednesday, Pam and I headed downtown to spend the day with M. Since she now has her birth certificate we went to the Social Security Office and got that situation staightened out and then we went to the D.M.V. to get her I.D. She was ecstatic! Imagine not having anything with your name on it for years. Something we all take for granted.

Later on in the afternoon in one of the parks, I saw a man named Mike. I used to drink coffee with him at Starbucks a couple of years ago. I have been in search of him for quite sometime since he quit going to our coffee shop. He was a homeless man who lived in his truck that was modified for him since both of his legs were amputated. Mike always has cotton stuck in his ears to help drown out the voices that he hears. Very sad not to have a sound mind. I always enjoyed our conversations. One time his truck broke down in the K-Mart shopping center, so he got under the truck to work on it and I sat on the ground in the parking lot drinking coffee and chatting with him! Yea, I bet you wish you could have seen me! Good times! Mike now has an apartment...Praise Jesus!

Today I got invited to have lunch at a women's shelter that is having their grand opening in a few weeks. It is very sad that in a big city there is not one women's shelter that will take you in no matter what. The Salvations Army will take you in, only after you pass a drug screen. So if you are using and you are a woman, you get to freeze on the streets, under the overpasses or in the bushes while the men have their choice of shelters to sleep in. It was an honor to eat lunch with some of the women that will be welcome to come in out of the weather, have a place to shower and have a bed to sleep in. I don't think today's visit will be my last! I am definintly feeling a pull to that mission!

Ok, so if by some chance you are still reading this and have not fallen asleep, let me wish you a blessed Thanksgiving. We have more things to be thankful for that what we deserve.

Mustard Seed Faith

2008-11-02T16:18:00.007-05:00

From the 17th chapter of Mathew;

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Last Sunday I blogged about a man named Bill Wilson. He is a homeless man who prayed to God without ceasing for a job and a pair of shoes. He got both!

Today Bill showed up in the park for two reasons. One was to find me, and the other was to eat some of our good cooking! Today's menu was homemade chicken noodle soup, peaches, oranges, green beans, applesauce, bread, donuts and water! Not bad!
So on to the good part....Bill came to give me something. He said that he was not able to go to church this morning because he was working (Yea, you go Jesus!) and came to the park on his lunch break. He asked if he could give me his tithe to either give to my church or to put towards our ministry in the park. What? A homeless man wants to tithe? How stinkin' cool is that??

Before last weekend, Bill had no job and a pair of shoes that had seen their last mile. He put his faith in The Lord to provide for his every need.
Because of that faith and trust, Bill is a walking testimony of how God can move mountains out of our way.

Each Sunday I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams! I go to the park expecting for Jesus to show up in mighty ways, and He always does!
I love to hear the success stories from the same people that I have listened and prayed with about their bad situations. God does move mountains, we just need to have Mustard Seed Faith!

When I got home, I took the money Bill gave me out of my pocket. I was expecting to see a few dollars. Imagine my surprise to pull a lot more than that. Today Bill Wilson gave $55.00 to his Lord!

Happy Oct. 31st!

2008-10-30T21:13:00.008-04:00

Riley at 4 months young! Boy has he grown! He is still trying to master those long legs!
If you are new to my blog, scroll down to the first entry to see his picture at 8 weeks old.

ARRRRRR, matey!

Abby, THE Alpha Dog! Riley fears her, but she is his hero! She knows all the cool things to do, like getting the end of a toilet paper roll and running! Nothing like having your house T.P'd by two dogs! They adore each other (-:

Presidential Election

2008-10-29T10:18:00.007-04:00

This came from last weeks sermon at Amazing Grace Christian Church in Grove City, Ohio

Do you realize that regardless who wins - God always has 51%? By acting like we as people can actually “control” the elections is acting like God doesn’t have anything to do with it. God used a Donkey in the Bible to talk (often worded another way). So if God Can use a Donkey - he can use any candidate that would actually win our elections! If God wanted to take either of them out - with a snap of His fingers - it would be done!

So take a deep breath - remember who we are - remember who He is - and do your part and vote! Remember God always wins Majority! He is always 51%.

My crazy prayer was answered in the park today!

2008-10-26T16:37:00.005-04:00

A couple of months ago, someone gave me a brand new pair of LL Bean Men's Tennis Shoes to take to the park. I decided instead of putting them out with all the other clothes items, I was going to pray over the shoes and ask God to bring the right person for the shoes to me. I was afraid if I put them out, someone was going to take them and sell them on the streets for alcohol or drugs. The shoes were still in the original packaging so it was obvious they were brand new. Those shoes have gone to the park with me each week but have not left the back of my Explorer...until today!
As we were about to start serving the food, a man walked up to me and asked me if I had any shoes. I asked him what size shoe he wore, and he told me a size 9,which is not a common size for a man's shoe. Guess what size tennis shoes were in the back of my car? I told him that I did and that if he was not in a hurry, I would get them for him as soon as we got done serving the food. He waited patiently on me as I continued to talk to everyone around me after the food was done.
When I brought the shoes to him, I told him the story about praying over the shoes and how I was waiting on God to give the shoes to someone. He started weeping. He shared with me how he had prayed earnestly this morning that God would supply him with some shoes! He just got a job 3 days ago as a painter. The shoes he had on his feet were very old and the soles on the bottom had totally split. He explained how he was scared to death that he was going to fall off the ladder while painting since the sole and shoe were in two pieces.
I love to watch GOD GO!

His name is Bill Wilson. Please keep him in your prayers. He has been blessed with a job this week, a new pair of shoes and a new hope in God!

Home From a Trip of a Lifetime

2008-10-21T10:54:00.015-04:00

We made it home from Haiti late Saturday night after 18 hours of travel! Our travel going and coming from Haiti could not have gone smoother! Uneventful flying is always a good thing!

We stayed in Miami the night before we flew to Haiti. On the way walking to dinner, some in our group saw a homeless man sitting under the overpass. John and I collected 3 boxes of food from the Cuban Restaurant and took them to "E." While we were under the overpass sitting and talking to him, a police car showed up. Basically they stopped to move E's shopping cart full of his belongings out of view of traffic. When I asked why the cart had to be moved, they said that the president was about to come down the street. Ya, we would not want President Bush to see a homeless man in the U.S.A., right? E was a sweet man who had been on the streets for a long time. We made sure he knew Jesus, prayed for him, and then said our goodbyes.

Me and "E"

John and "E"

Driving from the small airport to the mission is always a culture shock. The poverty is indescribable. Pictures cannot make the Haitian's life real enough.

Our first full day in Haiti began with church! Going to church in Haiti is an all morning event! It was a morning full of singing... loud singing! The Haitian's put us Americans to shame when it comes to making a joyful noise unto The Lord! It does not matter if you can't carry a tune, just sing...loud! We were all blessed to worship the same God, even if we don't speak the same language! We broke bread with our Haitian brothers and sisters.

We spent the rest of Sunday sorting through all the donations a lot of you sent with our team. We had a ton of medical supplies and more than enough food for our team!

On Monday the mission was buzzing with excitement to start our week! I got to do devotions for all the people who work at the mission! What a cool way to start my day! After I got done with that, I headed to the minor surgery room. That was my assignment for the week. I got the awesome job of sharing Jesus with each patient and praying with them before their surgery! So after the first person accepted Christ, I explained baptism and asked the lady if she would like to be baptized. She said "Yes!" So I set off to find a pastor, only to find out there was not one at the mission at the moment. I did the only thing I knew to do. I grabbed my dear friend Jody, and asked her to help me baptize! It was one of the coolest moments of my life! That goes to prove that God can use the biggest of wretches! That was the beginning of a week full of decisions for Christ and baptisms!

On Thursday the generator went out for several hours so we took full advantage of leaving the mission and not feeling guilty! A bunch of us went to visit Sonel. He is a teenager we met last year. He fell out of a mango tree last summer and broke his back. He is now a paraplegic with a smile that will steal your heart! My good friend Pam, went to Haiti with me last year and fell in love with Sonel. She sent a suitcase full of Depends for him. Also donated for him was a DVD/CD player, movies, clothing and batteries for his blow up mattress. To sum up our visit with Sonel, he was on cloud nine for all the love shown to him!

How could you not fall in love with that smile?

From Sonel's, we went to the jail. We saw a man that had shown up to the mission earlier in the week to have a cut (and I use that word loosely, because it was HUGE and down to the bone), sewn up. He apparently got cut with a machete while trying to rob someone. There was another man in the cell with him and a lady in the cell next to them. We had a great time of testimony and prayer for all of them. The man with the cut, rededicated his life to Jesus! Afterward we gave them all a bunch of food we brought for them. However, the jailer would not allow us to feed them unless we fed him first! So, we fed him! It's all good!

As in my title to this blog, it truly was a trip of a lifetime! I did not want to leave on Saturday. God handpicked an amazing team to serve Him together. I am counting the days until I get to go back and love on the Haitians! They inspire me to rely more on God. That is all they have, and that is ALL they need!

2008-10-10T18:20:00.001-04:00

We made it to Miami with no problems! After getting all our duffels (42) to our hotel we went out for Cuban food, Ready for our adventure!

Haiti Bound

2008-10-08T22:42:00.002-04:00

I am headed back to Haiti on Friday and I can't wait to get there! From the time I signed up to go on this trip, I felt God was telling me that this time was going to be different. I was right. Haiti got hammered by Gustav, Hanna and Ike. It is pure devastation over there. The well at the mission got damaged in the storms and is not working properly. As of now, there are no showers allowed and no flushing of the toilets. Yet I am super excited! A different kind of breed, I am! You are probably thinking that I am insane, and you are probably somewhat correct!
Each day pictures will be posted on the mission website. If you would like to see what we are doing, here is the site;
http://nwhcm.smugmug.com/Trip%20Photos
Please keep our entire team in your prayers.

Unexpected Visit

2008-10-07T09:57:00.004-04:00

I had a great friend call Thursday night and tell me she was headed to see me on Friday! Yippeee,!
As soon as she got to "The Hill" we went to the hospital to see her close friend. We had a nice visit and a great time of prayer for healing over Gene. After we left the hospital we headed to good ol' Target to hunt for "cute" boots for Jody to wear while in Haiti. No such luck. She will have to buy the "shrimpers" white boots! Poor Jody will not be able to compete with the, way fashionable boots, I have!
Saturday started early at Kristin's parent's house for breakfast! Man, this was my lucky weekend to see Jody and Kristin! I must be living right!
We then headed to church for our "Haiti Packing Party". Boy was there a ton of stuff donated for us to take on our trip! None of it will go to waste. Jody's medical knowledge was priceless as she prioritized the medical supplies.
Our short weekend (sad) together ended in a POWERFUL worship together at church. The music was off the chain! There was a pool set up for baptism at the end of the service. It was so cool to see so many take the plunge...no pun intended! I think there was around 190 people over the weekend baptized!
I had to say good-bye to my dear friend. But only, until this Friday..cuz we are headed to Haiti together!! Whoooo-Hoooo!

A day orchestated by God

2008-10-01T18:32:00.005-04:00

I woke up this morning only to find that M. had tried to call me 4 times before the clock struck 9:00 a.m.! I was afraid that her phone card would have ran out and that I would not hear back from her. Nope, she called again! She told me she was trying to make good decisions today and that she was glad we were getting together. So, I called Pam, a.k.a. Louise, and we headed downtown to pick Megan up. So the adventure began.......

We went to lunch at a health food store and had one of their amazing sandwiches! Poor M., she was probably thinking, "Great, I get a free meal and we have to eat health food!" It was really nice sitting outside and just chatting. She shared a lot about her past. She showed us her scars from all the surgeries after she jumped off a 64 foot bridge. All I could think is about the plan God has for her life.

After lunch we went to the boarding house she wanted to move into. Ok, that was an experience, to say the least! Let me paint a picture for you. Can you imagine how it would look if 2 soccer moms were out looking to buy drugs? That is exactly what Pam and I looked like! We were in the back alleys trying to find the landlord to the boarding house. Interesting how many people just hang out in those alleys. But I do have to say, they were all very friendly! We finally got the guy's phone number and M. set up a meeting time for later in the afternoon. Wow, it kind of sounds like a drug deal!

Then we were off to where she and her ex-boyfriend lived to pick up her disability check . I was a little worried about going over there because he trashed the place before he got hauled off. I was so happy to see her reach into the mailbox and pull out the check! Thank you Jesus, because I did not have a back up plan if her money had not arrived today.

From there we headed to the liquor store to cash the check. Yet another shady experience, but went like clockwork!

We headed back to the boarding house to meet the landlord and get M's room. As she was getting out of the car, she informed us that it would be in our best interest not to sit in the car with our windows down. Up went the windows! The curiosity got the best of us because we wanted to see M's new home, so we took a deep breath, and ventured out! The room is supposed to be fully furnished but only had a mattress inside. The landlord promised that it would be furnished before he left for the day. I hope so.

Our last stop was dropping M. off at a friend's house. Her friend's brother was going to take M. to her "camp" site later on to get all her stuff. I don't think she wanted to take us to where she has been sleeping.

God was soo good today! There was not a hitch in our afternoon with M! He protected us in all the "iffy" places we visited today!

Please pray for a good roommate for M. Her room gets rented out with 2 people in each side.

7 year itch!

2008-09-28T18:37:00.006-04:00

M's ex-boyfriend has 7 years to sit in jail and scratch the itch he has to beat on someone! Praise Jesus he is out of her life! I was ecstatic when I got to the park today and saw her with a beautiful smile!
She said that on Tuesday (the day she was to go to court) she was hanging around a certain street and a policeman told her she had to leave. She told him that was fine because she was suppose to be in court in 15 minutes. So guess what....HE GAVE HER A RIDE TO THE COURTHOUSE! Are you seeing Jesus in any of this yet? Peace was oozing out of M. today!
Wednesday she gets her check. So this week she will get off the street and into a boarding house! She promised me that I could spend the day with her. We are going to get her set up in her new room!
The last thing she said to me today is that she was heading to the canal to take a bath.
My thoughts on her comment?
"Please God, don't let me take my comfy life for granted."

No birthday girl in sight...

2008-09-27T20:50:00.003-04:00

So, most of you know that I have been helping out with a feeding program each Sunday afternoon. It really is not an organization, just a bunch of people, helping people. That is our, "unofficial, official" name! Most of the people we feed are homeless or live in the very run down housing in the downtown area.
A lady that comes nearly every Sunday had a HORRIBLE black eye over the summer. Not only was it black, it was swollen shut. When I asked her what happened, she told me that she had been in a car accident. Ok, so that explains the cuts on her forehead also.
Two weeks ago, she showed up with another black eye. When I inquired about it, she said not to worry that "he" was in jail and would not be hurting her anymore. UGH, why did this not occur to me that the guy she is always with is beating her? Last week she allowed me to talk to her and more important, she let me pray for her. She asked for prayer of strength. She wanted God's strength to show up to court on Tuesday to press charges against her boyfriend of 4 years. She was afraid that if she did press charges that when he got out he would kill her. On the other hand, she knows she is only safe if he is locked up. She also apologized for not talking to me in the past. Comes to find out, she was was not "allowed" to talk to me because I ask too many questions. She promised me she would call me this week to let me know how things went in court. I never heard from her and my heart is very burdened.
Her name is M., and today is her birthday. I went downtown to try and find her today. No luck. I really wanted to take her to lunch. She needs to know that someone still finds her beautiful and loves her, a love that never hurts. She needs to meet Jesus.
My prayer is that she will show up for the feeding tomorrow. And, I hope that she does not have a boyfriend with her.

Teaching an old dog a new trick!

2008-09-26T07:00:00.002-04:00

So, I am diving into the world of blogging! Maybe I am not too old to learn something new! Time will tell (-;

A question I hear all the time is, "What have you been up to?" Hmmm, what do I do to occupy my time? Well one word could sum up most of it right now. PUPPY! We added another four-legged member to our family a little over one month ago! Riley, is his name and boy has he required a lot of attention! Our other dog Abby, loves him to death! I just have to know where he is at all times as he is still not being responsible with his bladder!

Most of you know that I am headed back to Haiti! Yippeeee! Two weeks from today I leave! This will be my third trip over there. I am going with a team that totals 72 people. We will be staying at Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. I encourage you to check out their website @ NWHCM.org. Catastrophic flooding from tropical storms Gustav, Hanna and Ike have displaced thousands and escalated the food crisis in Haiti. Find out what the mission is doing and how you can help now.

I wish each of you a blessed Friday! Enjoy your weekend (-;
Heidi