This is the follow up email if you are interested in what happened with the party with the homeless. May the Lord continue to bless us with creative love and limitless love, and teach us more of his love for us and may his love overflow more and more in our lives.
Isaiah 58:6-7
"The kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly
imprisoned . . . I want you to share your food with the hungry and to
welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who
need them . . ."
There is power in living out the mandates of Christ. We never have to
wonder if Jesus blesses things he has already commanded us to do, we
are always in a win-win situation.
New Years Day was an unbelievable display of the glory, love and life
of Jesus pouring through the unified Body of Christ! There are not
words to adequately describe the scene. There is something incredibly
powerful about welcoming people into your home, especially poor
wanderers. Maybe it's powerful because it's the kind of fasting God
is asking of us. There were deep spiritual connections made with the
people as we clothed them with new outfits and gave over our
possessions. Maybe it was supernatural because the concept was born
and thrives in the heart of God. It was miraculous to see the
abundance of food and to have dozens of plates leftover for our new
friends to pass out to their friends on the streets afterward. Freely
we receive, freely we MUST give!
Twenty-seven homeless men and women, thirty one people sacrificing
their comfort, time, and resources to love the "unlovely."
Seventy-five plus people (when we added all the little kids running
around) in about 2200 sq feet of home. And the Glory and Peace of God
reigned down on the little plot of land in Canby, OR. Toward the end
of the party, after showers, new clothes, hair cuts, full stomachs and
good fellowship, someone made the comment that it was difficult to
determine who was homeless and who was "serving." No one left unmoved
by the Spirit of God and His love poured out.
Here are some personal testimonies of those who were impacted.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
**"Wow" is definitely how I feel after today. I must be honest, I had
my hesitations about all of it. The Lord truly had a hilarious time
proving my stupid little worries wrong. HA! I am humbled beyond words
and changed forever. I believe that was actually the first time I had
ever had a conversation with a homeless person, let alone 27 of them!
The most touching moment I had (although, I had many of them) was
Frank's face when he sat down and started talking to Amy and I. He was
overwhelmed by it all and just started crying. He was eating potato
chips and coffee, trying very hard not to show emotions and then he
said, "I don't know why I'm so emotional, is the Holy Spirit
emotional?" YES!!! "Jesus loves you!" said Amy. I was speechless.
**They all have been running through my head all evening and names
have actually stuck with me. I truly hope to see them all again.
**I know that yesterday was totally as much for me as for the people
that came. His abundance is beyond what we could ever imagine and I
know He longs to pour out through His people if we are only willing.
**I loved every minute of it, and had to drag my kids away
when the time came to leave! I wanted to stay and had a hard time leaving.
**So one of my favorite moments of yesterday was when I walked around
the corner and saw Hannah (a girl about 10-12 years old) sitting at a
table with one of our guests. She was talking and laughing with him -
genuinely engaging him in conversation - she was not self conscious or
uncomfortable. He was asking her questions and she was asking him
questions. It was clear that they were definitely enjoying themselves
. . . Oh Jesus, please let me become like a child . . .
**One man on the drive back to the streets said in very broken
English, "My favorite part was watching one of the men playing and
wrestling with the children. It reminded of my childhood in Mexico
when my cousins and I would play and wrestle and family was
everything, that made my day!"
**On returning to their home (the street), the life, hope and joy that
poured out of our new friends was astonishing. Immediately they began
sharing stories with their friends of how they had just had a party
and introduced the drivers as their new family! They boasted of how
awesome their time was fellowshipping, watching football and kickin'
back. They were talking about how it wasn't even "preachy," they just
felt loved. All of them asked if we would come visit them again and
invited us to their "home."
**One of the men on the way back to the street said, "This is the best
New Year's Day I've EVER had." And his buddy sitting next to him
said, "Forget New Year's Day! This is the best DAY I've ever had!"
**A few families donated brand new backpacks. One of the women who
bought some knew they were to buy one pink one. As Tammy interacted
with Donna, she was able to offer her the pink backpack and Donna
exclaimed with joy and delight, "It's EVEN PINK!"
**One friend knew he was supposed to bring a really nice watch he
owned to give away. At one point in the day as he passed out clothes,
the Lord led him to ask a man if he had a watch. The homeless man
said, "Well, sort of" as he showed Nate the smashed face of his "gold"
watch. It was so smashed, you couldn't even tell the time. Nate was
able to give him a new watch with great joy and thankfulness!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We didn't have to preach with words. Our lives were the living,
tangible evidence to Frank, Monica, Buzz, Sean, Michael, Laurel,
Abdur, Poncho, Jose, Linda, Lawrence, Roy, William, Jared and the
rest, that Jesus loves them! Did we pray for people? Yep, when they
were asking for pray, as they wept and repented on the floor! Did we
tell them of Jesus love? Yes, when the wide open door in conversation
led us and it would have been awkward NOT to share of Jesus' love! Did
everyone repent? Did everyone pray? Did everyone hear the words
"Jesus loves you?" No, but every person in that house "experienced
the love of God though it's so great we'll never fully understand it
(Eph 3:19 NLT)." God's favor and Presence was leading the whole day.
We didn't need to preach to them they came begging us to share about
freedom in Christ. We just had a party. That's it. Food, football,
chess, conversations, laughing, weeping, showers, clothes, backpacks,
coats, new friends, and JESUS were elements of this incredible New
Year's Day!
I am thankful for organizations that are daily ministering and
providing for the poor and homeless. I am grateful for the
institutional churches that are making headway for the Kingdom of God
in the places of poverty and hopelessness. But Jesus did not give the
mandate to love the poor, invite poor wanderers into homes, and clothe
the naked to organizations and institutions. He gave those mandates
to the BODY. That's you and me. The church, in God's mind, is not
institutional or religious. In Scripture, the "Church" is simply the
Body/Bride of Christ. If we belong to Jesus we are his Body. It is
our calling, every one of us, to love the poor, invite strangers into
our homes, feed the hungry and clothe the naked. That is the Kingdom
of God. Our hope is that the New Year's Day party gives you a vision
of personal movement toward the poor and homeless and needy rather
than waiting for institutional movement. Don't think of starting with
27. Just look for the one.
We pray that this is year the Kingdom of God comes on earth as it is
in heaven in greater ways than ever before THROUGH ALL OF US, HIS
BODY! Be blessed and encouraged. God is moving and he's inviting us
to come along! It's the most thrilling, stretching, life-threatening
ride we will ever take! The only part of us that will regret the ride
is the part that loves the world more than Jesus. And that's the part
we all want to get rid of, right? Let's hold our breath and jump on!
It's a NEW YEAR!
There are so many more stories from that short day on January 1st,
ones we will never know about and ones we will never forget.
Inspiring books on the homeless and poor:
The Bible
Under the Overpass
Turnings. by Guy Chevreau
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. by Sider
--
All for the glory of Jesus,
Emie Kay
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Idea: Party with the Poor
This is from an email I received from a friend I met here in Mozambique who has already gone home from the mission school. She and her husband and 3 kids will return to Mozambique in a few months to stay long term. This is an idea they had, and is very representative of the type of things we have learned and changes being made in our lives here at mission school:
From: Emie Locke
Date: Dec 27, 2006 10:55 AM
Subject: It's Party Time!
To:
Dear Friends,
We are throwing a party but we need help. If any of you are
available on January 1st, here are the details and the needs. Some of
you are in another state or country and unable to help physically but
you can certainly pray for us! That's why you're getting this
invitation.
Luke 14:12-14
"WHEN you put on a luncheon or a dinner don't invite your friends,
brothers, relatives and rich neighbors. For they will repay you by
inviting you back. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the godly, God will reward
you for inviting those who could not repay you."
A few of us want to throw a party for those who cannot repay. But
we need some help. First I'll share of the needs and then I'll give
you some background for why we are doing this.
We need:
1) A big house that you are ok opening up to the homeless. Maybe big
is irrelevant and we just need someone who will be ok opening their
home to the homeless.
2) Food. I will provide the meat and anything else that won't be
covered. That leaves drinks, salads, fruit trays, your favorite
holiday dish, etc. We're looking for the feast idea here.
3) Servants. We would love to have some help with serving the people.
4) Drivers. We may need a couple minivans or SUV to go down and pick
up and drop off the people.
5) Donations. We would love to give the people gifts. Coats, socks
are a huge hit I hear, hoodies are a big hit too, blankets, sleeping
bags, or anything the Lord lays on your heart. Please don't give your
worst worn stuff. Homeless people like nice things too.
6) Prayer. If you can't join us or help us out, we can definitely
use your prayers. The Kingdom of God belongs to the children, to the
poor, to those who are persecuted, to the gentle and lowly. We want
the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. We want to be found
where Jesus is found, among the needy and the sick, not the healthy
(Matthew 9:12-13).
Just to make it clear, we aren't gathering these precious people to
preach to them with our words. No tracts needed and you don't have to
have the Romans Road memorized! We are inviting them to love on them,
to share the Good News with our lives and our possessions and our
actions. We beg you not to come with the attitude of superiority but
to come with an attitude of servanthood. These are incredibly
perceptive people who have been in contact with plenty of people doing
their "duty." They just want to be treated as your equal as they
truly are. We are ministering with the poor not to the poor!
When I was in Africa, Heath and I were talking on the phone and he
was sharing his heart to throw a party for the poor. The very next
day, someone taught on the verses at the top, Luke 14:12-14 and I got
so excited. It's not "IF" you throw a party. It says "WHEN" you
throw a party, invite those who cannot repay you.
The vision of New Year's Day:
We have a twofold vision for the day.
1. To love the homeless. We want to bring them in. Give them
showers (logistically we can either have people take them to their
homes for showers first or to designated shower houses before we bring
them to the house to eat). To let them hang out, watch football, have
a feast to eat, give them some gifts, and give them a reprieve from
the harsh reality of the streets. It's a bit brutal to think of
taking them back to the streets to sleep, but it helped me when Heath
said it's kind of like taking the front line soldiers off the
frontline for an afternoon before they have to go back out. Just
because their life is hard doesn't mean they don't want or appreciate
a break now and then. We would like to pick them up around 10:30 or
11:00 and take them home around 4:30 or 5:00. That is subject to
change but that's what we're thinking.
2. The second vision for the day is to give people an opportunity to
start the New Year with a different perspective; having the poor and
broken be a very near reality rather than a distant knowledge. We want
to experience Jesus among these people. We want to give a relatively
comfortable environment to walk over the bridge to their side. We
want to give the opportunity to come face to face with questions the
Lord is making us ask of our own life: Who is Jesus for me? Who IS
Jesus for the poor? Do I have Jesus or religion? What happens when
the package answers don't touch these precious people's needs? What
happens if we don't use our resources for poor and the orphan? It just
may send our year in a totally different direction.
It's ok to be uncomfortable and have a bit of fear, just push past
it and sit and listen. We will all be amazed once we are sitting next
to someone and realize they are just people and this is easier than we
thought. They will love sharing with someone who is willing to
listen, and they may tell you a really good whopper. Nonetheless, you
will have crossed the bridge.
I have no anticipation of who or how many will be able to join this
party so please don't feel pressure. I also know that many of you
already have New Year's Day plans and that's great. Maybe you could
pick up the guy on the corner on your way to the party you're headed
to and make him your new best friend for the day!
I may have just created a logistical nightmare but when I was in
Africa, someone prayed over me and said that the gift of
administration will be coming forward in me!!! I just laughed and
said, "I doubt it! I really hate administration!" We'll see what
happens. The first thing I will be waiting to hear about is the house
situation. After that, I'll respond to those who can help with food
and donations and serving. "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him." Colossians 3:17
Romans 12:5-13
We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work
to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each
other, and each of us needs all the others.
God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So
if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have
faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of
serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job
of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have
money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability,
take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing
kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate
what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with
genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be
lazy in your work but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and
always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to
help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for
dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.
May God bless you this New Year!
All for the glory of Jesus,
Emie Kay Locke
http://isaiah555.blogspot.com/
From: Emie Locke
Date: Dec 27, 2006 10:55 AM
Subject: It's Party Time!
To:
Dear Friends,
We are throwing a party but we need help. If any of you are
available on January 1st, here are the details and the needs. Some of
you are in another state or country and unable to help physically but
you can certainly pray for us! That's why you're getting this
invitation.
Luke 14:12-14
"WHEN you put on a luncheon or a dinner don't invite your friends,
brothers, relatives and rich neighbors. For they will repay you by
inviting you back. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the godly, God will reward
you for inviting those who could not repay you."
A few of us want to throw a party for those who cannot repay. But
we need some help. First I'll share of the needs and then I'll give
you some background for why we are doing this.
We need:
1) A big house that you are ok opening up to the homeless. Maybe big
is irrelevant and we just need someone who will be ok opening their
home to the homeless.
2) Food. I will provide the meat and anything else that won't be
covered. That leaves drinks, salads, fruit trays, your favorite
holiday dish, etc. We're looking for the feast idea here.
3) Servants. We would love to have some help with serving the people.
4) Drivers. We may need a couple minivans or SUV to go down and pick
up and drop off the people.
5) Donations. We would love to give the people gifts. Coats, socks
are a huge hit I hear, hoodies are a big hit too, blankets, sleeping
bags, or anything the Lord lays on your heart. Please don't give your
worst worn stuff. Homeless people like nice things too.
6) Prayer. If you can't join us or help us out, we can definitely
use your prayers. The Kingdom of God belongs to the children, to the
poor, to those who are persecuted, to the gentle and lowly. We want
the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. We want to be found
where Jesus is found, among the needy and the sick, not the healthy
(Matthew 9:12-13).
Just to make it clear, we aren't gathering these precious people to
preach to them with our words. No tracts needed and you don't have to
have the Romans Road memorized! We are inviting them to love on them,
to share the Good News with our lives and our possessions and our
actions. We beg you not to come with the attitude of superiority but
to come with an attitude of servanthood. These are incredibly
perceptive people who have been in contact with plenty of people doing
their "duty." They just want to be treated as your equal as they
truly are. We are ministering with the poor not to the poor!
When I was in Africa, Heath and I were talking on the phone and he
was sharing his heart to throw a party for the poor. The very next
day, someone taught on the verses at the top, Luke 14:12-14 and I got
so excited. It's not "IF" you throw a party. It says "WHEN" you
throw a party, invite those who cannot repay you.
The vision of New Year's Day:
We have a twofold vision for the day.
1. To love the homeless. We want to bring them in. Give them
showers (logistically we can either have people take them to their
homes for showers first or to designated shower houses before we bring
them to the house to eat). To let them hang out, watch football, have
a feast to eat, give them some gifts, and give them a reprieve from
the harsh reality of the streets. It's a bit brutal to think of
taking them back to the streets to sleep, but it helped me when Heath
said it's kind of like taking the front line soldiers off the
frontline for an afternoon before they have to go back out. Just
because their life is hard doesn't mean they don't want or appreciate
a break now and then. We would like to pick them up around 10:30 or
11:00 and take them home around 4:30 or 5:00. That is subject to
change but that's what we're thinking.
2. The second vision for the day is to give people an opportunity to
start the New Year with a different perspective; having the poor and
broken be a very near reality rather than a distant knowledge. We want
to experience Jesus among these people. We want to give a relatively
comfortable environment to walk over the bridge to their side. We
want to give the opportunity to come face to face with questions the
Lord is making us ask of our own life: Who is Jesus for me? Who IS
Jesus for the poor? Do I have Jesus or religion? What happens when
the package answers don't touch these precious people's needs? What
happens if we don't use our resources for poor and the orphan? It just
may send our year in a totally different direction.
It's ok to be uncomfortable and have a bit of fear, just push past
it and sit and listen. We will all be amazed once we are sitting next
to someone and realize they are just people and this is easier than we
thought. They will love sharing with someone who is willing to
listen, and they may tell you a really good whopper. Nonetheless, you
will have crossed the bridge.
I have no anticipation of who or how many will be able to join this
party so please don't feel pressure. I also know that many of you
already have New Year's Day plans and that's great. Maybe you could
pick up the guy on the corner on your way to the party you're headed
to and make him your new best friend for the day!
I may have just created a logistical nightmare but when I was in
Africa, someone prayed over me and said that the gift of
administration will be coming forward in me!!! I just laughed and
said, "I doubt it! I really hate administration!" We'll see what
happens. The first thing I will be waiting to hear about is the house
situation. After that, I'll respond to those who can help with food
and donations and serving. "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him." Colossians 3:17
Romans 12:5-13
We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work
to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each
other, and each of us needs all the others.
God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So
if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have
faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of
serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job
of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have
money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability,
take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing
kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate
what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with
genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be
lazy in your work but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and
always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to
help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for
dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.
May God bless you this New Year!
All for the glory of Jesus,
Emie Kay Locke
http://isaiah555.blogspot.com/
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