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
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