The Man on the Street

It has been a long sometimes frustrating, sometimes discouraging but mostly blessed journey along the path of raising funds. There are days when nothing seems to be going according to plan and then I hear from someone who has been praying for me and my heart is refreshed and filled with joy. Your prayers and support have been an incredible blessing to me during these months back in the USA. Thank you for continued intercession as travel this path.

During my stay in Chicago I have had the privilege of volunteering at my church's warming center periodically. The warming center is a place that the church opens up on Friday's providing shelter from the cold to some of the homeless of Chicago. It is a time when we share a meal and stories with people who live on the streets. One of our regular warming center guests is a man by the name of Earl. Not only has Earl been coming to our warming center but also joins us in church on Sunday's as well as many of our other community activities. It hasn't taken long for Earl to become a friend.

On Tuesday I got to hang out with Earl on the streets. I had a great time getting to know him just a little better as we rode the trains and buses to and from the various warming centers where Earl spends his days. We started out with breakfast at the DePaul Catholic Church where we met up with our friend Alex (another warming center guest). After breakfast we headed out to another warming center where due to the snow storm we stayed for the rest of the day just hanging out, talking and playing spades with some of his other friends. It was amazing to watch Earl interact with so many people. It seemed that at every turn he was offering help, advice, socks or even just a smile to anyone we encountered. Earl was always the first to help serve others lunch and then just as graciously cleared the table when people were done. While in Chicago it has been my hope to be present and available to God and his work so I am hoping to make this Tuesday a weekly routine where I can continue to get to know Earl as well as some more of his friends. Please pray with me for Earl and his friends as I continue to get to know them and the Lord presents me with opportunities to share his love and the good news of his gospel.

PRAYER / PRAISE REPORT

I first of all want to praise the Lord for his faithfulness and provision. This week my support got to nearly 50%. Thank you so much for your prayer and faithfulness in support. I still need to raise another $1200 a month so thank you for your continued prayers.

Thank you also for your prayers concerning my back and the herniated disk. It has been nearly five months now since I stopped taking pain killers and am thankful to report that most days I have no pain at all while on other days the pain is merely a minor irritation.

Blessings

P.S. Earl is the guy in the gray beard...in case there is any confusion...