I just did a long post for this past weekend and the system had an error so now I will have to retype it later!

sitting on a bench in a parking lot
watching people go by
not saying much about who they are
because nobody questions why

sleeping under bridges
or in the woods of our town
wandering the streets
til it is safe when the sun goes down

in our local stores
there are many who work
but I question this to you "would you shop there
if you knew they were a homeless clerk?"

in schools their outfits look worn
their grades tend to slide
but in a car behind a dumpster
they live and hide

why do you ignore them
or claim in our town they do not exist
when in Williamsburg, Virginia
they walk within our midst?

there are some who are fascinating
and many that want to try
but do you ever notice
the tears in their eyes?

we have people who want to help
by dropping a dollar or two
or donate food to feed them
but to sit down with them are few

some who claim they are Christians
but if they only knew
God commands you to help His people
so remember Jesus was homeless too

Patti McKenzie 3/21/04

SPRING TIME IS HERE

Some of the signs we look for to know Spring has sprung are the dafodills blooming, colorful birds throughout the sky, the grass greening from it's winter brown and the days warming up. But for me, I knew it was here because the phones calls for help increased. You see, this is the time that the weekly motels, the few that are left, start to increase their rates due to tourism in Williamsburg. (Although tourism has been down over the past couple of years, they figure if they raise the cost of a motel room, people will want to visit here!) This past Friday there was a total of 78 calls (some from the same person.) So now you may understand why I haven't blogged in awhile!

But, even through the chaos of phone calls, the Lord has been doing AWESOME things in the lives of those who are participating in the '40 Days of a purpose driven life.' Last Friday we had 2 people pray the Sinner's Prayer and reconfirmed their faith in God! Now Herbert asks us each morning about going to church. He has been so excited about getting back on his feet and his walk with God.

God has also been making great contacts for us. The other day I had a nice 2 hour talk with Jay Harrison, who is one of Williamsburg's Supervisors. Also, 2 other churches have offered to help support our effort with the homeless. Slowly, I have been spreading the news about our Homeless Awareness Day that is scheduled for June 5th. But for now I have to focus on the Mission Fair at our church on Sunday. Until I can get everything printed, I need to keep focused on this project. I will blog more on Sunday about the different ways God has been moving in our lives.

2 More for Our Lord!

Last week was our 2nd week meeting as a host family for the 40 Days of a Purpose Driven Life. One of our friends from YRBC came to join us to fellowship with the 'homeless' who are in the study group. Our group consists of 7 single men and 5 young adults (ages 11-20). After we watched the video tape for that week's study, Holy Spirit requested an invitation for salvation. So I asked as He said to do and immediately Jimmy's hand went up! Praise God! Tiffany, another one of our young adults wanted to, as well. Since Marshall was visiting with our group and he is a long time member of our church, I asked if he would continue to work with our new Brother and Sister in Christ. Geoff, Marshall and I were so excited about our new members in the family of Christ.

Tiffany, who is 12 yrs. old, used to "play at" church. She has gone forward in the past and been baptized four times and thought it was a big joke. But after seeing "The Passion" Tiffany realized, to quote, "I realized that I am nothing without Jesus Christ in my life. He did all that for me. The least I can do is pay Him back by living for Him." And, "I'm so excited! I feel all new inside. It feels different this time. I thought everyone had abandoned me because my mom was homeless, my sisters and I were not together and my brother doesn't believe in God so I wanted to die. I was so confused. Now I know God was with me because He didn't let me die! Now, my mom has a house for all my sisters to be together again and we are no longer homeless!" Praise God!

Jimmy, who is 20 yrs. old, is mentally challenged due to having leukemia as a child. It has affected his brain to the point now he is slow at processing information and has many seizures. He has been praying for help for many years, but only recently decided to give his life to God. He longs to feel wanted and accepted, but now understands he is a part of a greater family under Christ! He has also been praying for a job, which has been hard for him because of his challenge. Last night after prayer and Bible study, he received a phone call from a place he applied for work and he starts Monday! They actually wanted him to start Sunday but he explained he was being baptized and the boss was excited and said "Congrats!"

By their request to our Pastor, tomorrow, Tiffany and Jimmy will be baptized at YRBC. Now there is 2 less that Satan can't have!