Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.This week we’re in Riverside California. Southern California has a multitude of active Christian churches, but with millions of people the ministry opportunities still abound. Due to the large homeless population, all of our street evangelism ends up being homeless out reaches.
(Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)
Two homeless people stand out and have been on my heart to share with you. We saw the first person at a bus stop. He looked like he was in his 50’s and his face showed he had been beaten. Once I made it over to him, I saw how just how badly he was beaten. His right eye was bruised and swollen shut. Cuts, scabs and dried blood covered his mouth, nose and forehead. I have never seen a person beaten up like this. He told me that he knew about Jesus and that his dad was a pastor in FL. His name was Leviticus. I learned a little about him and the reasons he was on the streets. He turned away from God out of anger when his younger brother died from cancer. He had been estranged from his family four years. His involvement with drugs and alcohol landed him on the streets. He was drunk when three teenagers attacked him. Tears ran down his cheeks as we talked about Jesus, the Gospel and God’s plan for him. Leviticus was very thankful for the homeless pack, first aid kit and Bible from the ministry. He knew that his family was for Leviticus.
The second person I would like to tell you about is Carmen. The first thing that stood out about Carmen was her youth. She was sitting with a dog on the exit ramp of the freeway. She told me that she didn’t have
a family and has been homeless since being in the foster care system. She is 23 years old and has been homeless for over 5 years. When she can, she sleeps at the homeless shelters. Carmen told me how difficult it is to panhandle for enough money for food and her court ordered counseling, for which she has to pay $200 a month. I gave her the Gospel and a homeless pack with a Bible. She hopes to find a job, friends who can relate to being in the foster system and a family. Please consider Carmen in your prayers.
We will be doing more homeless outreaches this week and an RV park outreach this weekend. We also hope to tackle some administrative tasks this week for the ministry. In addition, we hope to be working with an CA web developer who will donate his time and build On The Road Family Outreach a website. Lastly, we are firming up our Spring and Summer outreach schedule. God Bless.
-Christopher
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