I AM HOMELESS: Introducing a Culturally Ludicrous Notion When Executed in a Voluntary Fashion

So you might be wondering, why would anyone ever be intentionally homeless? My primary priorities were experiential learning and service. The effects of the primary potential setbacks, safety and comfort, were essentially resolved in my mind before my journey began. I knew that I was supposed to do this, that God was with me, and would be forever, so safety was taken care of. This was confirmed yet again the evening of my first day. I knew that the best place to be in life was exactly where God wants you to be, whether it's in a homemade shelter in the woods,

or in a more physically comfortable place like my parents' home,

where I lived before going to Chicago and where I live now.

I often don't live in light of this reality, desiring comfort over meaning, but that doesn't mean I can't affirm its truth. This concept became very real to me at the age of eleven when I spent a week in a Nepali orphanage. The kids in the Christian orphanage had 2 pairs of clothes each, which we are washing in the picture, and little else materially. They ate porridge in the mornings, and rice with sauce (a rather thin dall) at lunch and dinner. Their only meat source, a single chicken spread out throughout the whole orphanage once a month. It was so cold, that after the first night, I curled up next to the heater off the bed every other night; the kids didn't have heat.

Despite the lack of physical resources, they possessed a joy and love in an abundance that I had never seen before. They were the happiest kids I had ever seen, loving each other, me, and everyone they encountered to a degree that had previously been exclusively theoretical for me. This could only be described as the joy of the Lord, something not manufactured by religion, but truly born of God. Of my first two decades of life, I can think of no week more important or joy filled than my week in a Nepali orphanage.



Other formative matters of note included my reading of "Submerge: Living Deep in a Shallow World," the inclusion of John Dewey's classic "Experience and Education" in my Wheaton curriculum, my participation in Invisible Children Displace me Chicago, my leadership of two Orphan for a Weekends, and my six weeks in South Africa with a team from Innerchange (http://innerchange.org/).

Link for Invisible Children Displace Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3rrCqrJVbU

Links for Orphan for a Weekend: https://www.facebook.com/events/24159584832/ , https://www.facebook.com/events/64690487410 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEjXTUonRl8 , https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=531042052188&set=a.530849932198.2039694.187700466&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash3%2F5332_531042052188_1657493_n.jpg&size=604%2C453 , https://www.facebook.com/adam.b.garrett/media_set?set=a.515222409878.2031511.187700466&type=3



most of which I spent living in a black township by the name of Soshanguve.



Innerchange is one of a few groups discussed in another book, "The New Friars" about a move in Christianity today to live among the poor rather than to retain the lap of luxury of the first world while ministering to those in the 2/3 world. The team that I was apart of was, as far as the founder of Innerchange knew, was the first attempt of any American organization to move a team into any black township in South Africa. A pastor living in Soshanguve for dozens of years said that he had never heard of any white group from anywhere intentionally moving into Soshanguve as a part of that team's ministry. Many people did ministry there, but the vast majority of white people did not like to spend the night there. White people would sometimes go into the township for ministry or business during the day, but they would often want to be gone before dark. I met the first and only white resident of Soshanguve apart from our team one of the last days that I was there, because a neighbor wanted to introduce me to the only white person he knew that lived there. At times my team and I were pointed at and people called out "Maqua (white people)!" Black townships, where black people were forcibly moved some decades ago during Apartheid, were known as danger zones for white people, especially at night. White people spent decades cultivating fear and animosity between they and their black brothers, and so a degree of apprehension to being there at night as a white person was warranted. One man living in Soshanguve told my team leader, "Thanks for not being afraid."

Fear was indeed a prospect for my team during our time there, but God was wonderful in clearly showing me that I was supposed to be there. Keep in mind that I never felt led by God in a way that I knew was clearly God's leading and not just an "open door" until I began having more depth of prayer life and giving my life over more to God and recognition of my inadequacy apart from Him. Within the context of a longer sequence of events where I felt led there, I'd like to point out a short recounting of some of them. John Hayes, founder of Innerchange, came and spoke at chapel at Wheaton College, which I was attending at the time. I slept through chapel. Later on that day, I said hi to John at the water fountain, and he struck up a conversation. I already had other plans for the summer that I was thinking about, but I agreed to schedule a meeting with him. He shared about the mission to Soshanguve, and also shared about the great need for racial reconciliation there. He told me about his own experience with racial reconciliation, a story that appeared to bring about more reconciliation than any I had ever heard from anyone I had ever known. I agreed to pray about it for a week, and within the course of the next week, found myself in a field trip with a graduate level class that I was sitting in on. A man by the name of John Perkins spoke to our class. He was visiting from New Orleans I believe. He told me an even greater story of racial reconciliation, and I felt like God's leading was becoming clear. On the last day of that week of prayer, I did a one day fast. That very day, God put the cherry on top of His leading, when I discovered that the book that John had given me which he authored, "Submerge," had its foreword authored by none other than John Perkins.

One night in Soshanguve I was getting in much later than I had planned. I was arriving by somewhat of a cross between a taxi and a bus, and did not have a cell phone. As we approached the stop I was planning on getting off at, maybe a mile or so from where I was staying, another man asked me, "Aren't you afraid?" I replied that if I were robbed, it would only be some material possessions, and if I died, I would be on my way to Heaven. He asked me where I attended church, and walked with me most of the way home. On another occasion, when a girl on the team was being followed by a man on drugs within the township, the community responded by chasing and beating the man.

For those that have never experienced incarnational ministry among the poor in which you live with them, it may be difficult to fathom why I would ever do such a thing. Without engaging in it for yourself, it can be difficult to understand despite however much you read the rewards and the joy that can come from such experiences as one walks with Jesus as their source of life, hope, peace, joy, love, etc. The author of Hebrews writes of Jesus in Hebrews 12:2, "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame." The tears of joy that I was to experience during eight weeks being intentionally homeless were more numerous than over a year of my life in my teens. In my teens my prayer life was rather insignificant, and I had yet to regularly experience the deep joy found in sweet times in communion with the King of Kings.

The following blog may give you a glimpse: http://adambgarrett.blogspot.com/2011/01/bittersweet-luxuries-dream-of-orphan.html

Ministry while living among the poor is indeed different from ministry down to the poor from a position of tangible social superiority during the time of ministry.

The first time that I was ever spending time with my next door neighbors in Soshanguve, two brothers in their early 30's, one of whom used to box for a living, one said something that I hope to never forget. He said that me living next door, and chilling with them right now, was "a dream come true."



Incarnational ministry is something that Jesus did for us, as described in Philippians 2: 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

While you may or may not receive a specific calling to something radical in regards to Philippians 2, what could abiding by this mean for you, or what has it meant for you? As you seek the Lord regarding this, please remember me in your prayers in the same regard, remembering John 15:5 as well.

I AM HOMELESS: A Beginning

From the middle of March to the early part of May of 2010, I spent around 8 weeks being intentionally homeless.



The main rules I established were that I would not sleep overnight at the home of anyone I knew, anyone who was in any way connected to me, or anyone that knew that I had recently graduated from Wheaton College. I slept in many places, from shelters, to outside, to train depots, to less reputable locations such as the apartment of a prostitute one night.

While my homeless journey began upon arrival into O'haire, I had a wonderful time in Honduras immediately prior, leading an Orphan Helpers team.

I planned my arrival in Chicago in the early morning, with an ETA of 8 AM, so that I would have plenty of time to make the long hike to a sleeping bag that I had shipped to a friend of mine (Dan Parvin) less than 20 miles from O'Hare. I encountered some major unscheduled delays. First, there were emails to the Orphan Helpers team that I had just led that were urgent that needed to be attended to, taking away time from my proposed initial journey. Most of the emails were taken care of while I was still in the airport.

A homeless man approached me as I was emailing my team. I gave him most of my food, lightening my load for the long journey ahead of me, and knowing that God could replenish my food with ease. When I shared that this was my first day of homelessness, he said that it was rough and dangerous. I replied that whether we are in the twin towers, or on the streets, the Lord numbers our days, and in the meantime, the best place to be in life is where God wants you to be, whether homeless or in a palace. Soon after, I left the airport.

One of my missions in Honduras was to map out an orphanage. This map was going to be used in a presentation in Washington within the week, and I had told the executive director of Orphan Helpers that I would get it to him ASAP. At first I thought that it would be fine to wait a day or 2 regarding this, but I changed my mind a few hours into the hike, wanting to be more a man of integrity. This was to be my second major delay, taking hours of my time. I looked up/GPSed where the nearest library was where I could scan the variant maps etc. To my surprise, it was within sight of where I was, right along the path, maybe 100 yards ahead of me.

Even amidst homelessness, beauty, in many forms, remains. Even amidst having practically nothing by U.S. standards, I still had so much. I had my mind, I had my senses, I had my Life, Love was omnipresent, and there was so much more! Whether captivated by the beauty of a sunset, the aroma of flowering trees in the Spring, or the purity found in a glimpse of a life of Love, beauty is all over creation, if we will only take the time to notice. Beauty has the capability of enhancing in focus when we are surrounded by those things that the world would call ugly, whether the dust unsettled while walking along a worn path, or a life lacking material abundance. With beauty, like many things, contrast has the potential of presenting new found clarity. I took these along the journey from O'haire soon before nightfall of day 1:

Prima Nocte

It was March in Chicago, and it would have been too cold for me to sleep outside that night.
as nightfall approached, due to my delays, I had a long ways to go before I reached my sleeping bag. I sought to give the situation to the Lord, praising His Name whether He was going to provide another way, or have me walk til 2 AM. As I sought to abide in Him, God blessed me with the former option in a highly unlikely way.

A black man of maybe 40 passed by me, then stopped about 50 yards away, waiting at the train tracks for the train to arrive. Without me saying a thing, he called out to me, "Hey, do you know where any shelters are?" I replied, "Nah man, I wish I did!" He then proceeded to tell me that he had just left a shelter, that he had left an empty mat, and that the steeple of the church was within sight of where he was standing. If I got there in time, I might be able to finish my walk to Wheaton, where my friend Dan with the sleeping bag was, the next day.

I spoke with the man who had just come from the shelter, and he shared of his addiction to crack, the primary factor keeping him on the streets. He spoke of crack as something utterly uncontrollable, far more so than marijuana or alcohol that he had done prior to crack. Crack combined with divorce and a lost job had put him on the streets to begin with years ago. I was able to share with him some things, including the blessing that he was to me that night, before he left on the train.

After he left on the train, I began to literally dance with joy and shout aloud, "Praise Jesus! Jesus is alive!" The statistical improbability of it all demonstrated once more that He was clearly watching over me, and blessing me abundantly! Many will find such activity ludicrous, but I believe that Scripture should be our standard rather than cultural precedent, as I find true when examining passages such as Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Psalm 69, and Romans 12:2. Whether we think God is telling us something, or read something written by a person we trust, think something is true, or hear it from the pulpit, we should be testing matters with Scripture. I hope that those reading examine those passages that I am citing. The Bereans in Acts 17:11 were considered noble for testing the Word to see if what Paul said was true. We will never hear from someone like Paul, the author of more books of the Bible than any man that ever lived. How much more should we test those beliefs with Scripture from those that have never experienced life with Christ in as sweet of a fashion as Paul of Tarsus? Specifically in this case, I encourage you to examine 2 Samuel 6:14-23 to find David dancing wholeheartedly before the Lord while suffering scorn from his own wife for the lack of dignity inherent in his actions. Culturally there is a high level of callousness for things of the Lord that we are taught, even in many churches, to keep up. When I danced for joy, I was compelled to do so by the abundance in my heart and the chains of culture broken, even if only for a short while in this regard.

I then made my way to the shelter, signed in, took a shower, and was in bed only a minute after the shelter no longer accepted most people coming in from the outside. This occurred in the perfect timing that God so loves to utilize as a further demonstration of His hand at work.

As today was the 16th, I read Psalms 16 and Proverbs 16 after lights out, on my mat. It was so wonderful to be blessed once more right before I slept with passages that "just so happened" to be highly pertinent to the events of my first day of homelessness. Psalm 16 begins, “1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge..."
It continued to speak directly into my situation, more so than most outside observers could realize. Here are some tidbits:
5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
As I knew that it was from the Giver of Life, I knew that even this call to homelessness truly was a "delightful inheritance", not merely a sacrifice, but indeed favor given by the grace of God.
11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Even amidst homelessness, I knew that there would be much joy, already confirmed earlier today, as Christ/Love would be there wherever I went.

Proverbs 16 has a few things I'd like to share as well: 8. Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. 16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!

I had wondered for months whether God wanted me to have a Blackberry Tour or not, the nicest phone I've ever owned, the GPS of which I used to a large degree that first day. He answered me on the second day, when the screen broke that morning (while still encased in its side holster)! While I had initially planned otherwise, after my screen broke the second day, and after some prayer, I also felt that I should not carry bag, wallet, or other things (some that I had had shipped there, and others that I took from Honduras), including a fully waterproof bag, maps, pocket knife, -50 degree rated boots, etc.

By providence, I had obtained another cheaper Verizon phone freely in the previous August through my friend Jenna Wilharm, and was among the items shipped. I ended up using this phone for calls and texts. I had shipped an old Alltell Blackberry Curve that would perform variant smart phone functions (calendar, notes, music, contacts, etc. without GPS or internet) without being connected to the Verizon network.

I stashed my belongings with friends Dan Parvin (who I shipped items to originally) and Josh Walton (the first friend I saw after making the decision to carry no bags, who "just happened" to have plenty of extra storage space for my stuff in a storage area), and carried Bible, journal, phones, chargers, ID, coat, toothbrush, travel toothpaste, etc. in my pockets alone starting day 2.

A series of sweetness flowed from there.

I AM HOMELESS: Day 2

3 17

I'd like to begin this entry with a caveat. I do not recommend reading this entry first without reading the previous entries. This blog is best read from start to finish, at least reading the first two posts in their entirety prior to any others. Due to the great divergence from mainline American culture expressed in these writings, understanding of how anyone could rationally think in such a fashion as I do is best acquired by starting from the beginning where I detail various matters including worldview shifting inclusions in my life (particularly in the first blog).

After breakfast at the shelter, an intellectual black homeless man of about 50 by the name of Art asked if I’d like to accompany him to the next town along my way to Wheaton. He is a believer, & it was wonderful to speak with Him about what was going on in his life & mine as we enjoyed the beauty of creation along an extensive nature trail that I’ve too seldom frequented.

Soon after we parted ways, God blessed me through my phone (the most valuable possession on me amidst homelessness) breaking! I was using a Blackberry Tour, the nicest phone I've ever owned, a gift from my parents. It had GPS which I used quite a bit to navigate from the airport yesterday; I was also using it for email & other internet yesterday. It was my first global phone. I had previously wondered whether or not I should take it in my time of homelessness, as it looks and is very nice. I had prayed for this, but had not heard an answer. I hadn't prayed about it much! The Lord answered my prayer today! I was depending on it so much, but my Savior wanted me to depend more on Him. I went to the Wheaton College morning chapel once more. It had been so long. The message was on none other than "Obedience through Suffering!" I was surprised to find that Christ Himself was taught obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8)!

It was wonderful to be further encouraged by the chapel message and by the experience of chapel itself, then more so by encounters with students and staff in and around the chapel. During lunch, I felt God calling me to something that I initially didn't want to do. I had many wonderful provisions. Included in my provisions were the following: my fully waterproof main bag, my sleeping bag, my maps, my negative 50 degrees rated boots, drumliner trash bags for extra waterproofing, extra thermal socks, waterproof pants, a raincoat, insulated underwear, pocket knife, rope, etc. I considered a number of things in seeking to determine if God really wanted me to do this. Jesus had called people in the scriptures on multiple occasions to go without practically anything but the clothes on their backs (Luke 9:3, 10:4, Matthew 10:10, Mark 6:8,9). I considered how I would depend on the Lord more, and how I would carry less of a burden in my journeys. I've got a bad back, and it was already not feeling so hot! Ultimately, it came down to this question: "How will the Name of the Lord be most glorified?"

Along with calling me to ditch my bag, I thought that God wanted me to ditch my wallet (Luke and Mark references above), which I put in the bag. The first person that I saw & asked, Josh Cohen, had extra space in his storage, so the bag was barely a burden! The ditching of my wallet wasn't a big deal, and had been a consideration from the beginning. After this, I went upstairs to Dan Parvin's room, who had been shipped an extra duffle bag with sleeping bag etc. by my mom. I had packed it prior to going to Honduras. He wasn't there, however the first verse that I saw while I was up there was posted on the elevator. It was John 6:35-37. Jesus said that "I am the bread of life."
John 6:35-37
35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

Once there, I headed to the Libby’s, a family of 8 that I stayed with for my last year at Wheaton. Dave Libby, the man of the house there, lives a life of ministry and founded the Jerusalem Project, one of Muslim, Christian, Jewish reconciliation. The JP is one of the matters that God used to bring me to Chicago to be homeless, as I’m playing the role of a homeless man in the film the JP is doing this year. This is just one of the things the Lord used to point me to homelessness while here.

Once at Dave Libby’s home, I wanted to go straight in, but felt led to go over and say hi to the neighbor outside who I know. I do so, and he and I are both encouraged in the conversation about the Lord’s grace in both of our lives recently. The Lord further blesses me when he said that he was about to clean up the dog manure from his backyard as the snow had recently thawed from the winter. By the grace of God, he allowed me to clean it up for him! It was wonderful to have the opportunity for lowly service, a privilege that many are unwilling to grant. It was beautiful to spend time with the Lord as I scooped up quite a bit of winterized droppings. I thought of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, another extremely low service in the Ancient Near Eastern context, and remembered how blessed it is to do that of eternal significance, whether something as low as scooping poop, or preaching before thousands.

I am aware of the fact that many may have difficulty understanding the blessed nature of scooping poop, and if you have such difficulty, I invite you to read Ecclesiastes 2 and Revelation 3:15-18. It is also advisable to remember that the saved will have all of eternity to experience a painless existence in Heaven, so "light and momentary afflictions" (2 Corinthians 4:17) with eternal positive consequence are a blessing. Many spend their lives chasing after dust in the wind, momentary gratification that will never satisfy. Pleasures acquired while chasing after meaning are of far more lasting sweetness than those acquired for their own sake, the latter of which in the end merely whet one's appetite for more.

His wife & her mother got home, and his wife couldn't stand the prospect of my voluntary activity for much duration as it got darker. She invited me in for dinner, and I was blessed in a fashion that I had desired for a long time. I had lived next door for a year, yet had never had a meal with that family.

After an excellent meal, I went to what I thought was the PADS sight for the night, only to find that I was 1 day off! I went to the Library, and had just enough time (to the second!) to send out an email to my father and post a blog on Facebook. My blog was listed as “publishing” as the computer forcibly logged me out as my time had expired! It was only until maybe a day later before I knew for sure it had published! As the little library closed, I met a volunteer from last night’s PADS, even though we were a few towns away from there. Conversation was a blessing. He gave me a ride to the train depot, where I found another homeless man sleeping. I set a bag of fruit I had received after dinner by him with the exception of an orange I take, and head to the Libby’s.

At the Libby’s, conversation with one of Dave’s daughters is a blessing. Afterwards I’m further blessed through conversation with Dave, the man of the house. He blesses me with some peanuts we share, gives me a few vitamins for tonight and the next few days, and gives me matches for the heater in his garage “just in case”. Like his neighbors who invited me in tonight, he’d be more than willing to have me stay more, but knew that the Lord’s called me to not stay in homes of those I already knew prior to homelessness here. I go back to the train depot, find the homeless man gone and my bag of fruit still there, and rest on the bench where I laid til morning.

I AM HOMELESS: Day 14 - 2 Weeks in. After dark

3 29: 10:40 PM


As I approached a shelter where I had never been, supposedly packed over capacity in a city more dangerous than where I had just come from, I sought strength from God, and found it. I knew that I was where God wanted me to be, and that’s the best place to be in life. I got there 20 minutes before curfew, entering into unknown territory. It was dark. The mats were full, and a number of people were sleeping in chairs with their heads on tables. After signing in, I brushed my teeth. The few encounters that I had while in the bathroom confirmed what people had said. While I was in the bathroom, a big black guy asked if a few things were owned by anyone in sight, and took a few after no one claimed them. It was a harsher climate; it was younger, more racially divided guys with a harder shell than I had seen while homeless in the county I had just come from. It seemed that everyone homeless there was on their guard. Some had a scared look as I greeted them, others a tough look. People were in survival mode here.

I began to stop trusting in God, thinking instead in my own survival mode. I thought back to my years of training in martial arts, jiu jitsu especially. As I urinated, I thought about what I might do if someone or a few people surprised me in the stall, as I had my back turned. Even as my thoughts wandered in this direction, God brought me back to Him by His grace. I still struggled with self dependency, but the Lord had grace on me to seek Him and draw me to trust Him amidst my fears.

I had heard that the city was rougher than the suburbs where I had been homeless for two weeks. I knew that God had prepared me through these two weeks for the new challenge of this city. I knew as well that my time in this harsher climate would help to prepare me for Chicago, which homeless people say is even worse. In the city, homeless are more cutthroat, more ready to steal, and more prone to violence towards other homeless.

I sat beside another white guy of maybe 55. He saw that I was new, and sought to advise me. He told me to try to be invisible while I was here; try to blend in. After inquiring about how I got here, he advised me to scrap the truth and make up stories so that I might stay here longer than three nights. This shelter, even with its problems, was better than the cold streets of the city. He told me that there are a lot of “sharks,” and that I should be wary. He told me to sit back and watch tomorrow, and try to be as observant as I could. He made motions as if cranking an old video camera.

He said,
“You’re the new bait with long hair, and the n#$%@rs will f$#%in prey on you. “
“Tomorrow, I’m not your friend.”

I made attempts at sleep in my chair, & just barely brushed up against him, at which he jolted up, began barraging me with insults, and left for another table and another seat, never to speak to me again.

I AM HOMELESS: Day 15

3 30

I woke around 5 AM when the lights turned on at the shelter. I was able to get a bit more sleep, but I was already sitting up with my head on a table, so it wasn’t the best of sleep! Eventually breakfast was served and I read some. As the 30th day of the month, I went to Psalm 30 and Proverbs 30 (a tradition of mine at the time, correlating Psalms and Proverbs to the days of the month). While the entirety of Psalm 30 was a blessing, a little preview of the last half of verse 5 was “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” The chapter speaks to how God calls us closer to Himself through the darkest parts of our lives. I was certainly to see joy as He “Turned my wailing into dancing (Verse 11)” today!

During this time, Bill, a black man with salt and pepper hair, maybe 50, who had sat across from me as I slept last night, encouraged me. He said that he had gotten in just last night for the first time, as I had. He said that it gave him great joy to see me opening up the Bible. He then proceeded to ask if I’d like to start a Bible study. I hadn’t been asked that question in the two weeks of Dupage County (a Chicago suburb) homelessness. We went outside, spoke about life, got into the Bible, prayed, etc. You might find this unbelievable, but Bill has been shot, stabbed, poisoned, and hung all on multiple occasions, yet God has sustained him. While most homeless people, Christian or not, hate their current situation, where practically no day is a good day in their minds, Bill was the first homeless man I met who was content in his current circumstance. Sure he was working hard to get a job and exit out of homelessness, but he was content with the grace of God on his life now. It was also a blessing to hear that he had been content in his former prison sentence. He went to prison for shooting his ex-wife’s boyfriend after this boyfriend raped Bill's 6 year old daughter. He said that it’s hard to find a job when you’ve got “attempted murder” on your record. He sees his current living situation, however, as a venue to glorify his Creator. While I’ve encountered a number of Christian homeless, few see their lives in such a fashion, mostly desiring nothing other than to get out ASAP. Talents that help them to serve others are often perceived by Christian homeless folks as things to be used once they’re no longer homeless. Bill was the most encouraging homeless friend and brother I had encountered yet!

After going back inside, I was walking alone with my Bible in hand and was approached by another black man, just a little older than me. He hadn’t even heard Bill asking me if I wanted to start a Bible study, but asked me the same question! What makes things even more improbable is that he hadn’t busted open a Bible in years! Bill, he, and I, remained with each other until we left the shelter at different times for various things that day. It was so good to be with brothers who loved me my first morning there after a scary first night!

In just over 24 hours, today and yesterday I encountered 3 dads who had dealt with bitterness for their only daughter being taken away from them. Two have been taken away entirely, and one has been taken most of the time. The first that I met yesterday was very hostile towards me when I spoke of his need for freedom from the bondage he had in hatred and bitterness towards the man who had cost him his job intentionally. A white guy of maybe 52 had held a maintenance position for 14 years. The last three years, he had a supervisor who didn’t like him. Eventually, the supervisor was able to entrap him so that he could justify firing him. Afterwards, he became homeless, and unable to afford his child support payments and in debt, he was unable to see his daughter. He hasn’t seen his daughter in years, and blames it on his former supervisor as he has been unable to find a job since. He loved to hear of recent troubles that his former supervisor had that he shared with me. I did not know him well, and was sorry that I had opened up my mouth after the hostile reaction he had when I said that it would be a blessing to be free. I’m still not sure whether I should have spoken or not, as my time with him was very short. Bill hasn’t seen his daughter in a long time either, who lives in New Mexico. It was wonderful to hear that Bill had received freedom from much of the bitterness and hatred that he had towards his wife’s ex boyfriend, whose shooting put him in jail with few job opportunities thereafter. Another man I chilled with wasn’t too happy at the need to yet again do many tedious court papers in custody battles over his daughter today, yet it was wonderful to hear that God had healed him from bitterness that came towards his ex for continuing to pursue a higher percentage of time with his only daughter. It was good to hear that he hopes to someday come to a table where reconciliation can go down with his ex.

Lucas, another friend of mine who lives in this city, picked me up after I spent some time with another friend, Zach. Lucas lavished blessings on me while I chilled at his place. I took a nap utilizing his couch (it was during the day, so I OK'd it, although this may have been the only time I OK'd something like this), he offered to wash my clothes, fed me dinner and other snacks, and he offered me a laptop while I was there to do whatever I wished on the internet. I was even able to speak with my family in VA via webcam! He offered me clothes, shoes, and other items which I refused (he gave me some weeks later when I saw the greater need). Lucas offered me so many things at his place that he even apologized on multiple occasions just to make sure that he wasn’t annoying me! It was such a blessing! He also told me about XXX Church, who were refreshing to hear about. They say, “God loves porn stars!” It was so wonderful to hear the truth being proclaimed in love and understanding of the grace that has been given to followers of Christ that we could never deserve, no matter our notions of goodness or piety!