I miss the days when we could volunteer and serve - as much as we wanted. We could bring our families and our children could spend time with our homeless friends and be involved in service.

We could gather as long as we wanted and we didn’t need permission to bring blankets to those in need.

We had so many volunteers - sometimes over 50 - because people loved the environment where they could spend quality time sharing with friends.

We could talk to people about Christ - in small groups and large groups. We could preach, teach Bible studies and point people to resources that could really change their lives.

We could pass out Bibles and lead people to the truth.

Now we are at the Bridge - and honestly - things are very different.

We serve food in the cafeteria - most of our volunteers are separated by a food line from the people that they come down to see. We must wear plastic gloves (even to pour water) so shaking hands and giving someone a hug is hindered by a glove that says “you are dirty - keep your distance”.

We cannot gather in groups. No group prayer. No circle time. No Bible study. No preaching. Very very little evangelism or ministry.

So what can we do?

Pray that God would open doors - even new doors. Pray that we can once again get an opportunity to share Christ with our friends in need.

Every week I watch starving men walk in the cafeteria - and then I watch starving men walk out. Their greatest needs are not being met.

Pray that God will open opportunities for the gospel to once again be proclaimed downtown.

Imagine a life full of despair, depression, drugs - and a child. Single moms with addictions have very little hope in their lives. And their children - we fear for them.

But imagine an opportunity for recovery and a new life. Imagine a treatment center that provides recovery from your addiction and a safe haven for your child. Now what happens when your treatment is finished? Are you ready to jump out into this cruel world with a few weeks of sobriety and a newborn?

Hopeful Solutions Inc. is a non profit that helps these moms get a chance at a new life. Moms who have graduated from a recovery center are welcomed by a community that will love and support them. These womThe program begins with a new apartment - free from the hassle of rent for up to eighteen months. These moms are given day care services for their child as they are placed in new apprenticeship jobs where they will learn new skills to provide for their families.en will have weekly meetings and one on one mentoring. Hopeful Solutions wants to see these women succeed! It won’t be easy - the moms must continue to make progress - but it is worth everyone’s effort to be involved in such great work.

There are many challenges ahead for these young mothers- but where to sleep and how to feed your children -won’t be stressing them out tonight.

Pray for these moms. Pray for them to maintain their sobriety. Pray that Hopeful Solutions will have the resources that it needs to get the job done and pray for the leadership of this great ministry.

God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. And it might sound a little rural, but sometimes we need to ask him to sell some cows. He always provides us with what we need.

Calls kept coming in - no one could help with this short of notice. What were we going to do?

I kept praying.

The Lord brought to my mind the name of a man who we called last winter about blankets. (we buy and give a lot of blankets when it gets cold) I called him on a hunch and scored a supply of military canvas bags, foot powder, soap, and some tshirts- all for a really good price.
That supplier called me later to give me the name of a man who deals in used clothes. I called him and almost ran off of the road when he started to tell me how the Lord had really blessed him and he wanted to help in any way he could. (note to self- don’t make these kinds of calls while driving)
All of this was still happening at the latest possible moment.

Friday morning, we had zero resources. I got up early (that’s another miracle in itself) and drove to the supplier. I arrived at his office before he did. When he came in we spent an hour digging through boxes in an old warehouse. By the time I left I had purchased 500 canvas bags, tshirts, 300 foot powders, soap and shampoo.
On the drive back to Dallas I received a call that we would be getting 200 pounds of towels and about 400 pounds of tshirts - given to us at no cost.
I then had to rush to find transportation for all of the treasure!
By 4:00 Randy, Mark and I were sharing a pizza and trying to plan how we would organize and distribute everything.
I emailed everyone on our google group list and called a few specific volunteers.
At 5:20 we pulled into the bridge and grabbed a few people to help unload the bounty into a small room. Over the next two hours we packed the bags in an assembly line.
We finished packing the bags about 10 minutes prior to the time we had agreed to start with distribution.
Security helped line up the homeless men and women and we asked a few of them to assist with the handing out the bags.
Friday morning we had no resources. By Friday evening we had distributed over 400 of these care packages and gave the bridge almost 100 extra for storage. (plus about 100 tshirts for future use) The kits that we distributed contained a reuseable canvas bag, 2 tshirts, a ball cap, soap, foot powder and most importantly- a towel.

Someone asked me where we got everything. I told him that we prayed over a few bars of soap and tshirts and God provided the rest.

(ps. I had some really awesome pictures- that I ignorantly lost)

David - Problems at work with relationships.

Armando - Still dizzy, hard to stand in heat, and questions as to whether God really exists.

Random requests - Lots of people are being robbed. That drug dealers stay out of the shelter. That the dealers would stop selling drugs altogether. Pray for the many ambulances that come to the Bridge each day, who they are taking, the doctors helping the sick, and the Bridge workers in helping the sick. Pray for more peace, that all the fighting would stop. That there would be more patience and understanding.

Pray for staff and security guards, that they wouldnt be so overburdened, and for proper leadership within them. Praise that the Bridge feeds as many as it does, and provides a place to stay for so many. Prayer for safety when leaving the gates at the Bridge. Pray that God will intervene in peoples lifes. Pray for the many that are having strokes in the heat.

Chris - praise that he is liking his job.

James - pray for discernment for those on the street. Pray for James that he’ll do what God wants him to do, and have the courage to do it. That he wouldnt be scared of the fight!  

Dave - his friends are attempting to do missions in China but they are having trouble getting there due to the Olympics.

Jody - He has been lookinf for his family since 1981, but he recently left a message on an old neighbors answering machine.

Pray for Walters recovery.

Erwin - Has epilepsy and has been without meds now for 3 weeks. That he would get that taken care of.

But we praise God that we can now serve at The Bridge! Last Friday was such a blessing and we are humbled at the opportunity to serve!

Here are the prayer request from last Friday:

• Robert asked that we would pray that God will give him a second chance
• Brennon’s cousin doesn’t have long to live and his dad needs knee surgery
• Heather’s dad just had surgery. Pray for healing.
• Mark’s mom broke her knee
• Nocole’s great grandmother just moved into a nursing home. Pray for the family and her comfort in this new location.
• Katey’s grandfather has knee problems
• David - a whole lot of people need help down here. Pray that they can find affordable housing
• Pray for Neil (the sr pastor at Northwest Bible) and also pray for the staff at the church.
• Pray for the leaders of our country
• Pray for the leaders at the bridge

UPDATE: Mark’s mother had an emergency heart procedure this week. Pray for her quick recovery. We praise God that the Doctors were able to find the problem and resolve it in the same day. Also pray for Mark’s grandmother. She needs to move into a permanent facility. Mark and his Mother are searching for the right place. Pray for guidance in this decision.

Thanks for your continued prayer and support of this ministry. Without you we would not be as effective. Without God’s involvement - we wouldn’t be able to see lives changed.

~w

Irving - He would like to be prayed for, encouragement to read his Bible and do a better job at walking “The Walk”.

Mark - His mom fell and hurt her knee, prayer for her in her adjustment in getting older and pray for Mark and his adjustment in taking care of her. (Give him wisdom and guidance in this).

John - His thumb is in healing, pray that it heals well. Also he would like prayer that he would be reminded that he cannot live this life on his own, that he needs God.

Mario - Praise thanking God for providing the Bridge, that he has shelter and a place to eat, that education is possible at the Bridge. He also thanks God for His glory, mercy and love.

Bret - Dave is struggling with alcohol, pray that God would open his heart and mind to good friends around him and that he would be able to admit his problem and seek help.

Wayne - Cody has been clean now for 16 days. Also we have been in prayer for his neice Madison, who has been sick now for 8 weeks, she has been diagnosed now with abdominal migranes, pray for healing.

Tony - That he would get back on the plan of doing God’s Will.

Jody - In his persuit to find his family, he has been looking for them for over 20 years.

Ishmel - Give him protection in his travels to Little Rock this week. He would also like us to keep those in the shelter in our prayers.

Jenny - she is pregnant and wants to pray for her unborn baby, and that she would remain healthy throughout the pregnancy. That Marlin Davis will be a good father and be able to provide for the baby, that they would all be able to come together as a family. Also that we would pray for all the unborn babies, that they wont be born addicted to drugs.

Chris - Praise that he has a new job! He has been living for 8 years on the streets now and today started a new, full-time job that even offers him benefits. Congrats Chris, this is a huge step!

Darrell - That he would be able to get his life back together.

Walter Jackson - Would like prayer that the Lord will be with him.

Blinky - He has had 2 strokes this past week.

Remember to keep the Bridge in your prayers and the workers involved there. Have a great week and see you guys again on Friday!   

Armando laid in the heat for almost 30 hours until he gained the strength to walk to get help. He received over 100 stitches in his face and almost 30 staples. He has a fractured skull, a broken arm, but his hope is strong.

He called me from Fort Worth and took a train to Dallas. He is staying at the Bridge.

Armando was given written prescriptions for pain, infection and dizziness. But he doesn’t have the money to get those filled. Without family or anyone else to call - he called me.

We want to love people to Christ. For Armando, that means getting his prescriptions filled, getting him a change of clothes so he can take a shower at the bridge. It means bringing him extra food when the portions at the Bridge are too small. We will make phone calls looking for agencies that can help him with housing.

Armando needs someone to care. He needs someone to visit him at the center, someone to bring him the love of Christ, someone to encourage him, challenge him and care for him, buy his medication, bring him food…

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17 (New International Version)

Is the love of God in you?

Here are the rest of the prayer requests that we have written down in our intimate prayer circle this past Friday. Thank you in advance for your time of prayer over these people and the new center.

David - his back has been bothering him, pray for strengthening so he can continue joining us at the Bridge in serving.

Mark & Randy - wisdom for these two in the possiblity of new investors. (Two volunteers that own their own company).

Armando - unfortunately Armando was napping under a tree and was rudely awakened by some homeless beating him for his belongings. He was left with a broken arm, stiches, broken tooth and more and to top it all off ended up for a week in the hospital. Armando suffers from depression and meds were stolen in this ruthless act. Please pray for protection for Armando in this time and also for those that decided to do this to Armando, as hard as it may be, these people need our prayers.

Jody - also suffers from depression and he has not spoken to anyone in his family since 1981 and has been longing to do so for quite a long time. Please pray that the Lord would give him a peace and patience for the day they are able to speak again. Jody would also like us to pray for his friend John McCartney who past away of a heart attack last week.

Sharie - praise that her bone marrow transplant went well!

Billy - he is looking for a job and has two leads this week, pray those go well for him. He also needs prayer for the negativity that is affecting him from living on the street and prayer for strength and patience; he just feels so alone. (Which Im sure is a struggle for many homeless - feelings of loneliness and hopelessness). He also needs prayer in his relationship with God, strength that he may turn to Him rather then relying on his own strength.

Joe S. & Julie L - pray that they will come to know the Lord.

Leslie - She has been feeling down this week, pray that the Lord will lift her spirits.

Fellowship Dallas Counseling Program and Family - the counseling program director committed suicide last week. Pray for his family, that the Lord would give them peace and strength in dealing with this tragedy.

Ted - as he is finishing up his application for DTS this week. (He is applying for Fall of 08).

Lloyd & Lathesha - she gave him HIV and he is unsure whether or not he should stay with her.

Catherine - she is dealing with acid reflux, that she may discover a way to cope.

Also pray for the guy that got beat up right next to our prayer circle just outside the Bridge.

I would also like to add that those working at the Bridge need prayer as well. So please pray for the security guards, those cooking the food, managing the building, those helping clean the facility. All these people need our prayers! Thanks everyone and I look forward to seeing you all on Friday!

We have been doing our thing for so many years - and change can be very difficult. But we were pleasantly surprised to find the staff very welcoming. Change is not bad. We must remember that this is God’s ministry and He is capable of doing it with - or without us. We must be teachable, flexible and willing to serve where the greatest need is.

We had the required number of volunteers to serve the food. The first 15 must arrive at 5:30 PM. The other 40 of our volunteers came in throughout the night. Some served food, some went on a tour of the facility and others did - what we do best. They spent time talking and ministering to the homeless.

What does it mean to minister? The verb minister means to “give aid or service”. Sometimes that aid looks like food, clothes or other resources that we physically give to someone in need. At other times to minister might look like spending time with someone, talking and walking them through life’s difficulties.
We were specifically asked to “NOT” bring any clothes or resources to distribute. We were told that we could bring resources this week - but last week would be too crazy. We hope that we will be able to bring clothes tonight (the back of my truck is already loaded)

Please continue to pray for our relationships with the staff. Also pray that God will open doors for two classes that we want to offer at the center (on Friday nights).

1. Life Skills - How to live life as a productive, responsible, mature person - even though we all know the world we live in is crazy!
2. Celebrate Recovery - This 12 step program is aimed at meeting the needs of individuals that need Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and individuals who suffer with mental and emotional disorders, other addictions, hangups and challenges. If you have issues (and we all do) than this is the place to be

- That ultimately God would be glorified at the Bridge.

-Billy His friend past away, also for Melvin ‘Pops’ he has diabetes and trouble with his heart. Then that God would use Billy to point people to Christ.

-Joe Bettys friend is in a coma from a motorcycle accident.

-Bobby pray for his brother (Ray), he is having stomach problems.

-Bruce that he will keep growing closer to Christ and that God will work in his life. (Praise though that Bruce has come a long way)!

-Leslie her mom Kathy is addicted to pain killers, so she and her siblings have planned an intervention, although Leslie has been the disignated one to talk to her. Pray for this time in their family and also strength for Leslie.

- David has a 12 year old friend in a coma and has been for the past 3 weeks now (of course this was 2 weeks ago…sorry) he has spina bifida which for those that dont know is a condition from birth where the spinal cord is not completely formed. (I had to look it up myself).

-Mike had surgery on his legs two Fridays in a row. Pray for healing now.

-Gordon challenges everyone to share the Gospel.

-Ben for Joes health.

-Joe Thanks to all the volunteers that have been coming for long and sharing their food, Gospel and encouragement.

-Brittany for Gordons health.