Shakespeare and laughter

Tonight was our first official outing of the semester! It felt good to be back in Greenville, back on the street, back with our friends. We arrived at Food for Life just as everyone had received their meals, so we jumped right into conversation. Daniel and Michael, both new arrivals on the team, were thrown into the madness and did quite well. I had a nice talk with my friend Kenny, and we were able to serve him by providing some cough medicine for his cold. I also spoke with Toni, who just had surgery to remove scar tissue from her side.

Dan had some good laughs with one guy (whose name we don't know) about the difficulties of studying Shakespeare in school. It was good to laugh and enjoy the humor that God has given us. Katrine caught up with Steven, a guy who used to go with us to the Channel on Sunday nights my freshman year. We continue to praise God for the ministry of Food for Life and for their consistency in the gospel.

Tuesday night is just all right

Another solid night at Food for Life. We saw C.W. for the first time in several months, and Bethany asked him all about the Soup Kitchen crew. Wayne and Sharon are still in the area, as is Pat, but we heard that Reggie has gotten back into trouble since he took the cooking class at the Soup Kitchen.

As for C.W. himself, he said his wrist is still hurting him but that he should start getting disability pay soon. He also wants to move into Greenville Summit, government housing for the handicapped. He told me,

"I don't know why God took away my hand. My hand was my blessing, and I used to be able to work, but now I can't even close it."

Continue to pray for perseverance for C.W.

Dan and Daniel both dealt with Doc, the self-proclaimed kingpin of the streets and spoke with Jeff as well.

Katrine caught up with Kenny, and I talk to a man named David, a writer who feels rejected by society. He has a 15-year-old daughter who is on the Honor Roll at Tanglewood Middle School. Although he feels outcast by the world, he said that he sees a clear difference between the churches and the world. That was encouraging to hear.

T is for Tuesday and all its craziness

This will be quick...What a night! We had three random encounters with people on the street, all of which resulted in some funny stories. Ask Katrine, Bethany, or I about them some time.

Bethany got to speak with Franklin, who looks like a completely different person without his massive beard. Katrine spoke with a guy named Chris, and I spent my time with Toni and her husband. She lives a few blocks from Triune and is considering going back to school because she is so bored all the time.

A guitar was lying around, so somebody picked it up and started playing the blues. It reminded me that healing can start to come through music, as well as through narrative, or telling your story.

Continue to pray for these people and the entire Food for Life ministry.

Flat Tires and the End Times (Tuesday)

We arrived at Food for Life at 8:00 and jumped into some conversations. For some reason, we tend to feel exhausted on Tuesday nights, but God gave us strength. Dan and I talked to Jesse, a man who is studying the Bible but believes that you must not sin in order to get to heaven. We explained that we cannot be pure by ourselves -- we need Jesus to purify us. Pray for clarity.

Bethany, Katrine, and I all had separate conversations about the end times. It seemed to be the theme of the night. Alexander and James are two tradesmen who are having trouble finding work.

We met Devin, a Christian who was saved later in life and said he really connected with the Passion of the Christ. Terry said that he wanted to be a missionary some day. We also talked briefly with Kenny as we were leaving.

As we were walking back to the van, we saw a young lady on the side of the road with a blown tire. She was having trouble changing the spare, so Andrew, Dan, and I gave her a hand and got her on her way. It was cool that God put that opportunity for service right in our path.

Thanks for praying.