The power of prayer...

Last Thursday we hit the streets again fully loaded with hand warmers, gloves, hot chocolate, coffee, and snacks. May I remind you that we don't have many cold days in Texas but Thursday was most definitely an exception. IT WAS FREEZING!! It wasn't bad until the sun went down and the wind picked up. Our friend Mandy went with us to experience the joy of giving. We told her we were going to be busy and there really wasn't enough time to explain how everything works so she would just have to get out and go with the flow. She did exactly that. We went to Austin Street first and we all got out and I handed Mandy the hot chocolate and said okay, you're the hot chocolate scooper so get busy. So she went down the line and scooped hot chocolate like a pro. :)

Luckily there wasn't as many people outside as there usually is. It was a good day to throw a newbie in. We visited and prayed with a lot of the guys out there. Some for their continued success of getting back on their feet and some for strength to make it through the day. Our friend Cotton was having a really bad day. Actually we've seen his attitude deteriorate drastically since the first time we met him. The streets are really wearing him down. He said he got what was coming to him the other day. He had gone out and got tanked on Vodka and came to the shelter and was running his mouth and he got his butt stomped. He said he deserved everything he got. I asked him if he wanted us to pray for him before we left and he said yes. So we prayed for him and when we were through he was wiping the tears out from behind his sunglasses.

Before we left we went inside to say hi to Sherman and Duane. While we were in there DeAngelo (a friend we haven't seen in months) came up to me and asked if we could pray. So DeAngelo, Mandy, Scottie and I circled around and grabbed hands and someone walking by said "Hey, can I get in on that?", and then another one and another one. We just stood there holding hands as the circle grew bigger and bigger. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. We asked for specific prayer request and then jumped right in. I started the prayer off and it kept going around the circle, it was awesome. I can't think of any other word to explain it. After the last prayer was said we all said amen and DeAngelo gave us a hug and said he had to go before he started crying. He said he considered us family and he really loved us.

God was moving within those prayer circles, the evidence was in the tears.

After leaving Austin Street we went down by the Gospel Mission and handed out hot chocolate to the guys down there. Since this was Mandy's first time out we took her back to her car before it got dark and then Scottie and I hit the streets again. We went by Kenneth's usual spot so we could buy more jewelry from him and he was there waiting on us. We bought almost all he had with him and put a little cash in his pocket. He didn't have the necklace Scottie was wanting so we made plans to meet him at the Library the next day. After we left Kenneth we stopped by the Family Gateway Center and passed out stuff for about 30 mins before going to the resource center.

When we got to the resource center Scottie and I were way out numbered. It's almost impossible for two people to man that size of a crowd. We handed the first person in line a stack of cups and told them to take one and pass it back and I was the hot chocolate scooper and the cracker passer outer and Scottie was the hot water and coffee guy. When we're at the resource center we have absolutely no time to talk or pray with anyone, especially if it's just Scottie and I. Sometimes visits at the resource center are challenging physically and mentally. It's just such a demand. It can easily drain you.

We did see Terry, Tom, Jennifer, Jody and Tami at the Resource Center. They were getting in doors for the night. I was so thankful to see them there, it got down to 20 degrees that night. When we were handing out the hot chocolate I kept looking at the line getting longer and longer and knowing that we only had one cooler left of hot water and it was going fast. I kept saying to myself and really to the Lord "Fishes and loaves Lord, Fishes and Loaves." At one point a man asked if there was going to be enough water and I told him yes, just keep saying fishes and loaves. he said "Fishes and loaves, Fishes and Loaves, it fed 5000 it can give us some hot water!" I'm proud and not surprised to say we had exactly enough water for everyone. Fishes and Loaves! :)

After we left the Resource Center we went to the hospital to be with the Hulsman family while David was in surgery. David is in our youth group and had emergency surgery on his intestines. We sat in the waiting room with his parents while he was in surgery and I went in the recovery room with them to see David as he came out. So many memories and emotions came back to me going into that recovery room. The weird thing is I had peace about it all. I could see the emotions in his parents and I remember the exact feeling when I would go in to see Court. Totally freaked out but so relieved to see her. The same look was in David's parents faces. Totally freaked out but so relieved to see him. David is doing well and recovering fast.

God is good and God is SOOOOO Real. That's all I've got to say about that.

Have a great week.

Britney and Scottie

Sorry for the lack of photos, we just didn't have enough hands to do everything. We'll try to have a troop with us next time to man the camera.

PS. I leave out on Saturday to go to El Salvador on a mission trip. Please be in prayer for the team going and for us to listen to what God is saying.

Truth is of God....

Truth can be found everywhere, including the streets. Some people are on a different, deeper level spiritually than others. The different levels are everywhere; at school, at work, at church, on the streets and even in your home. It seems as though on the streets there's a different realm of spiritually awareness. There are a few people we meet on the streets that seem keenly aware of the evilness that is around them. I feel, the presence of evil is more dominant on the streets than it is in our "normal rat race lives". I think this is true because our lives are filled with distractions and schedules that are crammed packed with activities. We don't have time to realize the war around us. There's something that happens when you're stripped down to your bear essentials and you truly rely on God for everything. Everything such as protection whether it be from other people or the weather, the next meal you eat and where you're going to lay your head for the night. You become quickly aware of the war when you're right in the middle of the battle field.

We had a lot of good conversations last night with some old friends and some new ones. We met a man that we knew of, but had never personally met before. We were down by the Union Gospel looking for people and we found two men lying down on the sidewalk for the night. We stopped and asked if they would like some crackers and water and they said yes. We jumped out of the truck and started getting all of our stuff out and Stephen walked over to the man that was in his sleeping bag. The first night Stephen and Layci went with us our friend Duane gave him a necklace made by a local homeless man named Kenneth Green. Scottie and I got ours as Christmas gifts about a month earlier. As a matter of fact Duane had given me a bracelet and Scottie another necklace earlier that day when we were at Austin Street. Anyway, as Stephen was handing this man his crackers he saw Stephen’s necklace and said "Hey, where did you get that necklace? That's my work." We finally ran into Kenneth Green. We talked with him for about 20-30 mins about his jewelry and showed him all the pieces we had of his work. He got off into a deep conversation about faith and spiritual dimensions and how God reveals our purpose to us a little at a time and we may not get it until years later. Kenneth is one of those people that are on a way deeper level than most. If you listened to him with an open mind and an open heart then you could pick up most of what he was putting down. If you didn't have an open mind and just believe in what you have experienced and that all you know is all you believe, no more or no less is true, then you would think everything he said was crazy talk. That's where truth comes in. If you open your mind to truth then more than likely you will find truth somewhere you weren't expecting to. Truth is everywhere.....

Layci, Stephen, Kenneth and Scottie

Another man we talked to for a good while was right down the road. Jerry is his name. He actually saw us talking with Kenneth and he came down there to make sure we were going to come down the street. We had met him a few weeks before on the same street. His main purpose for getting us down there is always for other people. There was a man down there that needed to take his medicine but he didn't have anything to drink. When we first met him he wanted us to come down there because there was a lady down there that needed blankets. He's a super nice man, always full of hospitality when we go down to his street. Always very thankful for everything and always telling us how much of a blessing we are to them. He points out that he realizes we only bring basic necessities of life, such as water, but it's such a blessing. Jerry dropped out of school in the 9th grade. Ever since then he said he's been attending God's University, learning lessons the hard way. He admits that living on the streets isn't easy "The evil is so thick out here you could cut it with a knife." Jerry is 57 years old and he said living out there has made him more determined to change some things and "get up out of here". He said he is always trying to look at things in a positive light and not blame God for the situation he's in. He just tries to take it in as another lesson learned in GU (God's University).
He left us with a parting thought; he said "We're made to praise God and to have faith in him always. We need to walk through life with the staff of Moses, not beating people over the head with it saying I'm coming through and God's with me, but rather letting God lead the way with the staff. In this life we must have faith. I want to go to heaven! How can I praise God in the grave? I can't. That's why we must do it now, in this life. After we die we don't get a second chance." Truth is everywhere....

Jerry's Street, this is right down the street from the Union Gospel.

Jerry and Britney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ep9sR-qkkk

Go to the above website to watch a video of Jerry trying to sing but getting interrupted by someone behind us. Listen carefully to the guy in the background. Hilarious!

And of course we finished the night off by going to the church downtown and hanging out with Tom, Jennifer, Jody, Tami and Greg. Scottie rolled down the windows and turned up the music and we all sat on the footsteps of the church. We talked, listened to music and Jennifer's jokes and laughed as she danced and pestered Jody. We all had a great time enjoying each other.
Tom is struggling with some demons of his own and he asked us to be in prayer for him as he tries to fight these demons and temptations. He and Jennifer are trying to get back on their feet and Satan is attacking them aggressively, especially since Tom has a job and some cash flow coming in. Please be in prayer for Tom as he is in the battle field, God knows what he's dealing with.

Sitting on the steps of the church.

These stories are just a few highlights of the day. We have so many friends at Austin Street as well. People we've grown to know and love. A few guys asked for prayers so we prayed right there. Some of the guys share their stories of progress with us because they know we care. Willie got a job with Borden about a month ago and he said he's going to save his money for 3 more months and he's off the streets. You can see the joy beaming from his eyes as those words leave his lips. Michael is getting a job at the VA office and the VA is paying a years worth of rent so he can get back on his feet. He should be off the streets in about 2 weeks. These are the reports you long to hear. These are the stories of hope.

Terry, Scottie and Donald at Austin Street

On the streets you see so many emotions. Some hidden, some not. Sometimes you see a smile that is desperately trying to conceal brokenness and sometimes the brokenness just can't be concealed. Through it all, the brokenness, the loneliness, the confusion, the struggles, you can still see hope. You can see light in the darkness.

This is "Tent City". Yesterday was our first time down there. It's literally a city of card board boxes and make shift tents. I know it's hard to see, it was dark under there. I will try to get a better picture next time.


Please join us in praying for those on the streets to let down their guard and let God into their lives. For them to let go of whatever it is they hang on to and let God deal with it. Pray for their wisdom, understanding and strength.

Find truth everywhere,

Britney & Scottie

Scrap Iron and Britney

A picture is worth a thousand words...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I'm at a place right now where words just don't cut it. This past week the only word that seems fitting is INDESCRIBABLE. God is indescribable. God's ways and purpose for our lives are indescribable. The way He moves you to a state of speechlessness, where words can't compare to the emotions, is indescribable. These are a few pictures we took when we hit the streets on Groundhog day when the night temperatures dropped to a bone chilling 28 degrees. The Metallica lyrics "where I lay my head is home" takes on a whole new meaning.

Scottie and I posed for a picture with John and Sunshine. We found them in front of the Stew Pot getting ready for the night. We gave them hand warmers and toboggans to help fight off the cold. We talked with them for a good 30 minutes before moving on. John was hoping for dry weather so he could work the next morning for the city's sanitation crew. Notice the writing on the window above Scottie.





Scottie and Dana shaking on a Superbowl bet. The wager was 50 push ups. Dana for the Colts, Scottie for the Bears.........Scottie loses. He pays up the next time we see Dana, I can only imagine the hoots and hollers Dana is going to have. The struggles of street life are wearing Dana down. He's tired. He's 47 and has been on the streets for a long time and he's just tired. Sometimes life just doesn't make sense, sometimes every corner you turn down there's a bigger obstacle in your face. Please be in prayer for Dana. Pray for his strength, and understanding.



Tom and Jennifer's "humble abode". We met Tom and Jennifer when we first started going to Austin St. and have become good friends since then. They now reside on the steps of the Presbyterian Church in downtown Dallas. They both just got a job at a nearby restaurant that opened today. Tom wanted us to take a picture of where they're staying now so he can look back at it and see where they were. They're hoping to be off the streets very soon. From what Tom has told us his boss is a very nice man and he is going to help them find housing. Tom says the people at the church are really nice to them and they have their permission to stay there as long as they keep everything clean.

This is Tom and Jennifer's front porch :)

Tom and Jennifer

This is a picture of Jody, Stephen and Lacy. We met Jody in front of the stew pot. When we got out of the truck he said "Y'all are the ones everyone's been tellin me about." He said he's missed us the last few times we've been down there. Jody is a very nice man that has no problem talking. He's full of jokes and doesn't seem to have any complaints about life. He's staying on the steps of the church also. After leaving the church we questioned whether Jody had blankets for the night. No one had noticed any in his area so we decided to turn around and go check. We gave him a sleeping bag because all the blankets he owned were wet.

Tavis "Travis without the R". Tavis came up to the truck when we were visiting with Tom, Jennifer and Jody in front of the church. We gave him a cup of hot chocolate and he asked if we had any clothes because all he had on was a pull over and jeans. I went to the truck to check out what we had and gave him two coats to put on which both looked to small but he didn't care. He saw a starter jacket under the back seat that I was saving for Billy and he asked about it. I told him I was saving it for another friend and in that same moment God told me to give it to him. I told him to give me the jackets he had on and I looked him in the eye and made him pinkie promise that he would not sell or trade the starter jacket if I gave it to him. He pinkie promised and I gave it to him and started singing Jesus Loves Me and clapping. (like a big dork per Scottie) He knew he had been blessed and was very thankful for it. He said he recognized us from a few weeks ago when he saw us at the Union Gospel. He gave us a hug, posed for a picture and disappeared into the darkness. I bet that was the first time in a long time (if ever) he had to pinkie promise.

For the past month or so when we pray before we go out into the streets I've asked God to gently push us out of our comfort zones and "disturb" us. When I prayed this I was meaning for those that go with us to be affected not myself. But the opposite was true, I was pushed out of my spiritual comfort zone and I was and still am disturbed. I'm being broken and I don't have words for it yet.

Till next time,

Britney & Scottie