I was on my way back home from work this morning fully prepared to hop in bed and sleep for an additional 2 hours. All of a sudden the Holy Spirit impressed me totally at random to call the lady I helped before and ask her how to get to her camp site. I had an impression to go, and whoever was there, make their day somehow. At the time it was just a thought that I should maybe make them breakfast and give them a warm place to be for a while to relax. Little did I know that God had yet another eye opening experience for me. I pulled into the small encampment where there used to be 11 people from what I had heard. Now there were little to none since the city is running them out with no other option. By the end of the month all of the stuff they have collected from people over the past several months had to be gone or it would all be thrown away. These people have entire set-ups; camp stoves, tarps, enclosures, you name it. Most people having no other option abandoned their meager possessions so they could find another place to camp. They obviously had no way to truck it all somewhere else. I walked up to the couple tents I saw (it was about 7:30a) and started calling out asking if anyone was there. Finally after an abandoned one I got a response. The voice sounded confused as to why some random person named Eden would be there bright and early in the morning looking for them. A guy with a dog popped out and said he thought he was dreaming at first. He really wasn’t expecting anyone. I started asking about the people that lived here and inquiring about his situation. He showed me around and told me that all he owned was the dog that he rescued, his backpack with his few pair of clothes, and a net book someone gave him along with a digital camera. He was a traveler, by choice, that was educated and used to live the standard life but honestly got sick of working and just wanted to ditch it all. In a sense he wanted a paid vacation. He makes decent money some days pan handling while other days he goes without, but all intentionally because he claims that he chose to be homeless very much on purpose. I was somewhat bothered by the fact that he chose to live the life he was living, basically feeding on the sympathy of people to provide for him when it wasn’t circumstance that put him there. I asked how many people were left on the site. He said besides my other lady friend and her boyfriend there was one other guy. I told him I basically just wanted to know what their immediate needs were, and maybe take them to my house and let them warm up, eat, use the internet, and relax. He was very happy about this and suggested that maybe since his friend had gotten drunk last night, he may not be in the best state. I said we should go check anyhow. We woke him up and told him the plan. He looked pretty happy. When I saw their wet clothes frozen stiff on the line more thoughts occurred to me. I told them to bring their laundry so they could wash it and get a nice shower in. They gratefully gathered their few clothes. The lady and her boyfriend had been kindly put up for a night in a motel and weren’t checking out until 11. The two guys, the dog, and I drove to Walmart and gathered pizza and ice cream. I also bought a couple towels and toiletries they could use to shower with. When I came back the guys had already bought the food with their food stamps. I was going to help out but I figured they were fine since they went ahead and got it. We invited the lady and her boyfriend to come after they checked out. Well to make this part of the story short they were ecstatic to have a hot shower and to wash their clothes. The guy with the dog hadn’t washed his outfit since Halloween and they both looked so grateful the whole time. They ate their pizza and I picked up the other two from the hotel. When they were all standing near the kitchen we all talked for a moment and the couple and the guy with the dog asked about me. I told them a nutshell of my story and a bit about my passion for sharing with those I contact. Then my passion started pouring out and I was telling them about how nothing mattered more in this world to me than winning souls for Jesus and giving people hope in His gift. I told them that God wasn’t concerned with how much make up you have or how cute you looked on this or that day, or what you achieved at work (the majority of our focus sadly). All the things we have are wasted if we don’t share them with our brothers and sisters. To those blessed with much, much is expected. God isn’t happy with us when we keep all for ourselves…both the gospel and our resources. I explained to them that all I wanted to do was bring as many people with me to Heaven as possible. I painted my all time favorite scenario for them. We have the usual modern day person. Self absorbed, no concern for God, living for entertainment alone, too successful or skeptical for anything related to having a Master Creator. Well take that person and let a catastrophic event wipe out their parties, significant others, club scenes, parents, schools, jobs, and everything else they put before God and what do they have? Themselves…standing there, no hope, nothing to be happy about…rock bottom. If all they chose in life was what was right in front of them…the temporal, the selfish, or even the causes they took up with good intent but crossed God off of the necessity list they have nothing left and nothing to look forward to. They have lost everything. One really good bomb is all it would take to ruin them…in a heartbeat. Take the same scenario and pop someone in that has given their life to the Lord. Everything may be gone around them. The earth may be desolate, everything they know and love gone…but they still have something to be happy about; a beautiful hope. They have the knowledge that the things of this earth are painfully temporary. The affirmation that comes with knowing you are God’s precious child and that He bought the rights to you with His own blood. The amazing joy that comes with the imagery of everything you ever did in rebellion or ignorance, purely pointless sin, being covered up in the books of Heaven with Jesus blood so they can’t be read…all of our flaws forgotten forever because a Perfect One stands in our place as intercessor. Taking the beating for us, died the first and second death for us. Daily He pleads for us. The wonderful pleasure that comes with imagining our Hand crafted mansion glorified beyond measure and the endless, painless, timeless existence with our loving Father in paradise. Never to worry again, never to struggle, or to suffer. That Christian, that has truly given their heart to the Lord, has absolutely everything while having nothing at all in their immediate surroundings. And during that horrible time they have God to comfort them, give them peace in the storm, and assure them of wonderful things to come. All I need is my God and to share Him with as many as I can. The guy with the dog saw the fire in my eyes and with the biggest smile ever came and gave me a big hug. As if saying “God bless you! Thanks for feeling this way and for sharing it with us.”

We pretty much ate and spent the entire day until 7pm talking and hanging out. They heard about Ellen White, the Conflict of Ages series (which I had ordered to give to my Hindu friend from my “stranded” testimony but now ordered another set as I gave it to the couple), and about the DVD that my beloved friend gave me showing the Biblical archaeology finds Like Noah’s Ark, Red Sea Crossing, Ark of the Covenant etc. I put it on and they were sucking it all in. The guy in the couple was particularly interested to see it. You could tell that they all had varying life experiences and mixed views on religious matters. The couple is definitely Christian but haven’t totally completed their journey. They are pretty excited about coming to church with me which has me overjoyed to say the least. They all admitted the video was pretty cool and I think everyone was impressed on one level or another. The other guy which is in a deep struggle with alcohol was the most skeptical of the bunch when it comes to God matters. Funny thing is he has read the Bible 8 times through…imagine that. I haven’t even made it once. Two of them already acknowledge that Saturday is really the Sabbath Biblically speaking and that it’s odd that people don’t follow it. They also know that the Left Behind series is not accurate.

Eventually later that night I got them two nights at the motel to get out of the cold for a while and sent them with the Conflict of Ages series. I plan to start the Prophecy Seminar for the homeless community sometime in the near future as well. As of now this week (the rest of this story happened last Sunday) the couple came to church with us and it was really nice. I am just so impressed with how God is working in lives and how he can use small impressions to make big differences if you follow through with them. More than one person has given me the stink eye for letting strangers in my home but you know what. I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to do so at the time and it bore fruit which confirms for me that it was from Him. Jesus would have invited them, Jesus would have sheltered them, and Jesus would have and did die for them…so I can reach out in faith and do a little extra for people when I am able. He protects His children when they are working for Him and ANYTHING that happens in the lines of duty of God’s work was allowed for a specific purpose. When we are following what God calls and asks we need not fear, all we need to do is obey and fulfill His commission. Now I have some really good friends out of the deal, the couple is really nice and I enjoy hanging out with them. And to make my day the guy with the dog gave me a little Cross on a beaded bracelet that his friend gave him. He was so grateful for some kindness and when we said good by he hugged me. He said if the tables were turned he would have helped me. Then he started to tear up. When he left he called out “I love you sister!” I just felt so full…full of this unexplainable joy that comes attached with loving people unconditionally like God does and giving of yourself to help others. I will keep that bracelet as a reminder that it is ALWAYS worth helping someone.

In all of this I was also strongly impressed that our churches need to work more intently with the poor. The poor are God’s focus a lot of the time and we should go out of our way for them. We could be poor at the drop of a hat, all it takes is one mishap and any one of us could be homeless. It makes me mad when people assume that just because someone is homeless they can’t be considered human on the same level you would consider someone dressed up neatly in a Starbucks or at your school. Not someone that you should invite to your home under any circumstance, not someone you should really hang out with. I promise you Jesus’ house would be full of people, pasts forgotten, and they wouldn’t be the usual rich stuck up people who think they know everything. Jesus reaches out to people that acknowledge the fact that they need more than they have. The ones that recognize that they aren’t self sufficient. The common answer people give to someone helping people out beyond the standard “hand them a sandwich”…including people I know is “why can’t they go to a shelter” or “I feed the homeless but no way they can come to my home”. You know what…I will tell you. Where can they get a hot shower in? Where can they wash their clothes without spending their last couple bucks? Where can they sleep when it’s freezing? I just learned that the majority of local homeless shelters will flat out reject you no matter how cold it is if you have anything at all on your record that involves violence. Whether or not you really did it or if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time…you don’t deserve a place to crash. The same marks on your record make you largely unhireable. So you complain that these people should get a job and do something for themselves but if no one will hire them because of something they did years ago how can they ever get out of the hole? So you can’t get a place to crash, can’t get a job, can’t get a break. In order to get a bed for the night at the Salvation Army or something you need a police voucher saying you are allowed. Well tell me…is someone with a past less deserving of meeting their basic human needs? Praise God that because of Jesus’ sacrifice we can be new creatures no matter what we have done. We don’t have to live under the yolk of our pasts. Not so in our society, there is not much of a chance after you mess up just enough. To make it worse the next day my friend got arrested for holding up a sign to get some money. They said she was trespassing on department of transportation property. WHAT!? So you can’t stand by an exit? We walk the streets all the time. We drive on them. When do they decide someone isn’t allowed to be on certain spots??? So she can’t sleep in the shelters, can’t get work very easily, and can’t even hold a sign up and attempt to make money to survive? I wonder if that cop would have been so quick to call that policy to memory if he was the one on the streets with nowhere to go. PEOPLE ARE SO SELFISH! God help us. The churches around here that are Christ like enough to open their doors are usually too full to take more in, and those are few. The point is I think EVERY church needs some kind of ministry to help provide second chances for people. At the very least every church should have a center where people can wash clothes and shower a couple times a week and at least have shelter during the cold winter months. Additionally a program to help people recover from their addictions and work toward employment would be of great benefit. A lot of people don’t know…most of the time homeless people aren’t hungry. On occasion there will be a time where for some reason someone really does need a meal. But in our country with food banks and food stamps it is pretty difficult to starve. All of my homeless friends receive enough food stamps to eat well. They were even giving me food! Their needs are unconditional shelter, help with addictions they can’t get away from that are ruining their lives, and a way to get back into society after having something on their record. A way to live down their past and live like normal people. A way to get a simple job at a fast food joint, or even a place to pitch a tent in peace without getting run out by the state. At the very least if we would give the people a place to LIVE WITHOUT A HOME then they wouldn’t have to worry about where to keep their stuff. A lot of them have the largest concern right now of where to move their camp site since they are being forced away. Seriously? We can’t even let them camp in the woods? How cold hearted are we? Once we start meeting some of these needs THEN we are a church following Christ’s example. Don’t be so quick to judge the homeless or think all they need is something to eat. Some are playing you just to live free and lazy. But others are just genuinely having a hard time and can’t find a way out. Let God sift out the truth and the lies, you just need to do your part as a Christian and “do unto the least of these”. We are accountable for ignoring the needs around us. If you know of a community of homeless near you, see what their needs are…do they have enough supplies? Do they have Bibles? A place to pitch their tent? An opportunity or desire to work? Let’s try to kick our ministry up a notch and ACTUALLY make a difference for once instead of being so self absorbed. So distracted with school, work, and our desires. Christians give Christianity a bad name 90% of a time. If we acted like Jesus our lives would be our ministry and people would be magnetized to us. But we are just like the world, so the world doesn’t see anything in us that they need. There isn’t anything different to be desired but a new set of rules and limitations. All of this is just something to think about. Do with it as you wish. I hope you make a difference in at least one person’s life because of it. 1 soul helped, 1 soul won to God’s side…is one HUGE victory and all of Heaven will rejoice that you helped lessen Satan’s followers by 1. Then after that it can go on and on and your entire life can be one glorious blur of victories for Jesus. Think about it.