becoming broken

Chris and Tammy are a homeless couple that spend most of their day drunk out of their minds. He is in a wheel chair that he really does not need, but, uses because it helps him to get more money on the street corners when he panhandles. She pushes him in the chair and is his hands and feet.


One early Saturday morning, while serving breakfast in a park, Tammy could not help but to go on and on about how beautiful our daughter Ruthie is and what a good girl she was. She would at times tear up about missing her own kids, that were taken away from her. Her addiction to alcohol has ruined her life and landed her on the streets. The only way she can get help is if she stopped drinking, yet, the pain in her life causes her to continue going to the bottle to numb the hurt. The only time I've seen her sober was during a long weekend when Chris was in jail and she had no means to collect money to buy liquor. I saw her sitting on a bus stop bench with her face in her hands just sobbing.


Chris was a construction worker who one day was giving a co-worker a ride home. The co-worker asked him to pull over at a store real quick, then ran inside and robbed the place with a gun. He came out with a bag and jumped into the car and they took off. Chris had no idea of what had happened. Then, as they were stopped at a light the police surrounded them. After being arrested and missing work for a couple days, Chris was fired. He was released from jail and to make the rent, he went out on a corner to panhandle and was hit by a car. In two very bad instances, he lost everything.


We can plan and work and hope and dream all our lives and it only takes a second to change the future for the rest of our life. All those things can come crashing down and for many people that's exactly what happens.


However, the amazing thing is, Jesus can meet us where we are and in an instant our future can be changed again. The work we're doing is heartbreaking, every single day we meet broken people and it hurts to see them in such dire straights, knowing that living life to the fullest is just an instant away for them.


Please pray that God will continue to use us in peoples lives and that seeds of hope and love will be planted in good soil. Please also pray that God will provide for all our needs so we can continue the mission without being distracted.