The word for this quarter is RAIN! It has rained every single Friday we have had a permit to set out our booth except this past Friday. It has been frustrating, but ministry to our streets took place even in the rain.So many of the homeless that have been part of our fellowship and ministry have moved on. Some of these folks have been our friends for several years. Now we feel like we are starting all over again. Many of the homeless have felt pushed out of Burlington because of the increased aggressive stance taken by the Church Street Marketplace. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, you can't have lots of panhandlers and homeless just hanging out disrupting business and scaring tourist.
We minister to more than just the homeless. We also minister to tourist and locals and anyone on the street. We have seen an increase of ministry to artists, and to local folk who find themselves in need.
So in spite of all this rain, we accomplished the following for the last three months:
Gave out 342 bibles.
Gave out 2,040 $5 gift cards to McDonald's and Brueggers to needy families and individuals.
Gave out 4,804 bags of groceries to needy families
Had personal meetings with 110 people to share about faith in Christ, and we have seen 4 people come to faith in Christ.
The homeless may be leaving the area, but needy folk will always be here, and anyone who is downtown will at some point be confronted with the reality of Jesus Christ. Your support allows this to happen, rain, snow, sleet or hail, our team is down on the street.
Your Missionary to the Streets,
Dave
0 comments:
Post a Comment