Mathew 25:35

Season of Blessings
Thanksgiving and Christmas 2014

This week our family has been so blessed to have a true Gospel experience in Mathew 25:35.  Earlier in week Greg and Blake were blessed with being able to speak with a 22 year old man that was homeless.  His car had broken down and gotten towed by police before he got back to it.  He went to get it and was going to cost $150. It took him several weeks to save up $150, when he went back to get to his car they said it had been so long that it would now cost him $400.  He simply stated that he did not even pay that much for his car and walked away.  He was now faced with no car to get work, which lead to him loosing his job.  This is a young man who wants more out of life but now finds himself homeless.

The girls and I also were blessed by God this week to feed a homeless lady. She even choose to eat us with us at Penn Station. She was trying to buy something to eat with $1.50. After I told her I would pay for her lunch, she was so excited jumping up and down that she forgot to order sandwich. While eating with us, she shared how she lives outside but she was worried about her home not being locked and her belongings would be gone. I can only imagine that this means someplace in the alleys of downtown Cincinnati this women calls home. 
She asked me why I choose to get her something to eat as she had not eaten in 3 days. I told her simply Christ said feed the hungry and Christ loves her and does not want her to be hungry. We said our blessing and ate. She had much to say and some of it was just rambling but it was truly a blessing to spend a few minutes with one of Christ hungry children. I do not post this to be prideful but to remind everyone that homeless are Christ people and the next time you see one invite them to eat with you!

Then tonight Mother Seraphinia asked me how I would describe the experience of Rose Garden Mission at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This is what I sent her:

Thanksgiving and Christmas experience at Rose Garden is to experience the love of Christ.  You can see the face of Christ in our friends that visit the mission.  Whether it is an elderly man who just wants his wife to be able to have a turkey to fix on Thanksgiving or a mother at Christmas who wants her children to have something under the tree.   Thanksgiving and Christmas at the mission is a time of year like no other where people truly get to experience what these celebrations really mean.   At the mission on these days we live out the Gospel of Matthew 25:35 " 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’  We not only send them home with food, but we have a wonderful hospitality area where they can get shelter from the weather and feed their bodies with drinks and snacks.  This is a place where they can visit with friends and just hang out to experience the Love of Christ.  The helpers who come to assist at the mission on these days are blessed to be able to give to others whether in service, gifts or prayers.  The helpers are able to experience the mission in a different way then they usually do.  They may be working one on one with our mission friends, or sorting food, making food bags, giving out hats, glove, scarves.  They may be working behind the scenes in the back rooms directing giveaway of boxes, or in the kitchen washing dishes.  These days are where we are able to give ourselves to Christ to serve his people.  These are my two favorite days of the whole year.  I find great joy and happiness in serving others for Christ.  For these are his people that need to feel and know his love, we are Christ people to do this for him.

Tonight at Church we had Unbound visiting our church.  Elisha and I picked out a little girl name Jacqueline  from El Salvador.  She was born six days after Elisha.  It is exciting for Elisha to have  a little girl that is same age and interest as her.  Elisha has been looking at her picture and talking about her all night.