Jesus Was Homeless is a non-denominational organization that seeks to serve individuals and families from all backgrounds. A statement of faith or participation in religious classes or services is not required in order to participate in or receive services from Jesus Was Homeless programs.

26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul? – Matthew 16:26-27 (NLT)

When we started out with Jesus Was Homeless we really wanted to end hunger and homelessness in our community.  I really wanted to do that and thought it was possible but now I wonder if that is really what God called us to do or was it just something we wanted to do to make us feel good about serving with an end result?  I’ve been told at times that we need to, “make sure you are a hand up and not just a hand out” or “you need to empower people not just provide free stuff”.  I get that we want to help people improve their lives but is it really an improvement just by moving a homeless person from outside to inside?  If we take a poor man and educate him to become rich are we successful in providing a hand up if he made the journey without God?  I must admit that I’ve wrestled with this the past year but what always leads me back to the answer about what our mission should be is the TWO greatest commandments, to love GOD and love PEOPLE.  At first I thought all we were providing was a “hand out” with a free bag of food but what I’ve come to believe is that we are providing a HUGE “hand up”.  It’s a spiritual “hand up”, both for the people that we serve and the volunteers serving.  Does it solve their hunger issue with only 1 bag of food a week?  Maybe for a moment but ultimately they will be hungry tomorrow.  What I have seen it do though is offer hope, love, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, compassion, and kindness.  Just last week there were about 40 volunteers wrapping up for the night when we had a little old lady, Jean, in a motorized wheelchair come up to us and thank us for coming each week.  Not for the food but for the visit.  She doesn’t get out much and she told everyone how much she appreciated people stopping by on Thursday.  I found out today that two of the high school teenage volunteers stopped by on Saturday, brought her some cookies and took Jean to the park just to hang out with her.  I would say that’s a “hand up” for everyone involved.

How about this story.  A bus load of people that live at the motels came to get a $25 Slusher Foundation voucher at Church Army on Thursday but they also wanted to help make the meals that they have been receiving.  When the vouchers were gone before everyone could get one due to the overwhelming need this year they kept a positive attitude and started making meals and toiletry bags.  Here is what Dawn’s email to Amy said about the experience:

Thank you so much for letting us help. Please send pics so I can show everyone. I am so proud of everyone for stepping up and helping. Despite the whole Country Mart thing I saw a difference in spirits which was still showing this evening when we picked them up. Quite a few asked if we were going to do this every week or not. I told them we would see where God directs us. Oh how I feel so much pride in them. I saw a huge sign of God today and my visions were made a whole lot clearer.

Love you,
–Dawn Marie

The list just goes on and on.  Our friend Mark that has cancer was in need of a wheel chair so that he could get outside of his motel room for some fresh air.  Before I could send an email request, one was donated. He was so grateful.  Again, how can that be a “hand out” when his spirit was lifted up?  I think there are some wonderful social services agencies out there that do a tremendous amount of “handing up & handing out”.  We just don’t want to get so focused on the task that we miss the greatest opportunity for the “hand up”.  By just providing love and relationship with the individuals that we want to help could be the greatest gift of all.  So when asked this year if we are a “hand out or a hand up” my answer will be both.  We will give them a “hand out” of a bag of food and “hand up” to God.

*VOLUNTEER AND FELLOWSHIP NIGHT*
All volunteers, donors, givers and anyone that wants to learn more about Jesus Was Homeless, we will be having a “Connect with Us” night at Golden Corral on March 5th at 6:00 pm until whenever you leave. Golden Corral has given us a special rate of only $9.00 per person including buffet, drink and tip. Just let them know you are with us. Come hang out, get to know your fellow volunteers, fellowship, and learn more about our dreams for 2010!

9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. – 2 Cor 8:9 (NLT)

Wah Gwan Mon? That’s Jamaican for “what’s happening, man?” Before I tell you what’s been happening let me first apologize for not doing a very good job lately of updating everyone. The month of January, and so far February as well, have just been a whirlwind. I feel like a guy in a circus with multiple plates spinning and you run from one to another to keep from dropping them. I am in a very busy time at work right now, then you throw in family stuff, Jesus Was Homeless and life and you’re just worn out. I’m not complaining though as I am blessed just to be working, it’s good to have family and JWH recharges me for life. It’s just a season right now. Amy and I are still staying focused on downsizing and reducing our stuff. We know there will come a time when we won’t be as dependent on “manna” and we will be able to live out the “fruits of the spirit” full-time.

*JAMAICA*
We had an incredible time in Jamaica. It goes to show you that when you serve you are truly blessed in return. Because of Jesus Was Homeless we were able to meet some incredible people from Jamaica that were living at the motels during the summer months here in Branson. After building relationships with them, hearing about their families and the sacrifice they make, we decided that we would vacation there in the off-season and visit them. What a wonderful honor and experience. We had fantastic tour guides, home cooked Jamaican meals, hung out with their family and friends and were still able to throw in some down time to re-charge our batteries. We got to experience the Jamaica outside of the tourist areas. While they are a very poor country, in many aspects they are so rich. I was just blown away at how resourceful they are in contrast to how wasteful we are. Their island has blessed them with all kinds of fruits and they don’t waste a thing. They experience “community” like none other. They have more churches per square mile than any other place I’m aware of.

*ARTICLES*
These are a couple of great articles that I came across. They are a good read and can give you another perspective about things. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s non-Christian to have money and wealth. Money helped us to be able to provide for Jesus Was Homeless, but like anything when it’s out-of-balance it can be a bad thing. It’s out-of-balance when you want to buy more stuff when your neighbor has less, when it’s more important to acquire money than to give it away, when you care more about the clothes you wear than someone not having clothes, and when you buy something new & shiny just to experience joy. I know I’ve lived out-of-balance for years but through serving each week with Jesus Was Homeless it has helped me towards my journey of getting back to center.

Millionaire gives away fortune which made him miserable

Downward Mobility in an Upscale World by Shane Claiborne

*BROKEN PEOPLE – Amy’s Blog*
I’m amazed and saddened by how many broken people there are in our community. It makes you wonder if there are this many broken people in the Branson area, how many are there in the world? Read Amy’s blog about what she experienced this past week.

I really don’t know where to begin – Thursday was another amazing experience! Patrick, the manager of one of the hotels that we serve, called to ask us if there was any way that we could help financially with 2 of his tenants that did not have enough money to pay for the week. He went on to explain that he had already taken up a collection (which included himself also) amongst all of the residents there and was still coming up short. I told him that I would ask our morning and evening volunteers if they could pitch in and, like always, they did. We actually came up with the needed amount through the generosity of our morning meal makers so I didn’t even have to ask the evening meal delivery volunteers – How awesome was that! I love to see everyone pitching in what they can – it makes such a difference in the lives of others.

We had probably around fifty volunteers show up to help with the food deliveries. It is so incredibly rewarding to watch the volunteers jump in and share compassion with the ones we serve. I stood back a bit to allow others the chance to experience what I get to experience every Thursday until we arrived at the last hotel on our route for the night. Bryan and I decided to go say hello to a friend whom we had met there months prior – but “accidentally” knocked on the wrong door. A woman answered (she was new) and looked as if we had just woke her up. We explained who we were, why we were there and apologized for waking her up. Well, about 2 minutes later I felt a tap on my shoulder and when I turned around it was her. She seemed disoriented and asked me if I could come and talk with her for a minute. I agreed (all the while praying that God would give me wisdom) and we went into her motel room. She started to share some of the hardships she had recently experienced (they were heartbreaking) and while talking she started having trouble breathing and kept passing out. When I asked her what she had taken and how many, she could not give me an answer. After calling a close friend who is a recovered addict and now works for Church Army helping others, she advised me to call 911 and get her medical attention. One of our volunteers came to the door at that time (another Church Army miracle) and talked with her as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. The medics checked her out and felt as if she would be o.k. (she also refused to go to the hospital) so they left. Not knowing how she was going to react after they left (she never wanted us to call them in the first place) I was able to put my hand on her shoulder, look her in the eyes and share with her my concerns for her. She started to cry and thanked us for caring. She is now in a Church Army recovery home seeking help. WOW! It’s so amazing to watch God work through a crazy little food outreach! We never anticipated how God would and could change lives (definitely mine) by simply being willing.

Thank you to everyone who helps this to continue through your time, your donations, your prayers and your encouragement.

Love, Amy

*2000 MEALS*
We’ve already hit the 2000 meals distributed mark and it’s not even March yet. We were supposed to be doing less meals since Loaves & Fishes was going on yet we still find many in need. It has been fun though, to find all the unique items waiting for us at Church Army. Through generous donations, so far this year we have passed out bags of toiletry items, potatoes, soup, Heater Meals, hats, gloves, blankets, candy and some things I know I’ve forgotten. A big THANK YOU to COUNTRY MART as they have cut pricing on, or even donated, several items for our meals. Also, keep us in mind if you have a project or service for the community, our food distribution is a great way to get the word out. We can put your flyer in our food bags, but you must provide the flyers, currently over 330 each week, and it must be something that will benefit the ones we serve.

*ON OUR HEART*
If you know John Baltes then I’m sure you’ve heard him say “if it’s of God it will flourish.” I really love that statement. It really helps me keep things in perspective that I don’t have to be the one to make something successful and that God is in control. Here are some things that we haven’t forgotten about that are still on our “To Do” list, we’re just waiting to see if God wants them to flourish.

Motel Cookbook – it’s about ½ way done.
Bicycles – bicycles that could be used at the weekly motels for transportation
Bible Study/Small Group Classes at the motels
Aunt Mollies Garden – We will be having a spring planting day soon!
Food Voucher Program – Would love to see some restaurants, especially ones with buffets, offer free food vouchers to those in need. Maybe after a certain time, a person could come in and get a hot meal if they had a voucher. There could be a couple of agencies in town help clarify the need and distribute the vouchers.

*COMMENTS*
We really need your comments, suggestions, and/or criticisms. What would you like to see from Jesus Was Homeless in 2010? What would you like to see us not do? What would you like to hear more of? And of course, praise lets us know to keep doing what we are doing. If you are not comfortable criticizing without being anonymous then go to the contact page on our web site and leave your comments there. We would just love to have your feedback on a regular basis. Remember, you are always invite to “Come & See” each week.

God bless,

23 One person dies in prosperity, completely comfortable and secure,24 the picture of good health, vigorous and fit.25 Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted the good life.26 But both are buried in the same dust, both eaten by the same maggots. – Job 21:23-26 (NLT)

What an impactful 2 weeks it’s been. We were blessed with something called “Heater Meals” thanks to our great FRIEND Larry Johnson. If you don’t know Larry I would encourage you to meet him. This guy has connections for everything and a HUGE heart for people. These “Heater Meals” are the coolest thing since sliced bread. It not only provided something different than our ordinary sandwich meal but a hot dinner as well. Everything is in the box and it “self” heats. We were also able to pass out bags of toiletry items that same week as well. We’ve had lots of volunteers go with us each week and it’s a good thing as the need has still been steady with 330 meals delivered each week. When you consider that’s on top of Loaves and Fishes it’s quite amazing.

We picked up a new motel recently and in one of the rooms there is a gentleman dying of cancer. He is being treated, I believe as best as he can, but it is a sad situation, at least it is for me. The reality of the situation is that this man will probably die in this small one room motel room. It has impacted me enough that I really want to build a relationship with him and understand how he ended up in this situation. I just hate the fact he’ll die in that motel room. I know he’s not the first as we had another gentleman who died at a different motel several weeks back and he certainly won’t be the last but it just stinks. Just pray that we will get to know him and that he’s open to us and that he is already saved by Christ.

We really have had a lot of fun the last couple of weeks as we’ve had close to 30-40 volunteers battle the cold to deliver food with us. Again we continue to see all walks of life, from college kids, church youth groups, bankers, disabled adults, business professionals, etc. It is truly a group of community for community.

As we continue to add toiletry bags to our regular food delivery we could use deodorant, razors and shaving cream. These small bags of toiletry items can really make a big difference right now. It seems as though people are more desperate right now than ever before. When we talk with them you can hear the despair in their voice about where their next meal will come from, how to pay their rent, etc. It really makes us appreciate how much we have. They are so desperate at times that we even had our vehicles broke into at our home, even with a Jesus Was Homeless van in the drive. Unfortunately they didn’t steal any bibles. I use the term broke into loosely as we had left them unlocked. The sad truth is that while they did steal my Garmin GPS and Amy’s prescription sunglasses we would have gladly welcomed them into our home and given them far more than they could ever hope to get from those items.

I was hoping to share a photo with you of a pig that we came across at one of the motels. Yes that’s right I said a pig. I have learned not to be surprised by what we will come across when we are delivering food. At one of the motels a gentleman had a pot-bellied pig as a pet. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me and the next week when we went back he was not there. Neither was the pig.

We are on our way to Jamaica this week to visit the friends we met this summer at the motels. I hope to update you on them, their families and their country when we get back. In the meantime, if you want a chance to see a pig-in-a-motel not a poke, then I invite you to “Come and See” with us each week.

God bless,