Hold on to your hats...This one is long but good!

Stretch me, God.

While driving from the Life Church campus to the City Rescue Mission/Refuge for the annual block party, I chatted with God about what was going to happen. I had been serving breakfast at the City Rescue Mission for over a year, so hanging out with homeless people was not a stretch for me. In fact, if I wasn’t careful, I would spend all my time that day just hanging out with my friends who live at the mission. I wanted more than that. I wanted to be stretched. I wanted God to take me outside my box of comfort. So I took a deep breath and asked God to stretch me. If you have ever asked God something like that, you will understand why I had to take the deep breath. When a person asks God to do something, they need to be prepared for anything. So, stepping out of the parking garage downtown, I knew that I could be in for the ride of my life if I would just heed the promptings of God.

Once I was down on Shartel and California, I was in my element. These are my people. Just over a year ago God brought me to a place where I knew that it was my mission to just love these people that so many pretend they can’t even see. I was roaming from group to group saying hi and asking how breakfast was. There was a large group of people waiting across the street from the refuge (on the mission side of the street) waiting to cross and enter into the gated area where the block party was to take place. So I crossed to this group of people and there was a particularly large, loud man. Raving about how he needed medical attention. He asked me if there was medical and I answered that I didn’t know for sure but that the City Rescue Mission had a medical clinic. He told me that he had been barred from the mission and he could no longer go in for services, food or shelter. I asked if he would like me to check on how long he had been barred for and he answered yes. So into the mission I wandered.

As it turned out the people at the mission had never heard of this man. Make of that what you will. When I came out of the mission I turned the corner and there sat a woman who was very pregnant. Also there were two children in strollers, another woman, and a young man (my guess was early 20’s). I asked if I could sit down, they said yes. Then we proceeded to have a conversation.

So What’s Your Story?

It hasn’t been long since my sister-in-law, Amy, taught me a little trick that gets the people down at the mission (and really anywhere) to open up. That trick is to simply ask the question, “So what’s your story?” And then shut my mouth and listen. This is exactly what I did for this woman. After introductions all around, I found out her name was Carol, and she was on the streets with her brother and her two children. The other woman was someone they had met in their 3 days that they had been on the streets. Then I heard Carol’s story.

Carol was waiting for her sister in Minnesota to come pick her up. She had been on the streets for 3 days with her two babies. She was 38 weeks pregnant and had run out of living options in Oklahoma. DHS was involved and her biggest concern was that she had until the end of the weekend to come up with a plan to get off the streets or DHS was going to take her kids from her. And if she went into labor, she had no one to keep her other kids while she had her third child. I offered to keep them at that very moment, and she looked at me like I was crazy and said, “I don’t think I can just let you walk away with my kids. I’m sure you are nice and all, but what kind of mother would I be to let a complete stranger take care of my kids?” I knew my suggestion seemed crazy, but I let her know that my offer was on the table should she need a back-up plan. At this point I asked if I could pray for her. She said yes and I said a simple prayer of protection and wisdom.

At this point, I am sure most anyone else would have moved on to the next cluster of people to pray with them. That was our job as the prayer team, to pray with people. Well, I kind of changed my job description and stuck with Carol and her family for the rest of the day. We ate lunch together and talked all day. I let her use my phone to call her sister. She found out that her sister was not going to be able to come. The only time I saws Carol cry was when she realized that she didn’t want to go to her sister’s house. She knew she had made some bad choices and didn’t want to drag her family into it. She didn’t want to run any more.

The blessings.

I spent all day being blessed by the opportunity to get to become a part of this woman’s world. The more I listened, the more of her story she told me. She felt helpless. She was lost, oh so lost. She had run out of options. She felt like no matter what she did, she would lose her kids. She was paralyzed with the fear of losing her children. Any words I said that Saturday were purely from God. I could not in a million years have dreamed up the right words to say to her. Strangely, with the exception of our short prayer in the morning, our day looked a lot like the book of Esther. No mention of God, but completely controlled and guided by Him.

At the end of the day I got to make an offer to come back and see her the next day. Her two year old had gotten spaghetti sauce all over her shirt and Carol didn’t want her to get her picture taken like that. (Pictures were offered as a free gift to those we served that day.) So I told her I would be back the next afternoon to take some family pictures of her and the kids. It was my chance to prove that she could trust me.

Before I said goodbye I got to have a short but meaningful conversation with her. I had the opportunity to ask her what she thought about God. I hadn’t brought it up all day, but I thought it was important to know where she stood. Her answer? “With all that has happened in my life? All the bad things that have happened? I’ll tell you the truth; I stopped believing there was a God that cared about me a long time ago.”

Her honesty struck me. This beautiful woman had hit bottom and God placed me smack in the middle of her pit to be His light for Him. What an amazing blessing and gift to get to become a part of Carol’s world!

Earning her trust.

The next day I showed up at the Mission, just as I had said I would, with my camera in hand. Carol looked a little shocked that I followed through on this. Oh if she only knew!

Then, the next day, Monday, I showed up at the mission again. I had my kids with me, but she knew who I was and asked what I was doing there. I told her that I had come down to check on her. Then she said four words that told me that I was making some headway on this trust thing. “You came for me?” Why yes I did. I came again and again. Then on Friday morning I was serving breakfast, and when she walked in she greeted me like a friend. And something else incredible happened. She asked me if I was still willing to keep her kids for her when she had her baby. It is amazing what 6 days can do!

Follow through

The next Monday I got a phone call. Carol was in the hospital. But she wasn’t going to get to have her baby. She was dehydrated. I offered to take the kids for the night so she could try to get some rest. Imagine having a one year old and a two year old in a homeless shelter. You would never close your eyes. This was Carol’s life. So I kept her babies that night. I had to take them back to her the next morning because they were sick and needed to be seen at the clinic at the Mission. But then Wednesday I got a frantic phone call from Carol. Could I please come get the babies? DHS has given her a deadline to get them off the streets and the deadline was fast approaching. I jumped in my car and picked those sweet babies up. This filled my house. My children at the time were 5, 4, and 2. Add to that another 2 year old little girl and a 1 year old baby boy, and you have some crazy joyful chaos! But Carol knew she didn’t have choice but to trust me.

The next Monday Carol had her third baby, a girl. I took her other kids up to meet their new baby sister. By Wednesday Carol was leaving the hospital and she had made temporary plans to stay with a friend until she figured out what she was going to do.

At this point I could have prayed with her and let her go. But then I don’t think I would have been doing what God had called me to do.

Are you who you say you are?

At this point in our story, Life Church was being taught a sermon series called Practical Atheist. During this series many of us wore wrist bands that said, “Are you who you say you are?” Don’t you just love God’s timing?!?!?! I wore this band and it was a wonderful reminder of who I am called to be.

Carol had a temporary place to stay, but it didn’t even begin to fix her problems. She would still be on DHS radar until she had a home of her own and was taking care of her kids and in counseling. This is where I dove in head first and prayed that I was doing the right thing.

My brother-in-law owns some properties. One, in particular, he had just fixed up and was going to offer as section 8 housing. He offered it to Carol. So Carol applied for section 8 housing. Then we showed her the house. She loved it. Then she was told that she could live there for free until her funding came through, and that we would provide a bed for her and her kids.

Okay! So we didn’t exactly reveal to her what we were really going to do. Or should I say, what God was going to do. Upon returning home I sent out this email.

Dear friends,

Recently I went on a day mission with my church, LifeChurch, and several other churches. We did a "Block Party" downtown for the homeless and poverty stricken people who live downtown. I serve weekly at the City Rescue Mission, so on the way downtown I did some praying. I asked God to stretch me, and boy did He. Without going into all the details of the last 3 weeks of our journey I will tell you that we have hit a little road block.

The lives that God chose to intertwine with ours is a woman named Carol and her three children (ages 2, 1, and 2 weeks!) The baby was born after I met her. They are now off the streets and living with a friend. My extended family has supplied a place for her to live with her children. She has filled out the section 8 forms. She wants to get her life going and I intend to see her though it all. She is my friend.

This is where you come in.

We have a move-in date set for next Sunday. We want to have her whole house furnished and supplied when she moves in. This includes everything from dishes to picture frames to clothes in the closets hanging on hangers. We are also searching for a car so she can get to a job and take her kids to day care.

I am asking you to think big and give big. If you are a Life Churcher too, think of this as your chance to practice what you learned this past weekend.

If you have any questions or want to help with decorating or if you have a truck and some time or can assist in any way please email me and/or give me a call. Thank you in advance for giving BIG!!!!

Trusting that God is who He says He is,
cissa
Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. Isaiah 26:12

I think this was the week that Craig talked about giving big! So I used his sermon as a spring board, and boy howdy did it work! We turned that house into a home. When all was said and done I think we counted up over 35 people that helped by giving or by getting dirty. Many of them I had never met before. It was so wonderful to see how God had worked in each person’s life to bring them to a point of caring about Carol. We even had a car donated! Someone from People’s Church had called someone that Amy was in a lunch meeting with and asked if anyone needed a car! Amy was blown away and got to share Carol’s story and she got a car!

When we brought her to the house Saturday night, she was moved to tears. She didn’t understand why so many people would want to help. She had never seen the body of Christ move! The thing that hit her the hardest was when I walked her to her bedroom. She saw her bed and said, “I’ve never had my own bed before.” I know of at least one person who appreciates her bed more after hearing Carol say that. See, Carol grew up in the foster care system, and nothing she ever had was her own. Until now.

The story isn’t finished.

It took us a few days after that to actually get Carol into her house. We had some hang-ups with the utilities, but God’s timing is so perfect. It all came together on the following Wednesday and Carol moved in with her 3 kids. But of course we can’t leave it there. Carol has become my friend. I get to go hang out with her. Amy and I have gotten to share with her about who Christ is and pretty much why we do what we do. (Which I’ve gotta say I never did to this extent before Carol!) She asked some very though provoking questions. We answered the best we knew how. And every once in a while she will ask another question, and I answer with guidance from God. I’m not a scholar, but I know that He saves and He redeems!

A couple of days after she moved in I asked her if she would come to church with me on Christmas Eve. She said that she would like that. Oh how I am praying that we have planted all the seeds that we could! I can just envision that lives that could be touched by Carol. What a powerful tool she could be for God if she would just let Him in and Trust Him. So at this point we pray. Her story isn’t finished yet!

How God has changed me.

I never expected to be so involved with single moms who need so much help. It is so different from the life that I lead. This is a true testimony to how we don’t really pick what God has in store for us. Our job is to put our yes on the table and then wait for whatever He asks us to do. Since meeting and helping Carol, her former DHS worker (yes, former. She got a home and her case was closed!) has called and asked if I could help other moms. I have called in the troops of Christ and they have responded with gusto! Now I am looking at renting a storage unit and storing items that make a home so that when God brings others my way I will have some sort of inventory. Where did this ministry come from? And who thought that I was the one who would be so blessed to get to be a part of it? Not from me. Not in a million years. God had a job that needed to be done, and I asked Him to stretch me. Will I think twice about asking that again? Not on your life! My life has changed, my husband’s life has been changed, and my children’s lives have been changed. Even my 6 year old has found that he loves to give and he loves to serve. (Most of the time. He is 6!)

And the most amazing thing that I have discovered is this. God can use anyone to make an impact for Him. All we have to do is say, “Here I am Lord, Send me!”

And the Story Continues

Christmas Eve morning I went to pick up Carol and her children. We pulled into the parking lot and she nearly giggled that we were picked up on a golf cart. We fit three moms (Amy was with us) and 8 children on that cart! Then we checked in and took the kids to their rooms. Carol was simply mesmerized by Lifekids. We went into find our seats, and that is when the fun began. Amy and I met up with our husbands and we all got ready to worship. There really isn’t a word good enough to describe Carol’s face and demeanor about the worship. Awestruck would be okay. Like a kid in a candy shop would probably be more accurate. She was definitely overwhelmed. And though she didn’t understand everything that Pastor Craig said, she was very interested in learning about it.

On the way home she said she would like to come again. I said, “I’ll pick you up at 10:30.” I had to give up serving in Lifekids for a while, but somehow I don’t think Craig would mind. I am Carol’s only way to church until she gets her driver’s license. Anyway, Carol has only missed one week since Christmas Eve and that was because she and her kiddos were really sick. But even on the weekend that my family was on vacation in Missouri she found another ride to church. This time Amy took her on a Saturday night at the South Side campus. And this time she got to meet Rosa who happened to be featured that same weekend. When I called Carol to ask her about church she was so full of questions. Her biggest was, “How can Rosa be so excited about praising a God that let such horrible things happen to her?” She wasn’t being cynical. She was being honest. Carol has had a life that most of us could never even fathom living through in our worst nightmares. She wanted to know how someone could trust God and forgive people who have hurt them so much. Oh, the seeking that is happening right now. What Carol needs most right now is the biggest dose of forgiveness that God can dish out. Not just for her sins (because we all need the same amount of that) but forgiveness that will spill out to every person who has shoved her into the million pits that she has been in.

I am always very honest with Carol. She knows who I stand for and she likes that I speak the truth without judging her. I always tell her “When you choose Jesus…” I never say “If.” I think she knows that she will never be able to forgive what people have done to her on her own. It will take, very literally, an act of God. But first she needs to choose God. And she knows that. She tells me she knows that God seems to be the only way. And she tells me that she is still seeking. To be honest, I think she is engaged in quite a wrestling match with God. He is everything she has never had. She wants Him, but is scared to take that leap of faith. Still, I keep on praying.

A ministry being born

I was all kinds of okay with just being available to God and doing it without putting a name to what I was doing. Then it was brought to my attention that agencies take you more seriously (and treat you 1000 times better) if you have a name attached to you. So, Amy and I have a name and a purpose. This makes it easier for us to serve the needy in Oklahoma City. Our ministry is twofold. First we have The Tapestry Project. “Weaving together the resources in Oklahoma City.” There are so many resources to help the needy in OKC, but it is so hard to piece them all together. This is where we come in. We want to make the resources easier to use for those who need them. The second ministry is birthed out of my storage unit. It is Hope Chest OKC. Basically we want to use this to fill homes for families that are starting over. The details are yet to be worked out, but these were the needs that we saw, so we are doing what we can, being available, and seeking God with all our hearts, to try to fill in the gaps.