Saved Life “A Mile In Their Shoes”, Day 10, What a Blessing!

“He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.”

Proverbs 19:17

We have been in Lake City, Florida now for four days ministering to the homeless, distributing socks and toiletries, and getting to know the local area homeless service providers. We have had the opportunity to meet many people on “both sides of the tracks”, the homeless and those you provide the much needed services to “the least of these”. I would like to take a moment and introduce you to an organization who has truly been a blessing to Saved Life: Coast to Coast, The Christian Resource Center of Lake City.

“For over 20 years, the Christian Service Center has faithfully served Columbia County with care and compassion. A group of pastors formed this organization in 1982 to help those in need, and over the years with prayer, dedication, and people like yourself who care, we have become one of the most efficient non-profit organizations in North Florida. We are supported solely by non-government donations such as churches, individuals, and businesses, and we are governed by a devoted board of directors.”

For the past few days we have been checking in with Charlie and the staff of the Christian Resource Center to speak with them on exactly what they do and what services they provide. Everytime we have stopped by, they were always extremely busy. “We served 45 families today alone!” stated Charlie, the Assistant Director of CRCLC. Besides serving the homeless population, the CRCLC also provides food baskets, clothing, rent assistance, and many other services to those in the Columbia County community who may fell on bad times and need a helping hand up!

I am extrememly grateful for Charlie and the dedicated staff of individuals who make up the staff of the Christian Resource Center of Lake City. Remember, the other day when I hadn’t showered for 6 day? It was Charlie who graciously allowed us to get cleaned up! Thanks again Charlie!

For more information about the Christian Service Center of Lake City, please visit http://www.csclc.org and help them to help others.

See ya on the road,

Jason

Christian Resource Center, Lake City, Florida

Administrative Offices…this is where clients meet with case managers to receive services.

“Jesus IS Lord!”

Reception Area

Clothing Room

This fine lady made my day…she is 93 years old and still finds the time to volunteer on a regular basis! If she can find the time…shouldn’t the rest of us? She made my day!

Shirley McManus, Executive Director, CSCLC

Saved Life Chronicles: Atlanta

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours in the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

Luke 6:20-21

“Elderly gentleman sleeping in the abandoned lot across from the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless shelter.”

For the last week we have been in the Atlanta Metro area putting together supplies and purchasing our chase vehicle for this awareness ride. This down time has also afforded me some much needed rest and relaxation. We will be leaving the Jacksonville Beach Pier exactly two weeks from yesterday. During this time, I have spent several days with the street people of the City of Atlanta. I have met some very good people while in Georgia, most of whom spent last night either in a mission or on the streets of Downtown Atlanta.  After a uneasy nights sleep, I awoke this morning still wondering what God wanted me to see here in Georgia. Trials and tribulations in the form of a busted fuel pump, several rollback wrecker trips, and several days waiting in a mechanics garage,  have left us stranded in unfamiliar territory here in Georgia, both physically and for me, spiritually. “What are you trying to show me Lord?” A phrase that I have repeated over and over the past few days in my mind.

I had several bags of blankets and clothing that were donated to Saved Life to use on our awareness ride by a very nice couple we met several days ago. I decided I would drive into Atlanta today and stop by the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless and see what my friend Jillian was up to. Maybe we could be of some help. Jillian is a shelter monitor at the MATFH. I met him last week during my first visit to the mission. I figured the blankets could be used more effectively right here in Atlanta rather than drive them back to Jacksonville with us tomorrow. So, off we went!

Immediately upon arrival I noticed more people than we seen on a previous visit to MATFH. The abandoned parking lot across the street was filled with homeless men, women, and children. Several area Churches had gathered in the parking lot to hand out toiletries, blankets, clothing, and a steamng hot plate of homemade spaghetti and meatballs. As we parked the car, I noticed the man in the photo above off to the side sleeping amidst the hussle and bussle of the parking lot. My heart immediately began to ache. This was possibly someones father, someones son…bottom line…he is SOMEBODY.

After about two hours of ministering to the people in the parking lot, we decided it was time for us to leave and let the mission staff prepare everyone for the nightly meal. As I got back in our vehicle, I couldn’t help but look back at the man still laying in the corner. There he still was resting peacefully, or so it seemed. The noise had not bothered him at all. I walked back across the street and snapped the above photo of this man, this mass of humanity before me, wondering, “How can this be happening in one of the richest nations in the world?’ “How can we allow this to happen with a clear conscience and still call ourselves Christians?”

Man lying on sidewalk two blocks from the MATFH mission.

Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, Atlanta, Georgia

Heading into Downtown Atlanta

Blessed and Highly Favored

My name is Jason J. Day. I am a soldier in the army of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my Code of Conduct. Faith, prayer,and the Word are my weapons of warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity. I have a desire to effect a change in our society for the homeless …and all those who are lost and suffering. I have made a decision to do just that, to give the lost an opportunity to hope again! I am determined to succeed! Get involved! We are here to offer light to the lost, encouragement for the weary, and hope for the hurting. We are Saved Life. Keep us in your prayers! See ya on the road!

“Come to me all who are weary and burdened and i will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

Saved Life Chronicles begins Monday, February 15th, 2010

Beginning Monday, I will start my 30 days with the homeless in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. I want to bring you their story. I want to, hopefully, let you see what I see when I am with these men, women, and children. I want you to feel the compassion, the compassion I feel for them. I want you to see life through their eyes. I want you to see their pain, their sorrow, and their joy. I want you to see that we, as Christians, can bring them hope through Jesus Christ. And hopefully, I will make you want to reach out and help them.

Words cannot really explain how I feel about them. I was asked just the other day, “How do you feel about them?” When i think about the homeless, one word comes to mind. Love! I love them. These “Children” of the street are also “Children of God. Jesus commanded us to “Love your neighbor as yourself“ in Matthew 22:39. Are not the homeless our neighbors? Are not the street people you see on the corners, near the abandoned buildings, in the alleys, sleeping on park benches, and so forth, are they not your neighbors?

The Websters dictionary defines the word neighbor as follows, there are actually two definitions:

1 : one living or located near another
2 : fellow man

Statistics from the National Coalition for the Homeless, one of our outreach partners, had this to say in one of their studies:

“As a result of methodological and financial constraints, (we need to raise more money for programs to help the homeless) most studies are limited to counting people who are in shelters or on the streets. While this approach may yield useful information about the number of people who use services such as shelters and soup kitchens, or who are easy to locate on the street, it can result in underestimates of homelessness. (Studies show that it is very hard to count those who may be sleeping in the woods, obscure areas, etc.) Many people who lack a stable, permanent residence have few shelter options because shelters are filled to capacity or are unavailable. A recent study conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that 12 of the 23 cities surveyed had to turn people in need of shelter away due to a lack of capacity. Ten of the cities found an increase in households with children seeking access to shelters and transitional housing while six cities cited increases in the numbers of individuals seeking these resources (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007). (Speaks for itself, they are sleeping somewhere, maybe in your NEIGHBORhood)

In addition, a study of homelessness in 50 cities found that in virtually every city, the city’s official estimated number of homeless people greatly exceeded the number of emergency shelter and transitional housing spaces (We need to provide funding to have more shelters and regeneration centers, such as we are proposing at Saved Life) (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2004). Moreover, there are few or no shelters in rural areas of the United States (like Upstate New York where we propose our Regeneration Minitry), despite significant levels of homelessness (Brown, 2002).

Source: National Coalition for the Homeless

My paraphrases are in BLUE

Bottom line:

Most of us who live in any city or major suburb have homeless men, women, and children living near them. They are our neighbors and fellow man by every definition of the word. If we are commanded by Jesus to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” and we sit idly by and do nothing to help them, nothing to reach out to them, do nothing to even offer a smile. What does that say to us about the person we are? What does that say about the community we live in? What does that say about the country we live in? I believe, homelessness is the greatest social disaster in America! The measure of any society is how it treats its weakest element. The widows, the orphans,  the strangers in the land.

The root word of community is UNITY! This is a call to action! I am asking that you unite with Saved Life on this Coast to Coast benefit ride and DO SOMETHING to make a difference! Donate Today! Volunteer at a soup kitchen or mission! Even a smile helps, they don’t take much time or cost a thing! Be blessed!

See ya on the road!

Jason