The joys and heartbreaks of ministry

Over the past nine years we have had our share of heartbreaks. Any time you do ministry, no matter what kind, that will happen. We have also experienced great joy when lives have been changed for the better through the power of God.

Recently, we have experienced both emotions. One man we have worked with for three months had yet to make any progress. He showed signs early on for wanting to come out of the homeless lifestyle, but after turning down two jobs, it was obvious he wasn't trying. I pray he comes around and sees that God provided him with another great opportunity to turn his life around, and that something sticks that we shared with him. You can help people, but they eventually have to want to help themselves.

Then another man who had made great strides has fallen back into his old lifestyle again. His problem has always been beer. For two months he stayed sober and grew in the Lord. He knows the Word of God very well, and while he was serving God he was always smiling and having fun. He even helped us at our warehouse by framing and sheet rocking a restroom. But, he couldn't withstand a temptation to drink one day and he's been drinking ever since. We don’t even know where he’s at. God had restored so much to him, and now he's lost it all again. There's still hope, but he has to make that decision. We can't make it for him.

Martha and I cry when people fall back. We pour all of ourselves into people as we see the potential in them all. We know that if they will just let Jesus keep working in their lives they will be able to overcome and come to the point where they never want to go back. We try to get people help for their problems, but they have to want it for it to work.

On the joyous side, there is a married couple who is no longer homeless. They have their own permanent housing and are doing great. It's wonderful to call them or they call us and we just talk about how good God is and the changes He has made in their lives.

There's a family of six who is no longer homeless. We have been working with them, as have our home church, Harvest, and some members of Harvest. Then a couple of weeks ago a person from the Catholic Social Services asked me if we knew a family with children who were homeless. We did, and they became the beneficiaries of a grant that paid for the deposit on a house, turned on all the utilities and paid their first three months of rent. I wish I had my video camera when we helped them move in. The children were so excited.

There's another homeless man who beginning next week will be able to stand on his own as he has been hired for a job that he's really enjoying and will be able to support himself. This man is a Christian and has been active in helping us reach out to others. He even helped me move the family of six into their new house. He also loves going to Harvest. We have seen him grow in the Lord so much the past six weeks.

Martha and I cry tears of joy when the homeless come off the streets and become self-supportive. When we see them living for Jesus with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength ... there's just nothing better.

The joys and heartbreaks of ministering to the homeless come with the territory. Knowing that doesn't make the heartbreaks any easier, but when God allows us to see lives changed, it makes it all worthwhile. We thank God for calling us to do this ministry. We wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

God is doing a great work through Love In Action. Thank you for your prayers and support. We could not do it without you. Much more is on the way. As LIA board member Dwight Deal told me yesterday, “hold on and buckle up. It’s about to get real good.” He is right. We serve an awesome God!