Well... it was a night that surprised us. As we arrived, the road was blocked off due to some event the following day, so we drove through the alley and "luckily" found an open parking spot.
Patrick, one of the regulars, came to assist with the unloading, as did others. He explained to me about the giant PB event that was being set up. The event coordinator actually set tables in the area we normally used, but he befriended her and made sure we were still able to set up without any disturbance.
We had about 1/3 of our normal attendance at the beginning of the night. The crowd seemed restless and I was worried about trying to share anything and fight for undivided attention. I felt defeated before we even started. I gathered with Amanda, Ray, and Patrick for prayer for the evening. I could still hear the loud rour of the crowd in the background as we were praying.... just before I finished, there was a very noticable silence that gave me the goosebumps. Amanda gently urged me to share scripture because I now had their attention.
I did not want to bore anybody, so I simply said that I wanted to tell them a story before we got started serving. Everyone likes stories!! I then shared about 3 men who had 'Unshakable Faith' from Daniel 3. I had everyone very interested in hearing about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how they boldly stood up for what they believed in... and of course that allowed me to finish the story with the Hero who walked with them through the fire. Majority of them have never heard this before, and said they'd like to hear more another time. By golly... I think I may have actually found a way to get through to them!
Amanda handled both pasta dishes, I took care of the bread and cheesing, while Ray manned the fruit and water distribution. Randy was up top stationed at the information table getting his fair share of people. It's so great to see his idea turn into a great ministry of it's own (in a sense). I thank GOD for the people He's put in our path to keep this ministry going. This ministry has been alive for 6 months now.... every week, same time and yet we still have people who show up an hour or two late in the evening expecting there to be food. It was the first time we were unable to assure all guests were fed. I mentioned the crowd looked smaller in the beginning, but people continued to trickle in, so the food kept going and going. Some were able to get second plates, but by the time the late people showed up there was nothing left. My stomach dropped because I felt so bad allowing men to leave with an empty stomach. I know it's not my fault, but it still bothers me, when I see the sadness in their eyes before they walk away hanging their heads low.
About 20 of the guys stuck around after dinner just hanging out with us. It felt like it used to in the beginning when we had the intimacy. It was real nice to be able to sit one on one with a few of them.
I spent a good amount of time speaking with a guy known as 'Vista'. He's probably in his late 20's/early 30's. I see so much of my old self in him. He truly wants a relationship with Christ, but struggles with alcoholism. As we talked, he kept hugging me and crying on my shoulder. We prayed and prayed. He's been through some of the addiction programs and feels like there is no hope for him. I shared with him a piece of my own testimony, only to show him that YES, there is hope for anybody, because Jesus can do anything, but it is up to us to fully surrender our all to Him first. I told him a saying I had once heard: "GOD doesn't catch clean fish, He catches them first, then He cleans them." Vista wants his life to improve. He wants to be back in his daughters life. Everytime I see Vista, I can see his soul crying out for help through his glossy eyes. Please pray for Vista!
