Week 30!

I can't believe we just passed through our 30th week. Time has gone by so fast and looking back, I see that GOD has done so much in that period of time..... great part is that GOD doesn't stop giving blessings.

It was good for my wife and I to be back with the team. We are very greatful for those who did a fine job taking care of things while we were away. It's not about us though.... it's always been about Jesus Christ and His love, so let's get to it. Shall we?

The change of time for dinner, really put Amanda and I into super speed work mode to get things cooked and ready with enough time to travel down there almost near 5pm. We'll work on that in the future. It's because of GOD's Love & Patience, that we're able to work together in a tight schedule... and it's for His glory.

Once we arrived, we recognized maybe 10 faces in the crowd of 117. The turn around of people will never cease to amaze me. For me this is bittersweet, I ultimately see it as a good thing because it's an opportunity for other new people to hear the Gospel and see the Love of Jesus in works. We welcome all to come... On the other hand, because people are coming and going, we lose the intimacy of building relationships with each person with the one-on-one level, as in the beginning. Thankully the Lord was faithful in providing enough people to assist in this ministry and continues to provide and meet the needs of the needy, week by week.

I shared a small story that I read from a daily devotion awhile back. The purpose of the story was to have the men & women really dwell on the sacrifice that GOD made for all of us, and the suffering that Jesus Christ went through for our sake. I sincerely look forward to next Friday to see what some of them have to say. I pray that GOD has been speaking to them, and of course that they have been seeking GOD.

As the line passed by, person by person, I served and observed... it was awesome to hear the things people were speaking of. The major topic of the night throughtout the crowd was GOD! One of our regulars was standing in line singing worship songs the whole time; another group was discussing the blessings that GOD has given them during these colds nights; Steven was asking when we'd see him at church; others were asking for prayer. There is no doubt that GOD has revealed Himself to this crowd that so many neglect to consider.

Everyone was able to eat some hot food, but the most important thing is that all the people heard the message of Jesus, whether it was through speaking or acts of kindness. I believe everyone went away happy for the evening.

Wonderful spiritually Filled but chilly night...

Hello Again, Everyone,Randy again. Yes, Beau and Amanda are still "out" with Personal Family Issue, And, please keep them in Prayer !! and, again, my apologies for such a "late" entry to the Blog. BUT..It is so, so worth waiting for, as this Friday was such a wonderful, spiritually filled evening, it was "Pizza Night" as our wonderful friends, Beau and Amanda had so generously arranged for "Papa Johns" to donate 20 plus pizzas ! Everyone had plenty to eat, as God always promises to always provide our needs, and he does !! There were many "New" faces among the crowd tonight, and everyone was a bit chilled with the coastal breeze that was among us. Ray and Joey were there to guide things along, along with Lisa, armed with her famous cookies and camera in hand ! ALSO, another follower was there, a student from a local college, and SHE also came with her awesome chocolate topped cookies, too !! As the evening went along, we spoke with a few local people who are seeing the difference of what "Neighborly Love" is doing among the ones wondering the streets and local area without a warm place to sleep. God always comes through, and provides, and what I have been hearing is more money being given to area homeless shelters! AMEN! Some choose to not take up the opportunity to have a warm bed, while others jump at the chance. What ever their decision is, we, as Loving Brothers and sisters, will be there to do what we can to help them with their everyday needs, physically and spiritually. Overall, this was just a great night to see God working in so many lives, and some wonderful NEW friends we met there ! Again, Myself, I look forward to coming and meeting with them all this coming Friday ! AND, REMEMBER....Time change to 5 PM. Due to getting dark so soon, now !! Help spread the word..(and..That can be BOTH ways..GODS word, and The Word about the time change for the "Feed". God Bless, everyone have a wonderful week...!!

...A Change for A short time...

..Hello Everyone...Randy here, and, I must ssay I am so sorry for this "Late" entry. I had some trouble remembering how to get back and add to the Blog ! I have some news for all, that Myself, Ray and Joey will be taking on the Blessing of the weekly feed, As Beau and Amanda have some Very difficult times they are dealing with a Family Emergency . PLEASE...Pray for them, they have given themselfs to the ministry!! We will all surely miss them, during thier absence !! However, the TIME will be changing for awhile, to 5 PM, Instead of 6 PM, as it was dark serving this last week, so spread the word...and, speaking of "spreading the word", that is something we would really like to do for everyone, is to spend some time in God's word. We have a God who loves us and does provide everything to us, each and everyday !! Has God done something in your life, and you would like to share it ?? Let us know ! We always love to hear what God has done, or is doing in your life !! Have a problem, and want to give it to God ?? Again, LET US KNOW !! That is what we are here for, mainly..."LOVING THY NEIGHBOR" !! By "Loving thy Neighbor", we can give spirtual food, right along with "physical food", also !! Don't be shy..step up, and speak ! We all would love to help, all of you, at Good times, and at bad times.
Well, as far as the "Feed" goes, have some patience as we work to provide the meals, as most of you did Friday night, it did take us a bit to get going, but, God bless all 100 plus that were there !! Yes, I am sure it was a record breaking crowd. A Suprise will be there for everyone this coming Friday...(you wont need a fork, is all I will say) ... Have a Blessed week, everyone.. PLEASE...again..pray for our Dear Friends, Amanda and Beau !!!

Another week strong...

Well.... there went another week, but it wasn't the same as in the past. Upon arrival, I was greeted by some friendly faces who wanted to help serve. Amanda was not able to join us but we had enough manpower to handle the tasks for the evening.

The couple that volunteered to serve with us tonight was very nice and I remember the woman from last week as she had passed through the line mentioning that she'd like to contribute in the future. It was neat to see somebody actually keep to their word.... as I'd said before, 'their word is all they have'. The gentleman asked if he could open us up for prayer and say grace for the meal. I gave him the opportunity and almost instantly as he prayed I felt completely at peace, like I knew it was going to be a good night.

There was alot of people, as we've grown accustomed to, but never have we seen so many sad & intoxicated people. The nights are getting colder and colder as we push towards winter... One of the ways these people keep warm is by numbing themselves with booze and passing out before their body realizes how cold it really is. I did rather well hiding my broken heart as each person passed, but the drive home was rather emotional. Thankfully it doesn't snow in San Diego!

I met a man who's observed us from a distance for a few weeks. He'd spoken with Randy before coming down to meet with me. He shared that he'd like to get involved in the future. The Lord knows what we need, when we need it..... I welcome this guy to participate with us. It's encouraging to see GOD bring people to us who are willing to help keep this ministry alive. It constantly reminds me that He's still in control and confirms that we're in His will.

The 30-40 minutes that we spent serving went by so fast and the best part was that nobody went away hungry this week. Hopefully by next week, I can get back on track and feed these guys some Spiritual food again.

Week 26

Where do I even begin? As Randy had previously mentioned last week....
Amanda and I missed the opportunity to partake due to personal family matters.

I was able to make it this week, however Amanda wasn't. Bless her heart though! She left the hospital for a short time just to come home and prepare the meal for everyone, then returned to the hospital.

The night started off good, finding a front row parking spot, and just gradually got better & better. As expected, I was greeted by an army of hungry men who were all more than willing to help with whatever was needed. Being short handed, I had one of the guys make a quick trip to Smart & Final for ice, while others helped unload the truck and wipe down the tables. It's so nice to see others show some appreciation and the willingness to assist when they can.

Most of the regulars asked how our 'family matter' is going with sincere concern and compassion in their voices, which really moved my heart. I'm confident that the Love of Jesus Christ through this ministry has had a positive effect on these people and the fruit of that has shown itself by those very actions. Yet again, the rotational sea of new faces started to flow in as they heard of 'free food'.

We were definitely understaffed and there was no denying the truth. Lisa, our photographer friend, was now back from Germany. Her smile is always warming to my soul and she offered her assistance with serving. I took the opportunity and showed her the appropriate serving size we give. It's been so long since she's been back that the large group really took her by surprise. There was well over 100 people! I asked Lisa to position herself 2nd in line as I took the 1st spot handling the plates and alfredo. One of our regular guests took the initiative to handle the cheesing, bread, fruit and waters. Randy was up top taking care of the prayer & information table. GOD orchestrated things perfectly.

Nobody went away unfed. I didn't push Jesus upon anyone... I didn't have to. His love was very present, as people passed by giving their condolences and prayers to me regarding our family. It was incredible to see that kind of love coming from such people.

All of that happened from 6:00-6:25pm. It was another early night.

Amazing Day it was.....!!

Good Day, all ! Well, first of all, This is "Randy" as I am filling in this weeks feed and blog, for Our wonderful friends, Beau and Amanda. Beau and Amanda suffered a "Family Emergency" today, and we are keeping them in prayer. Meanwhile, Here I am, with God's grace and love. I must say, God showed us his love and ability to answer prayer, today !! With short Notice, we were able to provide all our Friends in Pacific Beach who depend on us for that meal every Friday ! We were able to aquire 12 Large pizzas, and Ray brought a big box of Fuji apples, also ! There was enough to go around, and God provided just the right amount ! (again) Our normal gathering was somewhat smaller tonight, but there were a few of the regulars, and after speaking with some of them, I was able to see that God has been working in many of thier lifes, and seeing spiritual growth in them, just Inspires myself to do more within the ministry !! Thus being said, it was a real blessing to actually have some of them open the Meal with Prayer from them ! What a awesome sign of growth and devotion ! We were all real Happy to see our Dear friend, Lisa there, tonight, also. She has just returned from Germany, and she didn't miss the chance to snap up more photos of tonight's feed ! She even took the time to bring more cookies, which is always a welcome and tasty delight for all to enjoy !! Many of us all missed the presence of Beau and Amanda, as many asked about thier whereabouts. Our wonderful and devoted friends will be back,I assure you. Even during this difficult time they are going through, they were concerned and worried about making sure that there was food for those who depend on it. Again, it brings my thougts back to Glory to God, as HE is the one who controls what the outcome of all things that we do, have done, and will do. Amazing that we have such a wonderful, Loving God who just loves us all so unconditionally !!
God Bless and have a wonderful week...........

Week 24

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!