My husband, Paul, and I (and often our grown kids) have been led by the Lord to minister to the street homeless in Philadelphia. This is a video we put together several years ago after one of our trips there. We live 3 hours away and because it has been getting increasingly difficult to go there as often as we would like, we are hoping to find a way to move closer to Philly. With God all things are possible.
While there are many shelters in the city, the street homeless often don't use them for various reasons (mental illness, addictions, paranoia, etc.). These are the people we seek to find. Some are new to the streets - others have been on the streets for many years. They are different ages, ethnicities, genders and have different belief systems. We try to meet them where they are in order to show them the love of the one true God.
We make up what we call "survivor bags" - zip lock bags filled with a variety of items depending on the season. The bags usually contain something to drink, a protein, raisins, applesauce, crackers, granola bar, band aids, wipes, gum, socks, trash bag, tissues, Bible tracts, daily devotions and in the winter hat/gloves/scarf. We witness to the homeless and often pray with them if they are willing. If you are interested in doing something like this for your town you can visit www.loveinabag.com to get a list of what we put in the bags. It's a great project for a youth or women's group!
We hope to go again soon - the bags are made up and ready to go! Please pray for softened hearts that are ready to hear and even accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior; that God would be glorified in all we do and say; that we would be obedient to our Lord; and also for our safety. We give Him all the glory and praise Him for we could do nothing without Him. Thank you so much and may God bless you!
