Block Party

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am and how wonderful today actually was.

Every time we go to the streets it's a different experience but today was something totally different.

This morning I pressed out over 60 hamburgers, Sharon had 80 hot dogs, the preacher gave us money, Unadia and Julia brought buns, chips, water and soda pops to us yesterday.

We loaded a big table, the grill, my music equipment, which took an hour and headed to Montgomery.

Stopped at the store where my daughter in law Katie Jo works and iced up all the coolers.  We had sweet tea and a cooler full of gatorade too.

Amanda was able to come with us and bring DayDay, Hunter's best friend, our future street preachers.  

Joseph Smith, his wife Tammy and their two daughters Kye and Trinity joined us for the first time and were such a blessing!

When we first arrived, all my confidence washed away, it just didn't feel right and I told Tammy just as much.

We started setting up and someone told us another church had come before us and set up all these tables of food and everyone had already eaten.  When you've been planning for weeks, spent plenty of money to make it happen, just arrived, the last thing you want to hear is everyone has already eaten.

It was all good, we got the music playing, fired up the coals and set the table up.

I spent a couple of hours the other morning on youtube checking out hip hop Jesus music and made a playlist.  I found some really good stuff.  I love the flavor of the hood and there's nothing worse than a bunch of christian folks showing up and playing the wrong kind of music.  LOL!  It was amazing!  I saw them bobbing their heads, dancing, smiling, knew they liked it.  Of course they did, I'm their people and I know what they like!

One of the guys came walking by with a beer in his hand and said, "I don't want you to see me with this."

I'd been waiting for that one.  I went over where they were all sitting and said to them, "You know I love you right?"  They all said yes.  I said, "You know I love Jesus without even telling you that right?".  They all said yes.  I said, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with drinking beer and anyone who claims they love Jesus who has ever come down here and made you feel weird about it, they don't know Jesus well enough."  I didn't go into the water into wine story, I just wanted to set them at ease.  You could see a huge sigh of relief come over the entire group.

They kept asking us what church we were with.  LOL.

I love that God's people do go out and do for the streets!

I'll be honest, it's always a question I don't know how to directly answer, because it's more than one answer, it's more than where we go to church, it's more than who we are, it's laying our lives down for others.  I tell them we go to Grace Life (Anything But Ordinary) in Prattville but I always let them know I'm from the streets and they are my people.

They always say stuff like "God bless you," or "God is going to bless you for this," and I love that.  He does bless us and we love them so much, they just don't understand.

I love them!  I swear I do!   I don't care what they are wearing, what they smell like, what their situation is, I love them.  I hug everybody!

We set up in the field next to an abandoned building where they all live, the lady at the liquor store let us use a plug and then the guy at the barbecue place let us plug in there because people kept hitting the drop chords and unplugging our power.  He also offered to let us use the facilities there, which was so nice, otherwise we would have been driving down the street to the mission.

Arthur stopped by.  I love Arthur, he's such good people, he's the guy who spent Christmas with us.

Cars pulled in and out all day long, children came and hung around, people were dancing and smiling.  Some of the people there called their children over to bring their children and we fed them too.

My feet were killing me!  I worked the grill and every single time I opened it, smoke slammed me in the face, even after we moved it to accommodate for the wind, so I still smell like smoke, the good kind.  We never tell anyone no, we always give them everything we have.  Sharon still has a truck load of stuff!

We met people we've never met before, got to hang out, do what we do and love on them.

I'm nobody special, but I love who God lets me be.  I love the people whose hearts are willing to do this with me.  I love every little thing about it, even the cost and the time invested.

God sends me the most amazing people to help, to serve, to donate and when I got home tonight, there was a bag of shoes sitting next to my front door.

I never would have guessed this is the life God had purposed for me.

When I was in the streets there was no way I would have believed it if you told me I would do street ministry in the future.

God took that horrible time in my life and turned those ashes to beauty.

They are always amazed when they find out I used to be homeless, I used to be a crack addict and a prostitute.  They stand there in awe and disbelief because they don't know her, they know the new creature that I am.  In those moments this bond is forged between us, an understanding, a realization, a spark of hope.

I'm still vibrating with excitement and happiness.

Today was such a good day!

We're going to do it again very soon.

Praise God!