“When I left home and my family, I was no more than a boy”, lyrics from the song, “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”.  2 Corinthians 5:7

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We had the privilege of serving 23 people today.

• We met up with our friends, Annie, Tim and Anthony.  We talked about friends we have not seen.  They mentioned there have been a lot of overdoses lately.  Self-medicating to keep the demons at bay is only a temporary solution to the problem.  Some of our friends have scars that run deep; not just physical but emotional.  We always tell them we are praying for them.  With the recent weather, water, Gatorade, underwear, socks and tee shirts, along with our packet of $10/$10 DK card/prayer card, are always welcomed.

• We met some new friends, Briana who is 7 months pregnant and under a bridge.  She was very pleasant and didn’t seem to have any addiction issues.  It was hard to get much information about her in a brief encounter, but my hope is we will next time we see her.  I wonder what kind of hard luck came upon her.  Maybe not being able to afford rent, an escape from a bad relationship, unwanted by her family?  She was with Erica and Laurie who are very street wise.  It can be very dangerous for women on the street, let alone being with child.  We gave them our packets along with underwear, snacks, and water.  We told them, “Be safe and God bless”.

• We were glad to see our friend Lee and that her face was healing.  We asked how she was doing and she replied she had to keep moving around town, from the bridges to the woods, and asked for a backpack to keep her belongings together.  We gave her one we had.  I got out and hugged her and told her I’m still praying for her.  With some of our friends, when we leave them, our hearts ache… some more than others.  We met our friend Joe who asked us to pray for him.

• Everyone we encounter on the street is someone’s son, daughter, niece, nephew, husband, wife, friend, etc.  Some see them as an eyesore but all of our friends have a story of how they went from where they once lived to under a bridge or on a street corner or doorway. Jim would say “See all of them through Jesus’ eyes.”

God bless,

Claire and Shaun Teed

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