Miami April 3, 2007

Miami Rescue Missions

Yesterday was such an amazing day and it was life-changing to me. All of us went to Miami Rescue Missions to help out. The Rescue Missions was in a bad looking neighborhood sort of like a Chicago Heights appearnace except there were no trees. As we were walking there, you could see several homeless people walking in the street and some of them had mattresses pulled up along the sidewalk.

We arrived at our destination and began to look for Tiffany who would be helping us. After we found her, we were put in a board looking room where this black guy with a white t-shirt began telling us about the mission and how it had impacted his life.

Pause. Back it up. The night before, I was feeling so burnt out just because I'm so concerned about my dad, my mom, my little sister, and the school work I'm going to have to do once I get back. I was crying on the phone to Jordan and he cheered me up and encouraged me to do as much as I could and give God all of me despite my tiredness. I went to bed late and prayed for God to restore my energy and feeling of brokenness--He did. In the morning, to encourage myself to work for God, I read Isaiah 40:30-31 "Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men (and women) will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strenght. They will soar high on wings like eagles, They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Rewind to what I was talking about earlier.

This black guy was telling us about how he was doing so many drugs and he was homeless. He came in touch with the missions and God slowly transformed him. At the rescue missions, they have different stages where you have to progress in order to graduate. They guy we were talking to was a graduate and now he was working with the rescue missions. He told us about how his flesh hasn't changed. He's still the same person and the only thing that's different is that he's got God's Spirit living and working in him. It was so awesome and encouraging listening to his story.

Then, we went to go work on our big project. This Friday, Good Friday, the rescue mission is having a type of Thanksgiving for the homeless. They're picking up the homeless off the street, providing them with showers, Easter baskets, clothes, lots of food, and hygiene products. After the event, they're taking each homeless person to where ever they want to be dropped off. Our job was to put forks, knives, and napkins together and tie them tightly with a bow. It was so awesome that our group came together and made it happen. We had an amazing assembly line going and God really brought us perfectly together to get things done. While we were doing it we made jokes, recited Bible verses, and had tons of fun. Ha. They were making fun of me because I was young and I said "Doesn't matter to me because you all will die first." Ha. Then, we went to lunch at the Missions place. It was a little gross, but we really didn't care because we were all just thankful to get food. Our group split up and we went to different tables. I sat with a guy named Arley and I believe he was latino. He had the same problem with doing tons of drugs and after a while God brought him to stay with the missions. Once a drug addict, he is now working with the missions and he's going to be getting his GED and going to college to become a veterinarian. It was awesome hearing his story and another guy left us with a comment of how you can't need recovery, you have to want it. Arley left us with how in order to become a master of something you need to be a servant first. All of these people seemed so spiritually in touch with God. We heard about another guy who had been helped by the rescue missions and he hoped to start one in South America.

After lunch, we checked out the thrift shops that the rescue missions had started. We met this amazing guy and I can't remember his name. He played a song for us on the piano and the incredible thing was that he had never played the piano before. He just sat down and God provided him with a song. It went something like "God is smiling on me." He left us with how we need to give back to God's people by using what we have received. All of these people had such amazing outlooks and such encouraging comments. After that we did the center pieces for the tables and we all came together again to get it all accomplished. It was awesome. Then we went to serve dinner from 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. By that time I had loosened up and I was being friendly to all of the homeless people I saw. I felt like I was soaring high on eagles wings. It was incredible. All of these people had been so low and had nothing and God transformed them. It makes me realize how I'm similar to a homeless person because I've been at an all time low like them and God has lifted us from that. Homeless people have just not had as many possessions and it makes me realize how much I have taken for granted.

When we were working and serving food to the homeless it was so amazing. Just to think that I was serving God's people, my brothers and sisters and I was humbling myself to serve them. It's just nuts. Some of the people you could really tell who was in the process of going through the program or had already done it. Those who had not yet gone through it seemed so ungrateful and they would ask for more and more food. Jordan Casey kept giving in and giving more food. I gave out veggies and chili. Those who had gone through the program would constantly show their gratitude and read our nametags and say "Thank you Michelle." Kingson helped us a lot and was a great guy. He got us coffee lovers some good coffee. It was disturbing because some guys were checking Jessica, Amanda, and I out all day. But we were fine and I was high on coffee and eating donuts out of Amanda's hand. After serving food, we went to the chapel service and this speaker was so on fire and amazing and emphasizing Pslams 23--I think. The Holy Spirit was so stirred up inside of me. It was an amazing experience.

Later that night we were off the walls going crazy and Jess and I were singing Moulin Rouge. We had a great day and we were so scummy when we got back and whining to each other but then we showered. Before we showered we ran around the court yard of the church to make sure we were hot enough to get into the cold showers. Haha. We also sang Moulin Rouge while we were in the showers because it was dark and we couldn't see anything.

Today we cleaned up the church and came together and got a lot done. The church is huge and some ladies might be turning it into a Christian Elementary School. It's awesome to think we have helped that come about.