Fresh Meat

So to catch up briefly, last week friday was a day of errands and book discussion.  But among our errands we just stopped by Retreat to drop off some things.  We didn't even go in the building, but we ran into this guy A.J. in the parking lot.  He is from Nicaragua and I actually talked about Nicaragua with him for a bit in Spanish.  Then he started talking to the group (in English) and telling us some of his story.  He was in some accident and paralyzed when he was 17, and the whole time he was in the hospital this one woman who he didn't know would come pray for him. He said he didn't believe in God but at some point had nowhere else to turn, and told this woman that he would put his faith in Christ.  The next day he got up and walked to the nurses' desk asking about the woman.  They told him there had never been a woman and that they keep logs of everyone who enters and exits. It was an incredible story that caught me off guard. It's not something you hear everyday. He explained that since then, he has gotten into drugs and made plenty of bad choices and doesn't know where God is this time.  He said he loved Retreat and wants to continue to learn about the word and seek God.  He asked us to pray for him so we all prayed in the parking lot.  This was something none of us expected that day, but beautiful.
Saturday was good and pretty standard: some snow cones, some chess (6 let me win this time).

Today after prayer we set out for the lot.  On our way, we ran into a guy, Sheldon, who has a job and is looking to move out of the shelter. We talked to him about some options and he got really excited that everything is falling into place.  He said he had been asking God for help and there we were.
After he left  I ended up talking to these 2 brothers, James and Brandon, for hours.  They were from Florida and had been at the shelter for 20 days.  They are very determined, and because they chose to leave home for certain reasons, they have a different perspective than many of the other guys I meet that are forced to the streets.  They have some wild ideas that I don't always agree with but I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and Brandon even drew me a picture.  They explained that because they don't carry themselves as homeless most people don't think they are, especially if they walk around Tech's campus.  But to them the whole experience is a struggle that is teaching them about putting their faith in God and breaking down their pride.  So though they admit that it's hard, they see even as they walk through this situation, that is could be a good thing in some way.  I hope I run into them again.


Then after reading for a few hours and meeting as a team we headed to Rescue Atlanta to meet the mission teams, one group of high schoolers and the other high school/middle school.  They seem like a really good bunch so far. Though it is early mornings and late nights, I'm excited for the change of pace this week, and hope it will refresh me.