Make the most of every opportunity...

So every "good" writer creates anticipation and excitement for what is ahead right? Well I have a little something to share that will hopefully create excitement for stories that are to come. As I share these things on this blog it is almost like I am making a commitment to you all (though I am not even sure who "you" all are just yet) to stick with this, and not overlook the little opportunities I have been given.

Last night at JOURNEY (the church I go to here in Bend, OR) I sat next to a friend named Skip who I met at JOURNEY about a year or so ago. He is homeless and lives on the streets in a tent with one of his friends, and his other loyal companion and friend...his dog. He is what you would picture a classic homeless man to look like...long beard, dirty clothes, and always smelling a little like alcohol. For some reason I have been blessed to get to know him a little better than I know even some of the regulars at JOURNEY, and we always make a point to catch up with each other when we see one another. He also enjoys saying hi to my daughter, and the random hug she offers. You know the innocence of children is truly beautiful! If only we could all look at people through the eyes of children, and not see them through the lens that our society teaches us to look through...but through eyes that simply see a human, another person just like us. Man we have so much to learn from those precious little ones!

So as I mentioned, Skip sat next to my mom and I last night. After the service the three of us were visiting, and he was telling us where he is camped out in town now. Seems the police keep him on the move, as some of the locations he chooses to set up camp are not always the most appropriate spots for someone to be living in their tent. Skip tends to be a fairly private person in many regards, but I worked up the courage to ask him if he has ever shared his life story in writing. After the jokes about it taking months to write all the things down that have happened to him, he looked at me very seriously and told me he couldn't tell me about his life...it would be too hard for me to hear. After a little more talking and encouragement on the part of my mom and I he finally decided to share a piece of it with us...maybe he was testing us to see how we responded? Not sure...but what he shared broke my heart, not so much because of what I heard, but because of how I saw that it still broke his heart. Very bluntly he told us that when he was in "Nam" he killed a baby. He explained that he had no other option at the time, but hates himself for it and has never been able to escape the images of that act. Tears welled up in his eyes as he once again relived the memory of that horrific time in his life. I gave him a hug and told him I was sorry he had to go through such a difficult experience. In the end he agreed to meet with my mom and I next Sunday for lunch and at that time he will gives us the complete story. Then with his approval, I will pass that story on to all of you. I believe that it will be another story that will impact us all, and change the way we see the homeless around us.

That brief interaction with Skip last night encouraged me all the more that, even though someone chooses to live on the streets like Skip does, there is always something significant in their life that brought them to the point of believing that life on the streets is more normal than having a home and family--that life on the streets is safer than the alternative. For Skip it almost seems to me that in his heart of hearts he doesn't think he deserves anything better because of what he did to that baby. It is apparent it still haunts him today. May this little insight remind us to have a little extra patience as we come across homeless people in our day to day lives. I know when I hear all of Skip's story I won't be able to even imagine myself walking in his shoes, and will have a greater respect for the man he is and what has brought him to where he is today.

So now not only do you have Mike's story to look forward to reading, but Skip's as well. :-)

Blessings and love,
Ranae

Starting the journey....sad at a loss...

I can't wait any longer...I have waited too long already! Today in honor of Mike Lampton I am starting this journey with Behind The Signs. I am not sure where it will take me and what the Lord has in store for it, but I know I am supposed to do it. I have been overwhelmed by the feeling that the stories of homeless people need to be shared for too long. And even though I don't feel like the most eloquent writer, or the right person for the job...I need to be obedient. I had a friend share a quote with me a few months ago that hangs in my mind and continually reminds me of the vision I had for Behind The Signs. The quote is from Andy Stanley, "I think it is safe to assume that most Christians are not attempting anything that requires God’s intervention." She then encouraged me by saying, "I believe so strongly that God is looking for more believers who will dare to dream large dreams that they are incapable of bringing about from their own resources or talents or connections ... because then when God intervenes, all will know this was His doing." That is how I feel about Behind The Signs...it is way bigger than me! Wayyyy bigger than my resources or abilities, but if anything comes from it may the Lord be glorified because it won't be because someone with all this amazing, unhidden talent put it to work....it was because someone had a vision for something bigger than them self and stepped out in faith knowing that God is just looking for a willing heart. He equips the called, and I believe and trust He will equip me to share the stories of the homeless. I pray He uses this to open people's eyes to homelessness in our society, because right now I believe our view of homelessness is way off target.

You are probably wondering what Behind The Signs even means...well let me explain. About a year ago I was talking to my mom, who at the time was very involved in volunteering at a local homeless shelter, about how I felt the stories of the homeless need to be shared. I thought it would be awesome if some talented individual would write a book. I never saw myself in the picture...just saw a need and thought that someone needed to step up. Well some time later (a couple months or so)I was reading the book "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. It is the story of how Ron & his wife Debbie met Denver at a homeless shelter and a beautiful friendship evolved. They share the journey of their lives before, during, and after that friendship started. It is a great book and worth reading! While reading that book I just felt like the Lord spoke to my heart and told me that I needed to be the one to share the stories of the homeless. Now feeling God's presence like this isn't something I get blessed with on a regular basis, but I have been blessed to hear Him a few different times in my life so I knew He was prompting me and it wasn't coming from myself. After I felt Him put that on my heart about being the one to share the stories, all the sudden I had the title "Behind The Signs" come to mind with a vision for what that means and what I am supposed to do. I still feel humbled writing this, and feel like I could cry because I just don't feel qualified and still find myself asking the Lord why He would choose me to do this...there has to be someone better qualified to do this?! I have even talked to people in hopes that they would want to run with it, but all that happens is I get encouraged to continue on and share these stories.

As this blog evolves my desire is that you will see "Behind The Signs" of the homeless and realize that there is a person just like you and I there. Someone who is loved by someone...they may be a mother or father, a brother or sister, a husband or wife, or a friend...but they are thought of by someone out there and important. As you read I pray you can peel away the exterior of the person that you are reading about and see who they are inside. Then hopefully carry that into your every day life and allow yourself to see beyond the exterior of all those you come in contact with. I hope you can look past the sign the lady is holding on the street corner that reads "HUNGRY! WILL WORK FOR FOOD", look past the cigarette and beer bottle being consumed by the person you always see sitting in front of the grocery store who always claims to be out of money yet here he is with a cigarette and beer (this is still a hard one for me to see...but this person is still someone, just like me, who has a story of how they got where they are). That you can look past the long beard, weathered face, and torn clothes of the old man you see day in and day out in front of the local coffee shop, or look past the actions of that annoying teen who has no home to call his own or parents to tell him they love him, yet always seems to grate on everybody's nerves because of the trouble he finds so easily. I know most of us drive and walk by these people almost every day as we go about our lives. In our society we judge on the outer appearance, which has bothered me ever since my junior high and high school days...but it is the truth - we judge on the outer appearance. So we pass by these people and make our judgement on who they are and why they are where they are, and go on with our day feeling justified in our assessment of that person and the situation. Yet so often we are terribly wrong. That person is just like you and I! They are loved by someone, just like we are. For them to be where they are they have more than likely experienced some pretty tough things in their life...even if they choose to be homeless I am pretty sure there was something in their life, some event, that changed their perspective and made them think living on the streets is better than having a house and family. My hope is that as I share the stories of homeless people on this blog you will feel like you are sitting down with the person sharing their story...having a cup of coffee with them if you will...and learning about WHO they are. We have a lot to learn from these people! I know in the past couple years that I have started getting more involved in the homeless community my eyes have been opened in amazing ways.

I titled this blog "Starting the journey...sad at a loss...", the loss is that on January 17, 2010 a friend that I met at the local homeless shelter, Mike Lampton, passed away and went to be with the Lord. Today we celebrated his life, and again I felt convicted that I haven't been obedient with what the Lord has placed on my heart. I had the great privilege to sit down with Mike this summer and interview him. Talk about an amazing man and a transformation of life! Mike's story will be the first I share on Behind The Signs. Please stay tuned...you won't want to miss "coffee" with Mike. Though actually with Mike it would probably be a smoothy...he really enjoyed those during his last few days, and actually he had one the day I got to interview him! Reading his story will be worth your time! I know you won't be the same after reading it!

Thanks for sharing in this journey with me! To whoever is reading this, please keep me accountable with this! I know we can all learn so much from the stories of the homeless...the stories of each other.

Until next time...
Blessings to you!
Ranae