Do you see what I see?

I got a phone call from a client named “Tommy” in the evening. He started, "Something strange is happening on the Drag." I braced myself as Tommy continued, "I want you to see what I see! I think really good things may happen soon." 

My client is not the first to have asked me "Do you see what I see?" About two years ago, a pastor from a church on the Drag once informed me that he had come upon a group of clients praying. Someone had just gone to the hospital, and a group was sitting and praying, some distressed and crying and others leading a prayer. The pastor had never seen this before.

All the credit goes to God's glory, but we began teaching our clients how to pray every week almost four years ago. We also placed emphasis on taking prayer requests from them and sharing them with prayer warriors. We have poured countless hours into nurturing their prayer lives so they feel comfortable sharing with God... their needs, the good times, the bad times, and the ugly. And God has changed their lives.

A pastor that I meet with for supervision remarked during one of our sessions, "I have to stop and simply give praise that the street youth have become a praying community." It was a very promising sign. Do you see what I see? Tommy's news promised to be even better!

Tommy said, "People are talking about Jesus tonight. I don't mean preachers. I mean that street youth are talking to each other about Him!" 

Many street youth have come to Christ over the years. We know because they write to us from wherever they have settled down and tell us about their successes and transformation. But lately, we've seen clients come to know Christ on the street.

Again, all the glory goes to God. Many people work with street youth in their daily lives and it is always our goal to get them plugged into local churches. The people we have poured into for years have become saved!

But even more is going on. I want you to see what I see! There are at least five clients who are regularly going to local churches and sharing their faith on the street. 

• One is a Saul-to-Paul story of intense persecution of Christians until his conversion.
• Another is a story of black-arts magician to Christian. 
• One was a drug-crazed person constantly going to jail and now is totally transformed.
• Another is the story of a shy young lady who could barely speak in public now sharing her faith openly. 
• And Tommy is a man healed, once crippled by mental health issues and now fully in love with God and loving others. 

God has met each of these people with his transforming power. Oh the joy of seeing what I see!

And fruit has begun to multiply. I couldn't be more excited that these people are taking their street friends with them on Sunday, and helping them receive the Gospel. At least one more has been baptized through their work (and is now away at a rehab). Another has renewed her faith and joined them in spreading the Gospel.

Do you see what I see? I can hardly believe my eyes! It is so wonderful to see the strength of these young people turned into Gospel tools for His Kingdom. 

Thank you so much for being a part of this!

What a difference!

I was walking on our Friday mini-mission trip with a volunteer talking. I saw someone I thought I recognized about a half-block up. I suggested that the volunteer allow me to approach the person alone because the person I thought I recognized is sometimes very angry.

I couldn't have been more mistaken about who I saw. The musical 6 foot 8 young man grinned ear to ear and shouted, "Well hello, Terry! I was hoping to see you! You probably don't remember me, but I'm Jason." I could hardly believe what I was seeing. 

For you see, it was the same man outwardly, but there was nothing the same about him. He was peaceful, happy, and full of joy. He told me where he had been for the past year or so and why he was traveling and street-dependent again. He gratefully took a few things and bragged about how he tells everyone what great work we do, wherever he goes. And then he said goodbye.

I stopped him and asked about his faith, because I had a hunch. Sure enough, he told me he had hit rock bottom about a year ago and have found a new life in Christ! I asked if I could give him a hug and he grinned ear to ear and dropped his pack to the ground. I once again feared for my safety as he bear-hugged me. Thankfully no ribs were cracked. What a wonderful difference faith makes.

We cannot fix anyone, but faith can cure anything through God. We are so happy to see someone find their way home to Christ's loving arms.

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New Beginnings

The first time I saw him, I was afraid. He had wild hair, talked to himself in an animated way, and didn't make eye contact. It took me repeated times to work up the courage to speak with him. But it was the beginning of something surprising.

Nick had come from Dallas and was living on the streets. He didn't have any ID because he had left it at his previous place of residence. He kept his money in his shoes. We served him a street lunch every Friday for weeks. Unfortunately, Nick began to change. He got wilder and began using drugs. His hair grew into artful dreads, with a few ornaments inserted. On several occasions, we found him passed out or overdosed, and he went to jail many times as well.

But recently I found myself sitting in prayer time, and Nick was the only participant. I figured God had cleared our everyone else for a reason, so I kept asking questions. Soon, Nick was telling me his whole story. It started out typical for a large segment of my clients: he lived at home with his mom. After puberty, his mind began to betray him. He suffered from delusions and visions. As a 17 year old, he felt that the medications he took almost destroyed his personality, and so he stopped taking them. He learned that heroin somehow helped his mind become calmer. To mediate the heroin, he began to use cocaine. These things led to his leaving home, living with a girlfriend, various drug addictions, criminal offenses, and eventually going to prison.

In prison, Nick joined a brotherhood and learned Islam. As a young man, mostly without medication, and mostly without drugs, he survived seven years in prison. Upon his release, he lived in a halfway house in Dallas. Without help with his transition, Nick found that he couldn't live by the rules and left one night. That's when I met Nick in the streets of Austin.

During prayer time, Nick expressed a desire to get his life together. After hearing his whole story, I realized this would be a completely new life for him. And so, we made a plan. First step was to review his taking his medication again. Nick--typical of many of my clients as they reach brain maturity at 25--was willing to reconsider medication. He knew how to get them from MHMR. The next step was getting his disability benefits started. We agreed that, for now, Nick was in no shape to work because of his mental challenges and lack of soft skills. We hoped that eventually he will go back to work, but for now, God might provide for him through disability benefits. Nick wants a place to live, where he can do his art and music. And so again, we developed a plan. I left Nick to take the first steps, and I got his permission to follow-up regularly to see if he's doing it.

After that, I asked Nick about his Muslim beliefs. It turns out that Nick believes in Jesus today. I explained the Gospel and asked if he understood it; he did. Then, we prayed that God would reveal himself more fully and that Nick would begin trying to live a new and grateful life as a Christian.

Since our conversation, I have seen Nick many times. He has obtained medication. He has applied for disability. He is exercising great restrain to stay away from damaging drugs and activities. And he is trying to walk closer with Jesus. According to Nick, it's difficult. He told me the other day, "I need to take a vacation. This is hard." And I understood him. Rebirth is not easy. Renewal is not usually immediate or occurs overnight. It requires patience, strength, endurance, and strong faith. I don't know what the future holds for Nick, but I am so privileged to walk alongside him.

It’s a time for rebirth and renewal. I pray you see it in nature. I pray you see it in your faith, community, and even in your family. Furthermore, I pray you sense renewal in your personal life.

It's a privilege for me to be your representative in this work! And, together on a daily basis, we can encourage people who are often ignored, invisible, and unwelcomed. Thank you for your support.

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Unexpected Mercies

We keep records as a ministry. It's been a growing burden as we serve more clients more frequently and more volunteers help out. We are dedicated to being a "Class A" organization and I think that means we keep count, records, and monitor ourselves closely. Every month we know our finances, our reach to supporters, prayer team members, newsletter readers and followers. And we know how many and what types of contacts we had with clients. We don't serialize or violate our clients privacy with our records. We simply record them in a prayer book. If they share a name or a birthday, we record that. If they tell us how we can be praying for them, we write that down. We share the requests with our prayer team later the same day.

 

Recently, a client passed away. The client has mentioned his real name in a conversation with us... something that shows that he trusted us. And we had written down the name of his dog. These things allowed us to search the Internet for his obituary after we got wind that he might have passed away through the grapevine of clients. We searched diligently and daily, hoping and praying that we would not find confirmation, but we did, three days after his death.

 

From there we were able to find the funeral home. We placed a carefully worded sympathy note for the parents and family on-line. We don't know what they know or don't. Sometimes grieving parents want nothing to do with their child's street life. We express sympathy, mention that we served their child, give a way to contact us, and wait. Frequently they call.

 

In this case, the mom called the very next morning. She wanted to know more about her son's recent travels. She didn't understand her son's decision to start traveling after three years of college but she knew. She didn't like his drinking and more recent experimentation with drugs, but she knew. She knew what drug addiction can do to people, so she simply wanted to know what her son was really like on the street.

 

We were so delighted to tell her that her son was sweet, respectful and kind. Addicts can lose everything as the drug takes over, but her son wasn't like that. He was the only kid to thank a donor at the Christmas party. He didn't steal. He didn't lie. His charm and intelligence was evident in his interactions with people.

 

The names of our clients fill 13 little books so far. But worn little books allowed us to share with this mother a little picture of the the son she lost. It comforted her. And it will help comfort his younger brother and sister and entire family. We found the day we met her son. We found the day we last met him in the pages. We found a time we were able to give his dog a saddlebag pack. We found a record of how he interacted with us over more than 15 months whenever he was in Austin.

 

We will miss this client. We grieve alongside the family. And we are grateful to be in ministry to all street-dependent young people who pass through Austin. And we will continue keeping records and praying with our clients. Unexpected mercies flow from the pages of our little prayer books that we would never have expected. They are worth it. Our clients are worth it. God is entirely worthy of it all.

 

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A Client's Dilemma

SYM at work:

 

We met a new client. It was cold and he was wearing shorts and looking a little bit ashen from the cold. He had pants and a coat in his backpack. He looked healthy and strong. He asked to borrow my phone and I let him, admonishing him (as I do all clients) that it's not for drug calls.

 

He wanted privacy. The phone didn't work right at first and frustrated him. And then his call didn't get answered. But eventually he was on the phone, pacing and the discussion seemed agitated.

 

I served others while he talked on the phone. Eventually I went over when he was done. I simply said, "Tough call?" He said, "Yes. My parents don't get me." I asked, "New to the street?" He said, "Yes. I'm supposed to be in a rehab, but I'm not going back to that place. They are mean. I'll go to another one, but not back to that place. My parents just won't hear me, though." I replied, "The rehab won't work if you don't want to be there, anyway. But keep the lines of communication open with your parents."

 

I considered my next move. He was so agitated that I decided to ask, "Would you like a hug?" It was a risky move with a new 6'4" client. Without hesitation, he said, "Yes" and hugged me. He began to fight back tears from the stress and hurt. I just hugged him back until he was ready.

 

He wiped away the tears and then he began to tell me his story. From college student to drug user to caught addict. Forced rehab. He said, "I want to stay out here. Surely if my parents seem me choose to be homeless rather than rehab, they'll understand." I stopped him, "Do nothing to make them do anything. Do things for yourself. Do things that are right for you and forget trying to manipulate or control them." He asked surprised, "Are you a drug counsellor?" I said, "No, but I've been taught by a lot of street youth like you. And I study a bit."

 

I asked, "Is faith a resource for you?" He said, "Yes. I've been working 12 steps. I'm 60 days sober. I'm a Christian." So I asked if we could pray together. He did the natural thing and said, "Sure. You can pray for me." I held out hands and said, "No. I mean pray together. What are you thankful for?" He began to answer. "Do you have sins you'd like to confess?" He did. "What do you want God to do for you?" He wanted provision. He wanted a job. He wanted his parents and brother to understand him. He wanted reunion.

 

After praying, we made a safety plan. We discussed how there are people right here on this block who would be happy to help him spoil his sobriety record this very night. He said he was strong and could resist. We discussed how he needs to find a computer he can use to communicate with family and brother and friends so he can survive the next few days. He knew a way.

 

Then I asked him to soften a bit. "You know how you're going to get by in the next few days. I want you to be willing to wake up tomorrow and do whatever is right for you. If it's going back to rehab, then swallow your pride and simply go. If it's continuing the fight for a new rehab, then do your research and make your case. If it's getting a job, then contact the people who have a copy of your ID so you can get the audit number and order your ID so you can work. But whatever you do tomorrow, do it for you. Stay focused and get help. And keep your faith strong. It may not look like it, but there are a lot of Christians and even more faithful people out here on the street. Don't be afraid to find someone who can pray with you often."

 

He headed away from the Drag to the place he believed he could be safe for the night. It was typical of many first encounters with youth new to the street. I pray for his safety and ultimate decision. I pray lines of communication remain open. I know he's kidding himself in some ways but I also believe he is strong and resourceful.

 

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Freed

Three or four times in the same day, I was in the position to explain the Gospel to very broken young clients. One grew up Catholic, with a very tough family and life experience. Another was baptized early in life and now uses heroine on the streets of Austin. Another lives on the street and battles depression, in and out of help centers. All are under 24 and all grew up around churches.

 

All know and believe in God. All can tell me many things from the Bible. Most of it has been told them by pastors, friends, and family. "One friend keeps her Bible near because it's her protection. But I asked if she's read it and she said no." "God made everything and Jesus came to show us how to live. If we keep trying, we'll get it right." "I was taught the Bible is a rulebook for how we need to live to get into heaven." 

 

I was able to help them understand the true Gospel secret. Jesus came to free you from judgement. He proved that you could live a good life and that would earn you an eternity with God. But he plead guilty before God for all my crimes and all the crimes of anyone who will believe in Him. Jesus becomes separated from God ("God, my father... why have you abandoned me" were His words on the cross.") 

 

As a result, you are free from the rules of the Bible. The rules of the Bible are not how you become a Christian. You become a Christian by knowing His son Jesus and accepting with purpose his present of taking the bullet for you. At that point, you are Free! 

 

But what are you freed for? God loved you first and pursued you before you ever come to Jesus. You have been freed so you can live the wonderful life God has already planned for you. And as you get to know Jesus and God, you will find that the good life He has prepared for you involves living in a way that obeys all the rules of the Bible. But you're not doing it to get into heaven, you're doing it because you're headed to heaven and it feels right! You are freed from judgement so that you are free to live according to God's good plans. And that's why we read the Bible. That's why we worship God. That's why we tell Gospel secret to others. Freed for a purpose!

"To know, love and serve street dependent youth."
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Volunteer or donate (tax deductible) online
Arrange a meeting with me: tungle.me/terrycole

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