... to make a friend?

That's what I have been thinking about for the last hour... What does it take to make a friend? Perhaps it starts something like this, "hi, my name is mark, what's yours?" At least that was my experience this morning. Our small group has been working diligently, since July, on a mission project that was focused on assembling Ruth Kits for the Homeless. Today marked the first day of distribution. Though we only had ten kits full prepared (toward our goal of a thousand) it was indeed a holy moment. It took just under 30 minutes to distribute the kits before the well ran dry. I am guessing that I came across at least 40 or 50 more people, during my travels, that could have benefited from the kits. During my time on the street I made several new friends... Becky, who asked for a kit for her sons...Gary... Mike...William...Daniel and Sunday Dalton...Sue...AJ and his friend John Reeves who blessed me greatly by telling me that he would share the stuff with his friends. The first words out his mouth were, "wow, this is like a survival kit." I think on some levels that has been my hope, that these 'first response kits,' as I have sometimes referred to them, would function as survival kits providing just a few necessities that might help make life a little easier for a day or two. I was surprised that on two occasions folks said no thank-you... and in one instance, Gary was very appreciative and then asked if there was any work he could do for me.

As I was driving back to the Church, in the midst of sort of a surreal meditative moment, I was distracted in my thoughts of those I had just met by a half a dozen construction workers carrying a brand new hot tub into the back yard of one of the houses on our street... WOW!!! what a contrast...

I hope that you will join me in praying for the fruitful future of this mission project, and by praying by name for those I came in contact with today.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with this project...