Weekly Needs

Last Thursday Lincoln shared the Word with our down town friends. He and many of his friends from the Evangelical Institute have been coming each week to volunteer their time. We are grateful for their support in the kitchen, and for ministry on a personal level. The above picture shows that his message provoked further discussion with an older gentleman that has been coming each week.

A woman came into the kitchen as we arrived and asked for something to eat. We advised her of the meal time and then she wanted to talk to someone concerning her problem. She had apparently been abused and battered and was looking for some assistance. Her boyfriend had been arrested and was in jail and she was concerned for her safety. After some discussion, she decided that she wanted to return to another city and see her young children who were staying with a brother. Bonnie took her to a trailer in a bad part of town to get some of her clothes and then to the bus station to purchase a ticket. The bus did not arrive for a couple of hours so everyone retuned so she could get something to eat. After the meal, Bonnie returned the lady to the bus station at the appointed time.

This week our friend, Eric, informed us that he found a place to stay. For weeks we have been concerned about him living on the street. It seems that he has some temporary shelter by helping an older gentleman in town in exchange for some free rent. I always am amazed at how resourceful Eric can be to meet his needs.

Next week, we will be Homeless on Tuesday again. Paul and Charity have finished their classes and we will return to our traditional night of Tuesday. Thanks to everyone who have been flexible during this time. We have the best volunteers (Christian friends) in the world. May God bless them all.

~Marc

My Friend Rico

One of my favorite Tuesday night friends is Rico. I thought it would be interesting to find out more about him. So last Tuesday night I sat down with him over a plate of spaghetti and asked him for this interview.

*

Marc: Rico, thank you for allowing me and the readers of our blog to get to know a little more about you. I guess my first question is about your name. Is Rico a nickname?

Rico: Yes, my real name is David. I never did like that name. I had a nickname of Roscoe when I was young but I didn’t like that name either because that is slang for a gun. I met someone from Puerto Rico that I had the nickname of Rico and I decided to use the same nickname.

Marc: Tell me about your background.

Rico: I grew up in Abbeville, SC. I never knew my parents but my sister raised me. She was 18 years old when I started living with her. She worked in a mill to support me. I got into some trouble and finally was sent to my brother in Atlanta. I ran away from home when I was 13 years old and got into drugs and alcohol. I was in and out of jail for almost 20 years. You know many people are in jail in their heart even though they are free on the outside and many that are in jail are free on the inside.

Marc: That is true which leads me to my next question; tell me about your relationship with the Lord.

Rico: When I was in jail there were some people that came in to minister to us and share the gospel. That is probably first time I heard the gospel. When I got out of jail I went back to drugs and alcohol but I hated it. Many times I would go to a church and look inside but I would sit outside and cry. Back then churches were always open. I was afraid to go in because I thought something would happen to me because of my sin. I decided to end my life because I couldn’t quit drugs and alcohol. I found an abandoned building and decided not to eat or drink anything until I died. I did drink some water after a couple of days. Every morning I would wake up and ask God why I didn’t die during the night. One day I woke up and got on my knees in that building and cried out to Lord and told Him that I couldn’t take it any more and asked Him to save me. When I got up off my knees I never desired alcohol and drugs again. I have followed Jesus ever since.

Marc: Thank you for your testimony. What do you like about Food for Life?

Rico: What I like the most is that all of you accept me just way I am. Also, I enjoy the food and preaching each week. I heard someone in the bathroom say “I can’t get into that preacher”, but you know the problem is not the preacher. The problem is that the person is not willing to listen and respond. I appreciate everything that everyone does each week for us.

Marc: Is there anything we as a body of Believers can pray for you?

Rico: Yes, I am having heart problems and I ask that everyone pray that I will not have any pain. I am going to a doctor and they are treating me.

Marc: All of us in Food for Life and many of the readers of this blog will pray for you this week. I want to thank you again for the interview and I will see you next Tuesday.

*

This Tuesday we were pleased to serve 72 meals with the assistance of 16 volunteers. Paul preached on Romans chapter 10, which is the SPIRITUAL FOOD for life.

~Marc

Charter Member

When Paul started his ministry downtown at the Carpenter’s Cellar, many of the homeless told him that this was their church. Paul was quick to remind them that it was a ministry but not a church. He always encouraged them to become connected to a body of believers for fellowship and accountability.

But if our ministry had been a church, Eric Hall would be a charter member. As Paul mentioned in his last post, Eric was the first person that we met downtown. We called him our “street evangelist” because he would go on the street during the week and invite people to come on Tuesday. His motive may have been to let everyone know there was an alternative to soup kitchen food. He was our eyes and ears for downtown information. Many times if we had a concern about someone we could check them out with Eric. He could tell us if this person was a potential problem or not. Also, often people would ask us about other services that were available in Greenville for the homeless. Again we would turn to Eric and he could provide information such as where to get your clothes washed, how and when to get medical care, and any other organizations that was available.

We learned a great deal about living on the street from Eric. For instance, many carry all their clothes in a back pack. Others hide their clothes in different places and just retrieve them when they want to change clothes. This method prevents their things from getting stolen. We have a dresser to put our clothes into different drawers; they put theirs in different locations for storage.

Eric also taught us some of the slang on street. A “cat hole” is an abandoned building where one could stay for shelter. Another term used is “the Sally” which is the Salvation Army. We leaned that people predominately use nicknames such as “cornbread’ (Eric), “spirit” (not sure what spirit), “tiny’ who is not tiny, and many call Paul “Rev” which is short for Reverend.

Eric has shown himself very resourceful on finding places to stay. Many people have allowed him to stay in their home for short periods of time. This could be an actual room or he could sleep on the couch or even on the front porch. In between these short stays he may stay at the downtown mission in the winter or in a “cat hole” weather permitting. At times because of our relationship with him, Food for Life has provided short term housing for him as funds were available.

Eric earns money mostly from working at Labor Finders, which pays at the end of each work day. This seems to be the only option to earn money on the street. Applying for a job is not easy when you have no address or telephone number. Some even resort to selling their blood plasma to get money. It takes about 2 hours and you can earn about $25.00. The amount is doubled if you return the same week.

Eric gets along with everyone because he is so friendly. He hugs everyone. He loves to talk and eat sweets. We continually try to get him to attend our Bible study but he prefers to be in the kitchen for socializing and checking out what kind of food we are preparing.

He is as much a part of our ministry as anyone because we have developed a real relationship with him. He helps us and we help him. Each week we teach God’s Word and provide food for the hungry and pray for our downtown friends. I would like ask anyone reading this post to pray for Eric this week.

Because of Paul’s desire to help the less fortunate downtown and Eric’s continuous assistance during the week we served 92 meals with the assistance of 14 volunteers. We are very grateful for all who help each week and pray God’s blessings on them and their family. Without their help we could not proclaim the glorious gospel to those downtown. May God though Jesus Christ get all the glory.

~Marc

First Time Reader

Deborah Camp has been attending the Bible studies at Food for Life Ministries for about three years. She has had a very supportive attitude toward Paul and the ministry during the years that she has attended.

About two years ago, I met Deborah for the first time, which was actually the first evening that I started volunteering at Food for Life. I began spending a little bit of time talking to her every week. A few weeks after I met her, she asked me what I did for a job, and I told her that I teach abstinence education now but that I had taught students with learning disabilities how to read and write for several years.

As soon as she realized that I had taught reading to kids with learning struggles, she said, "You could teach me." I really did not believe that she was serious, so I just shrugged it off as a passing comment. Every week after that for about six weeks Deborah asked me if I would teach her how to read. After about the sixth request I told her that I would teach her if she would come an extra hour early every week. Once again, I did not believe that she would be consistent about coming early, because she obviously does not drive since she cannot read and write. Starting the very next week, which was exactly one year ago, she made sure she was there an hour early unless she called in advance to tell us that she could not be there.

The first week I gave her an assessment and discovered that she could not even put the alphabet in order. She has six children, none of which she has custody of, and she was told that she could not keep her children because of the fact that she cannot read and write. Her greatest reason for learning to read is her desire to be able to see her children again.

Paul and I soon realized that one of her greatest hindrances was the fact that she could not see the words on the pages well because of poor eyesight. We were able to get her some glasses, which was a noticeable help to her.

One year later, she has now learned all of the letters in the alphabet and the sounds that each letter makes. She has learned how to spell many words and read and write sentences that follow basic phonics rules. She has a long way to go, but using the Wilson Reading and Writing program is going to be so helpful to her in the long run.

One day we hope to be able to have a tutoring program for Deborah and others which would be available more than once a week and would help her to move forward at a much faster pace. We are praying that God will give us a building that will have the capacity to host dinners, Bible studies, and a tutoring room. We will see what God will do!

This week we had ten volunteers, all of which also attend North Hills Community Church. We served 92 meals, and the individuals eating the food seemed to really enjoy it. We are thankful for what is happening and hopeful for what will happen in the future.

~Charity