Hannah

Hey Friends,

It has been awhile! I have been reading over some of the previous posts and realized that I often share a lot of the big picture news with you guys and leave out the day-to-day stories. So I would like to be better about doing that! Because really the day-to-day is what it is all about anyways. I know that I often spend most of my days trying to take steps closer to the "big picture" plan or idea that I am working on, and forget that God has plans for me today. I think that if I can learn to be happy with what today has in store, that I will feel less like I need to keep striving so hard for tomorrow. Cause really tomorrow is out of my hands anyway!

So here is a cool story, it happened a month or so back, but it is one that sticks with me. As a staff, we were out for our weekly time of evangelizing and building relationships with those in our community, when Steph (a staff member) and I came across Hannah. Hannah was standing on the street corner with her dog and her backpack, and we were able to tell instantly that she was homeless. Steph and I both realized that she did not have shoes, so we introduced ourselves and told her that we would really like to buy her some shoes. So low and behold we happened to be directly across the street from a Ross store. So we asked Hannah to come with us and let her pick out some new shoes, socks, and pants. Although those were very physical needs that she needed met, I think what was more valuable was the time that we were able to spend talking with her. She shared that people usually treated her like scum, she said that people would walk past her and make cutting remarks, like "Go get a job," and "Wow did you see how dirty that girl was?" We were able to tell her that God loves her very much and that He values her from the core of who she is. This affected her in a remarkable way and we were able to leave her with prayer and a Bible.

Words cannot express what I felt in these moments with Hannah; I so often claim to be too afraid to share with people how God has changed me and that he can do the same for them. I wonder how that makes him feel, that I am too selfish to share about the one who has transformed me. But it was in those moments with Hannah, that God shed light on the condition of my heart once again. I realized that it doesn't take a lofty speech, or well developed thoughts in theology, or a forced and awkward approach to share Jesus with someone; what it does take, is a little compassion and the desire to simply let someone else know that they are loved truly and deeply.

I doubt I will ever see Hannah again in this life, but I pray for her often and hope that we can praise our Maker together one day in Heaven.

Please pray for Hannah that she would come to know Jesus fully, that she would be safe, and that God would place people in her life that can help her get off the streets.