Take this coming Friday for example…  We will serve the homeless and poor as we do each day and then starting about 4:00 p.m. we’ll start setting up for the Prodigal’s Home Friday Night Youth gathering.  It’ll be a pretty big night and I’ll get to those details in a moment.

So on this day we’ll have two men, one from Pure Heart and one from Church for the Nations, doing renovation on the casita on the back of the property.  We’ll have a man from Living Streams preparing lunch for staff and volunteers during a break between serving. The house managers along with the leader of the youth program attend Reunion Church.  The other two youth leaders are from Open Door Fellowship and Hope Church.  I am active at Community of Grace and Kim attends St. James Catholic Church.  We’ll have some folks from Orangewood Presbyterian stopping by with some donations.  We have a group from Community Church of Joy who will be helping as well.  Depending on what is needed for the day we’ll have folks from Phoenix Christian, Phoenix First Assembly of God, and Crossroads UMC.

That’s 12 churches not counting the ones I forgot (be gentle with me if I have forgotten your church!)

We’ll give the gift of 20 showers and a dozen loads of laundry this day for those who are homeless and, many times, hopeless.

And then starting at 5:00 p.m. we’ll start Christmas service for the youth. It will start with a full turkey dinner for all those attending.  At 6:00 p.m. our friend, Terey Summers, will tell the Christmas Story.  About 15 minutes after that Phoenix Fires’ Engine 7 will be delivering (with lights & siren) a special guest to give over 100 gifts donated by Every Kid Counts.

I used to be cynical.

But look at what is happening at Prodigal’s Home this Friday… and most importantly look to the hope we have in celebrating the birth of Jesus this Sunday and I believe any cynical mind can be changed.

All this happens because of your very generous giving.  We’re a team of folks from many different backgrounds and local churches.

A generous gift from you will help this mission continue to thrive in 2012.

Thank you!

Grace & Peace,

Mike

He lost his job, used up all his savings, was evicted from his apartment, and had his car repossessed.  And hit the streets of Phoenix with “Mug Me” written all over his face.

You see, Bill is you…Bill is me.  He isn’t the drug addict, thief, mentally ill person we meet and establish relationships with.  He is a “normie.”

He isn’t in the best of health either.  He has congestive heart failure.  His legs and feet are incredibly swollen due to this condition.  His feet don’t fit well in Wal-Mart brand shoes either, and he goes through a pair of shoes within a month.

He was at Prodigal’s Home yesterday, as usual.  I am outside by the laundry area when Bill walks out with no shoes, only socks.  And my heart stops.  His feet look like bricks in the socks.  I share my concern with him.  He is matter-of-fact about his feet, his health condition.

I go inside and get the ball rolling…I ask Jeff, a field support consultant with Foot Solutions, to look at Bill’s feet and to locate a pair of shoes for Bill.  Prodigal’s Home would “foot the bill” (no pun intended)!  Jeff packs Bill in the car, and they are off and running to a Foot Solutions store where Jeff is sure to get some shoes at wholesale.

The first store had nothing that was suitable for Bill.  Jeff and Bill are in the car, driving to the next store.

Lo and behold!  A pair of shoes was found at the next shop.  And this is where the movement of God is tangible.  You see, someone with Bill’s shoe size and foot ailment had specially ordered a sturdy pair of shoes and ended up not purchasing them.  SAME SIZE AND SAME AILMENT!  Waiting for Bill to come in with Jeff…

I had been waiting for a call from Jeff to give him a credit card number.

Jeff calls and tells me the amazing story about these shoes.  He tells me the retail price for the shoes and asks how much Prodigal’s Home would be willing to pay.  Jeff and I as well as the salesman agree on a substantially lower price.  SOLD!

Bill has special-ordered, orthotic shoes that will help him to walk normally now.  The shoes will last from six months to a year and will only need to be resoled at the end of that time.

He leaves Prodigal’s Home on a cloud.  Grateful.  Humbled.  He leaves Jeff and me with our jaws dropped to the ground.  God did it again, and we had the privilege of witnessing Him in action.  We had the privilege of working alongside of Him to help our brother.

Your partnership with Prodigal’s Home is making a difference.  Let’s continue to make a difference together.  Let us encourage each other and lift each other up for in so doing, we see the face of God.

We want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.  We are thankful for you.

Bill is too.

Grace & Peace,

Kim

August 1, our first day being open, we saw 6 people.  We had more volunteers than people we were serving that day.

November 11, Veterans Day, a little over 100 days later, we had 30 people being served at the house.  It was pretty busy.

The day was wrapping up when Kim saw a car drive up and a man in a suit got out and was coming to the front door.  It was a “normie”.  A street word for a “normal person”.  Not a word we use but in any mission field you try to learn the language and this is one of the words used on the streets.

So in walks this man.  In a suit.  And wearing a U.S.S. Constellation cap.

It was Tim.  A man who had come to Prodigal’s Home about 2 months ago and whom we had not seen it a few weeks.  He came and took showers. He had his laundry done.  He made a few phone calls.  And he just hung out.  In a place of safety.  Of life.  Of hope.

He walked right up to Kim and I and said “I just came back to say Thank You”, ‘You’ll never know what it meant to be able to come and get a shower and do my laundry and just be treated with respect.”

We told him he was most welcome.  He’s living indoors and doing well.

We asked him about his U.S.S. Constellation ball cap.  Had he served in the U.S. Navy?

27 years, 2 months, 9 days was his response.

And he came in to thank us?

All we could do is say “Thank You” to Tim.  Thanks for his service and putting his life in harms way for us.  Giving a shower and doing his laundry seems the least we could do.

Driving home, traffic was “holiday light”, as it was in the morning.

My day started off thinking I was grateful for the light traffic.

It ended with me being grateful for TIm.

Thanks for supporting us and allowing us to serve those who have served us.

It’s been three months since the Prodigal House opened up. By God’s grace, and with the generous support of friends like you, we continue to serve more homeless and poor each day. Since we opened August 1, we have doubled the number of showers and loads of laundry we do each day.  The very first day we opened we had 6 people… this past Friday, we had 22.

And we keep seeing lives transformed. You remember Scott, addicted to crystal meth and heroin … lived on the streets for over a decade, except when he was in prison. Today he’s a faithful member of our Prodigal’s Home discipleship group. And we just got great news: he’s been hired as Maintenance Supervisor at the Crossroads for Men Midtown rehab facility. Now he’ll be helping others who are going through what he went through.

But even with all of this great ministry happening among the homeless, we know we’ve got to do more. We’ve got to keep people from spiraling down into addiction and poverty and homelessness.

Looking around this neighborhood, it’s clear that we’ve got to catch them when they’re young, and help them grow up strong and healthy, with an understanding of God’s love and God’s plan for their lives. So they can skip all the stuff that Scott went through, and go straight to a productive, rewarding life as an adult.

So we’re starting a youth ministry at the Prodigal House. The national average of fatherless families is 40%. Here in Sunnyslope it’s 70%. As we’ve talked to homeless people over the years, we hear this time and time again: my father was absent. I had no father. My father left.

We need to be “a father to the fatherless.”

Maybe you’ve heard the old saying about charity and justice. Charity pulls bodies from the river … justice goes upstream to find out why they’re floating down in the first place. We’re seeing too many bodies in the river to just keep doing what we’re doing.

Yes, we will continue to actively and assertively serve the homeless. Our mission is not, and will not, change. But starting November 18 we’re going upstream. By serving the youth of Sunnyslope.

We’ve put in a basketball court. We’ve lined up three youth leaders. We have serious plans on the table. But we need your help.

We just got word that Thrivent for Lutherans will match dollar-for-dollar all gifts up to $10,000 (for a total of $20,000). So I’m asking for $10,000.

Pretty bold, eh? Maybe so. But God has called us to follow Jesus on a bold, daring reckless adventure of bringing grace to the world.

What portion of $10,000 could you give today? $100, maybe? or $1,000? Maybe $50? Whatever you can give, the impact of your generosity will be doubled, up to the moment the goal is met. And even then, your gift will make a real impact on young lives in Sunnyslope.

Thanks for praying about it, and getting back to me right away.

Grace & Peace,
Mike

You already know that we serve the homeless and poor in Sunnyslope… but today marks a new day! We believe we are to serve youth in the area as well … those without fathers, those who struggle with gang violence, and those who want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

And one big way we’ll do this is with a basketball court … a near regulation size half-court has been poured in the FRONT YARD. Here’s the amazing story of HOW IT HAPPENED:

A friend of the ministry was at Prodigal’s House and I mentioned to her the idea of putting a basketball court in the front yard to reach out to at-risk youth. She asked what it would take; I figured we could get “close” with about $2,000.

She opened her checkbook and wrote me a check, on the spot, for $2,000.

But that’s just the start of the story…

Her son also wanted to help. He talked with his friend who works at Suntec Concrete, who spoke with his contact at Fort McDowell Materials (a concrete supplier). Some of “the boys” from Suntec Concrete decided to donate their free time to help us out.

And oh, by the way, Fort McDowell Materials volunteered to donate HALF the concrete and give us a 50% discount on the other half!

When a friend from First Christian Church visited the house, we were walking outside as I told him this amazing story. What about the rest of the landscaping needs at the house? he wants to know. I told him I’d know more of what we’ll need after the court was poured. He said not to worry, he would take care of the landscaping costs. Inspired by this whole story!

At this point I’m pretty jazzed and figure we’ll likely have everything done by the end of October. Well, that was not to be. Everyone else was on a much faster track.  On Saturday, September 17, just 8 days after this whole thing began, we had formed the area and had 80,000 pounds of aggregate base laid.

The Suntec Concrete leader said they were shooting for Saturday, September 24, for a concrete pour date, but it could be a month out as well … just kinda depended on things beyond anyone’s control.

Well, on Wednesday evening I was told the concrete was being poured at 8:30 the next morning.  I had just 15 hours’ notice that 120,000 pounds (30 cubic yards) would be poured in our front yard. If there was ANY DOUBT in my heart or mind that working with neighborhood teens was a God-inspired and God-led direction, I had just a few hours to stop everything.

So at 8:42 a.m. on Thursday, the pouring of concrete began. It’ll take a week to cure to the point where we can really use it hard.

I asked the Suntec Concrete foreman what this would have cost if we had just contracted it out. Without blinking he said $10,000.

So what was all this? People just helping out? The Holy Spirit working? I’ll not say. But I’ll tell you what the youth in the neighborhood will be saying the coming months….

It was a miracle.

So I would ask you to pray for us. For the youth in the area who are at great risk from fatherlessness, gang violence, and other issues. For the developing leadership of this part of the ministry, as we continue with our ongoing ministry to the homeless and poor.

God gave a vision … one person caught the vision and gave generously … which started a movement … that will not be stopped!

Thanks for being on the journey with us!
Grace & Peace,

Mike

He is currently in one of the most difficult times.  He has been given some medical news he wasn’t ready for, and this has sent him over the edge.

The edge…back to actively using meth, hoping for death to claim him.

And there is nothing any of us at Prodigal’s Home can do.  We can check in with him, let him know we are here if and when he would like to talk, but he doesn’t ask for help.  This makes us all feel helpless.

I have had the privilege of knowing some wonderful people who are/were active addicts and/or homeless.  I call some of these folks my good friends.  Never in my life did I ever think I would actually have friendships such as these.  I cherish each and every one.

So it comes as a serious blow to me, to us at Prodigal’s Home, to watch a good friend relapse, and relapse big.  It makes me question everything about what I believe regarding helping this particular population.

We’ve lost too many already to addiction, mental impairment, and homelessness.  I DON’T WANT TO BE A BYSTANDER YET AGAIN!

At a time like this, I guess the real question is, Will I persevere? In the face of discouragement, will I trust God to keep working? In a time of setback, will I keep loving unlovely people, and let God do whatever He wants to, not only through me but IN me?

And I guess this is the question Mike and I have to ask you too. Will you please persevere with us? Trust God to keep working with us? Keep loving unlovely people?

We are grateful that you are interested in tracking with us at Prodigal’s Home through the good, bad, and ugly.  Thank you for your prayers — and I fervently ask you to keep praying, especially for this gentleman I’ve written you about today. Thank you for giving, for making a difference along with us. AND WE ARE!  It may not appear to be so for this man at this moment, but we have made a difference — in his life, and in the lives of hundreds of others as well.  AND WE WILL ALL PERSEVERE…with the Lord’s help!

Grace and peace,

Kim

He sat there holding back the tears as he stared at the birth certificate I handed him.

When I first met him, he asked if I could help him acquire his birth certificate.  He said other agencies had tried in the past, but were never successful.

He was at his wit’s end.  He has his ID and his Social Security card, but he needed his birth certificate for a wide range of social services.

His need went beyond obtaining a birth certificate.

He wanted to share his story…

He hasn’t seen his mother since he was 12.

His mother and father separated, and his mother left without him.   The last words he remembers her saying were, “I’m marrying someone who is a racist, and I don’t think he will accept you.”

He has lived with those words in his head.  He grapples with the fact that his mother seemingly so casually walked out of his life.

He is 34 years old and missing his mother.  He wants to have a conversation with her, if only he could get a chance.

This one loose end in his life has held him back from accomplishing his dreams.

His dream is to get off the streets, go back to technical school, graduate, and get a job.

My prayer is for Prodigal’s Home to play an important role in encouraging and inspiring him to keep moving forward in this endeavor to better his position.   Prodigal’s Home always has been and continues to be Jesus’ hands, feet, and mouth to share His love with His people.  Chris, for once in his life, is experiencing God’s grace and love, a motivating force that surpasses all understanding.

Prodigal’s Home has been invited into his life to be a consistent presence and a sounding board for him, and I am grateful for your generosity, as it will make a difference in this man’s life.

Thank you for partnering with Prodigal’s Home to make a difference!

Grace and peace,

Kim

This is the single most important, and the shortest, message I’ve ever sent out.

This Monday, by God’s grace and with your prayerful help, we are opening the doors of our “home  for the homeless,” in the heart of the city.

To see how God worked this miracle, through friends like you, check out this amazing 4 minute video:

Prodigal’s Home Opening

We need your help more than ever.  Thank you for everything!

Grace & Peace,

Mike

His name is Japeth.

It took us weeks to get even that bit of information.

In fact, we still question whether it’s his real name.

He wears several layers of clothing and coats.  He looks like he hasn’t bathed in weeks, maybe months.  He wears a colorful serape around his neck—along with an old transistor radio.  Imagine a homeless person, and Japeth is the epitome of it.

“Can I show you something?”

This is the question he’s asking.

We’ve been trying to get to know him.  We want to love him, care for him, introduce him to God’s love.

He’s been on the streets for a long time.  He’s been isolated because of woundness and mental illness.

We know he is a lover of music…especially bands from the ‘70s.  He knows his Bible too.  His name—Japeth—is the name of one of Noah’s sons in Genesis…the name of a judge in Judges.  It’s clear he’s concerned with the “end times” as described in Revelation.

We know he gathers trash from around Sunnyslope and puts it in large, black trash bags, and keeps it in his cart.  He values everything he gathers…stuff that you or I would walk to the curb for weekly pickup.

“Can I show you something?”

So he rummages through his cart, lifts out a backpack, and pulls a plastic grocery bag out of a shirt.

He carefully unwraps the bag.

It’s full of broken pieces of glass he got from the site of a car accident he recently witnessed on Hatcher Rd.

He wanted to make sure no one would get hurt from the left-behind debris.

He told me how he goes around the ‘Slope and picks up items that might otherwise be used to harm people.

Listening to him, I began to imagine what this man has gone through during his lifetime.  Foster homes since he was a small child…several of them, starting in Sacramento and ending up in Phoenix.

His concern to protect others is clearly articulated.  This man has been used, abused, injured, and put into harm’s way…that is my guess…and he doesn’t want others to be harmed.

He is on a mission.  Maybe Prodigal’s Home will help him.  How?   For starters, we’ll supply him with some of the items he needs.

Starting with trash bags.

Slowly but surely, we’re earning this man’s trust.

My prayer is that eventually we will guide him toward health and wholeness…the depths of God’s life-changing love.

But for now, we bide our time, and we sit, and we listen, and we show interest, and we exercise that troublesome muscle called patience.

“Can I show you something?”

Thank you for trusting Prodigal’s Home.  Thank you for investing yourself through us in lives like his.

Grace and peace,

Kim

How do you feel on your worst day?

Meet Jennifer.

I’ve only seen her once.

But the memory of that Saturday morning left an indelible impression on me.

Jennifer was 28 years old and pregnant. She was strung out on meth. She quite vociferously refused any help we offered — except for a plate of food.

She became very angry when we persisted in trying to help her; she actually got up and walked away.

We haven’t seen her since.

She has no chance. Her baby has no chance. Or do they?

Having had the privilege to journey with many, many people in our “community of the streets” over the years … hearing their stories, seeing their lives unfold, watching God at work … Mike and I have found our perspectives shifting.

For many of our friends at Prodigal’s Home, every day is their “worst day.” They know what it’s like not to be recognized as being a part of the human race. To have people look past you, or away from you, whenever you’re around. As if you’re invisible. Or as if you’re too awful to look at.

I can honestly understand, after what I’ve seen, how someone can develop such an intense sense of hopelessness and failure. What is the point of living when there is no hope? This is where drug and alcohol abuse comes into the picture. It seems like the only way to dull the pain in the soul and in the mind … at least for a while.

But this isn’t the end of the story. Jesus came to bring hope to the lost, to “the least of these.” He came bearing the Good News of Love — not most of all for the rich, but most of all for those who were considered dead to society … the walking dead.

Easter is the time of resurrection from the dead.

We saw Smoky come back from the dead. We saw Owen come back from the dead. We have seen Scott, Cynthia, Cody, Gery Don, and many more come up from the “death” of the streets, into a new life in Christ.

By faith, I’m claiming Jennifer, too. Hoping, praying, that God will miraculously save her. Maybe even give us the chance to have a part in her personal resurrection.

This Easter, our invitation to you is that you continue to walk with us as we journey with the Prodigal’s Home community … to resurrect the walking dead to new life. Your prayers and generosity help us to “roll the stone away from the tomb” — so that new life may spring forth in abundance.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Peace be with you,
Kim