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Hello son,

How are you & T doing today?

Mom

 in response to ekikaseven...   Thank you. He always has, still does, and will continue to do in the days ahead, just the same as He will you.
Have a great day
love C & T

 in response to susie's son...   God bless you too Son.

 in response to ekikaseven...   I agree. Looking at God's creation is like looking at God. His fingerprints are all over it.
I am happy to hear you are feeling better today, because I know God is answering our prayers. I cannot wait to hear about your miracle. Remember we are made perfect through our struggles, and that's when our faith reaches it's greatest strength. God has something wonderful in store for you and His timing will be perfect.
I hope you have a great night too, and wake to a painless day filled with blessings.
God Bless you Mom

 in response to susie's son...   Son,

I am so glad that you had a relaxed day & also that T is feeling better.
I doing okay today.
Every day I get to look at G-d's green earth is a wonderful experience & a blessing.

Have a great night,
Mom

 in response to char6...   I think that whatever is inside eventually comes out, good or bad, and the fruits of the Spirit shine through you.

 in response to susie's son...   You are so right about how Jesus see's need with love. Its hard with our human nature to naturally do that but with prayer and dedication we can..I never thought about Jesus as without a home but that makes sense with all his travels he wouldnt always look the part of a King..
I want others to view me based on whats inside instead of the outward and know thats what majority of people want as well.
I appreciate your prayers and hope that all is going well with you and Tori!
God Bless
Char

 in response to sandy24...   Thanks Lee

 in response to char6...   I think the best prayer that we should all say and try to follow is to see others through the eyes of Jesus. He does not see anything but the need, and with love He responds.
He also was without a home during His ministry. I am sure He went days without clean clothes, and the dust from the dirty roads probably caused some to look at Him in judgement. There may have been times that He went without a bath, and had to rely on the kindness of others to met His needs.
People followed Jesus because of His love & compassion, not for the way He looked, dressed, or smelled. Thankfully He looks at our hearts and not our appearance.
God will lead you in the right direction. Keep praying, and I will continue to be in prayer for you too.
thanks for the update
GOD BLESS

 in response to susie's son...   Good am CHris and thank you for your support in these unchartered waters Im in. I think some of the best advice you gave me is to do nothing if Im not sure and I try to apply that to many area's of my life. I wanted to share with you, yesterday the shelter I wanted to call was closed or at least not answering the phone..so I prayed about who God would send for me to help. Maybe it wont be in the form of who I think so I know I need to keep my mind and heart open because sometimes we have an image of who we want to help and not really know it until the opposite turns up and its not what we had in mind..so midway through my day, I see a guy selling something walk up my walkway and Im irriated because I cant not answer the door because he see's me through the window..he knocks and then rings the bell and im irriated..I talk to him through the window and find he is selling kirby's..NOT interested I tell him. I know Im a little rude but his image put me off..a black kid dressed poorly, trying to talk me into something I didnt want and couldnt afford. Coming from a black background myself and being in a group home as as kid, I didnt have nice clothes either and I felt really convicted making these judgements about this kid who later told me he is putting himself through city college and taking German because no one would expect a kid who looked like him to speak it...that played through my mind almost simutaneously as I felt God was speaking to me that if Im going to help people, I have to put the judgements aside..they are not going to be physically or socially what I may expect but thats not what I should be worried about if I want to offer them help and for it to be genuine I have to look past the physical because the homeless will be diry, smell, have nothing new to wear and no dental or medical..so how should I expect them to look? LIke me? certainly not..so I changed my attitude in the middle of our conversation but I remembered what you said about being smart and safe..just because I established a rapport with him didnt mean I was going to let him come in to clean my tile with no one home. In fact, I made it seem like my husband was around the house and not at work..the kid said he made 50 dollars even if we didnt buy anything and he really needed the money for school. He talked about only having a Mother who believed in him and told me her name was Charlotte..that was interesting to me also since thats my full name..but I ended up telling him to come back after 6 and we can ask my husband for sure..he was so happy when his manager came by and he told him they could come back after 6, we were his only appt that day. I had actually just prayed about who to help and he showed up, but because I had my own idea of what I was expecting, perhaps to help some struggling mom buy groceries or buy a meal for someone, I almost lost sight of the fact that Im not in charge of it, but I have to still be willing to serve and listen..Im also glad your advice about being careful was ringing in my head to remind me to be safe as well..I really feel the whole experience was an eye opener to the direction I am going to go in and to prepare me to change my eyes and see people the way God does or else I wont be of any help to them...
So pls continue to keep me in your prayers and Ill keep ya updated
Love in Christ
char

 in response to char6...   You are welcome. I will to remind you of something that I know you already are aware of.
Whenever you do not know what to do, then do nothing until you are prayed through and the Lord leads.
God bless & have a good evening.

 in response to susie's son...   your advice is right, I know its not safe and God knew I needed to hear that. A tiny part of me was thinking What if I just go do it and then tell him about it, because I dont want him to try to stop me and Im glad I didnt listen to that voice, but instead hearing from you this valuabe info on how to stay safe. One thing my dad has repeatedly told me is that its great to serve but I need to continue putting my own family's needs first and God doesnt want me helping others at the cost of neglecting my own..I tend to overdo when I do something..OCD...and have to learn to make provisions for my household before I tackle other committments..so Im glad we talked about this and Ill continue to bounce idea's off you since you have alot of knowledge in this area..i appreaciate it and Im going to start slow, make some calls tmw and start with information then go from there.
Thank you for all the things I didnt think about and bringing them up to me :)
Char

 in response to char6...   Well a soup kitchen will require a food manager, and volunteers with food permits. You also need to have the Health department approve it. If you are able to pull it all together your area food bank can help. You also have to find out about the zoning area and probably get it approved through your city council and city manager. The same conditions will probably apply to a shelter. It is sometimes difficult to get residents to agree to having a shelter or a soup kitchen in their area, and I think the easiest way to accomplish it is to have it at a church. A church will also be considered non-profit which will help with cost.
You do need to be careful when going out on the streets. Not all homeless people have bad intentions, but being desperate can cause people to do things that they would not normally do, but that's includes all people just not the homeless.
I think you are headed in the right direction by talking with shelters, discussing it with your husband, and of course allowing the Lord to lead.
I will continue to pray for you and your ministry.
God Bless

 in response to susie's son...   I was working on a plan and still thinking and figuring it out and of course praying about it before I present it to my husband. After reading your post, I have alot more to consider and I cant believe I was ready to go into the streets unprotected..Im not sure he would have let me go without him, but as you mentioned the girls/women I wanted to reach may be afraid of men and i didnt want them to be afraid by bringing my husband.
Thank you for mentioning about dressing down because I have found out the hard way when I went into inner city housing to teach that I am a target and didnt realize it until my car was surrounded by not so nice people and by the grace of God, they let me go..but I drew unnecessary attention and thats a good thing to remember NOT to do by blending in and not dressing up..
you mentioned starting a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen, do you have any idea of the first steps to get that started? Or should I talk to a homeless shelter that is currently open and get advice from them on how to start?
all the info you are giving me is priceless, I cant tell you how grateful I am because I was only thinking about helping them and not how I need to be smart..Im a little apprehensive about telling my husband I know he will think its a danger and not want me to go, but Im sure he will come with me so as long as I can help then thats fine...My thoughts for this week were to pass out food in the daytime and get a feel for things in the area..I wont be in the area I live in because it really doesnt have a shelter, it has a huge house that allows families evicted to stay for free until they save for deposits but they must be working to stay there so its a little different that the shelters..but there are several in the next town and thats where I think Ill concentrate on...thank you for your advice and pls continue to keep me in prayer, I dont want to do something on my own with out serious thought and direction from God and I definitely dont want to do something unsafe..I also value your friendship and so glad you brought this all to my attention.
Char

 in response to char6...   OK, it seems that you have a plan. Since I value your friendship and am concerned about your safety I want to offer you a few pointers.
Do not for any reason attempt to go out and try to minister to the homeless alone, especially at night. This is a risk and even more so since you are a woman. Night time ministry is best done by men and should be done in groups of 3. If you feel the need to reach out to a young lady, do it during the day. There are some ladies that will not respond to men because they have been hurt by them, but you do need to have someone with you in reaching out to women also.
Another good idea is to dress for the part. I don't mean dress down, but it's best not to wear expensive clothes and don't carry a purse.
Do not offer money, rides in your car, or tell anyone where you live. Offer them the what they need, food, clothing, and blankets. You could hand out a tract to them, and invite them to your church, but don't push God onto them. Showing love is the first step, plant the seed and allow God to lead and do the rest.
I don't know the area where you are located, but here on any given night you can drive through the streets and see those who are hurting. Some towns do not have shelters and these hurting people are left to seek a place to sleep and be on guard for their safety when night time comes.
Remember that some of these people are desperate, and you have to keep that in mind when you open your heart to them. Do not tell them how to live, or counsel them on what they did wrong. Ministry is not to freedom to correct because we have not walked in their shoes or share their pain. Ministry is sharing love and empathy wherever it's needed.
I suggest you start at a homeless shelter, or a soup kitchen. This will keep you safe, and allow God to show you who to reach out to. You will get to know the regulars that go there and that makes reaching out to then a lot easier.
I have done street ministry, but I would not allow my wife to do it, and I am only offering these suggestions to you in regards to your safety.
So begin with prayer, allow God to lead, and stay safe. One of the greatest blessings we can receive is when we give of ourselves without expecting anything in return, because that's when God blesses us the most. You may reach out to many but only affect a few, but reaching out in love is the example Christ left for us.
I will keep you in my prayers, and look forward to seeing the direction your ministry takes.
Take care & God Bless

 in response to susie's son...   hi Chris
Thank you for so many valuable things I need to consider. You are right when you say most states offer some kind of help as Im finding that out but they are under funded so how many they can help depends..after thinking about this I feel led to reach out more to the kids with absolutely no resources..the ones in homeless shelters who have no chance at college or family and possible run aways...Our church is so large everthing thing they do is on a corporate level and I think thats great but I like to help on a more personal level.
I think for now Im going to do this on my own because I dont want to be responsible for other adults and their behavior or actions towards those that have already been tramatized..just dont want to take any chances..I appreciate your suggestions and will keep you updated on any progress in this area...thank you for your prayers Im looking forward to this new ministry
God Bless and hope you and Tori are well
Char

 in response to char6...   Hi Char,
I think each state may be different, but I do think that they all offer some type of help.
I think the first step to take is to contact your local CPS office. In Texas CPS sets up a program for these kids before they leave the system. It's called Transitional Planning or Circles of Support.which serves them until they are 21. They are also offered the PAL program, (Preparation for Adult Living). Foster kids can also stay in care in a program called Extended Care, if they go to college.
So maybe the first step is to reach out to them through the state, and through your local homeless shelters. I do work with the homeless, and our church has a special group that ministers to teen agers and young adults. Lack of need is never a problem, the problem is finding people that will dedicate themselves. The worse thing that a young person needs just starting out is people who do not follow through. These kids have already had their fair share of problems, and do not need additional pain from those they think they can trust.
Background checks and fingerprinting may not be required if you are doing something on an individual level, but I think it's always a good idea when you are dealing with people. Of course it does not assure that an incident will not take place, and I think it really needs to be done on all individuals if you are setting up a support group for these kids. The last thing these kids need is to victimized.
You probably do not have to be a foster parent to be able to help, since these kids are considered adults. I would hope that if they are already in a foster home that those foster parents are assisting in the transition, but I do know that is not always the case.
There are a lot of run aways out there that nobody cares about, or looks for. There are also the kids that have been abandoned by their family because they don/t meet their expectations. These are the kids that my heart goes out to. There may be help available, but they have no support system, and will seek negative ways to survive.
Good luck in this ministry. I will be praying that the Lord leads you in the right direction and puts others in your path that can assist you.
Whenever we allow God to lead through our hearts we will be blessed and hopefully many needs will be met.
God Bless

 in response to susie's son...   Hello Chris,
Today was a pretty good day, I saw lots of students and enjoyed the rain..I hope that you had a good day as well and hope you got better weather this week...when you have time pls let me know if you have any idea's about how i can best reach foster kids who are aging out. I know you have some knowledge about these kids and do you know if I have to become a foster parent first to be able to have contact with them? Im thinking I probably do for reasons of safety to the kids such as fingerprinting/background but Im not for certain..any thoughts on this pls let me know
God Bless
Char

 in response to char6...   I hope you have a good day too.
Thanks for the prayer
God Bless

good morning my friend hope you had a good night and a blessed day. prayed for you both this am and hoping that your health will improve and you grow stronger. Headed to work, I will catch up with you later God Bless char