Wow, our posts have nearly crawled to a halt. Please forgive me. We continue to move steadily towards launch. Some minor timing and scheduling issues have caused us to push our official launch date back to September 18, 2011. We are far from feeling ready but are moving ahead in faith and optimism. Connections Church has been recognized as an official church plant by the General Counsel of the Assemblies of God and the West Florida District and both have blessed us with the funds we desperately needed. As of September 1 we have double our paid staff from 1 to 2.
Through outreach Connections continues to minister to people experiencing homelessness by visiting the jail, hospital, shelters, and day centers. Since May, Through our partnership with The Shelter, we have restored identification for 60 people. We have also met prescription, transportation, food, and clothing needs. The Mighty Ones continue to meet Sunday nights to encourage people in their relationship with God and teach discipline through accountability. Old relationships are being nurtured and new one cultivated.
Nearly a year ago, during a visit to the jail, I met William. William was a fifty-year-old biker adorned with tattoos and walking with a severe limp. William was a hard and cynical man cast by many years on the road, failed relationships, and too many run-ins with the law. He was in jail for battery and it appeared he would be remaining in jail for many more months. I encouraged him as much as I could and asked him to notify me as soon as he received a release date.
Many months past and I forgot about William. In April I received a special request From Donna, a classification officer at the jail, to meet an inmate who recently had his leg amputated after a severe infection. It was William. The man I met was not the hard cynical William I had met previously, this man broken and scared. His release date was still months away but we began mapping out a transition plan. I met with William regularly over the following weeks and months to encourage and make plans around major obstacles.
On Wednesday morning William was released. I was there to meet him and we exchanged his jailhouse wheelchair with a loaner from Ability 1st. William was release without identification, food, or housing so we set out to overcome those barriers. God went before us in all these areas and we met little resistance along the way. By 11:30 William had received a new Florida ID, Social Security Card, and had an appointment to talk to someone about receiving disability. We were blessed at the Access Florida office by a woman under the tremendous strain of coping with a higher demand for food stamp assistance and reduced staff. The interview line was three hours long (a quiet day) and there was no hope in getting through by phone, but she was moved to process Williams simple application as we stood at the counter.
William was overwhelmed. It is safe to say he had never experienced the power of God's unconditional love in such a tangible way. I had the honor of watering the seed which God planted in Williams once hard heart, now slightly soften by the loss of his leg and the outpouring of God's mercy and grace.
William's shaky housing plans quickly fell apart when a jailhouse buddy he was counting on turned us away. William could not face the prospect of navigating the shelters in a wheelchair so Connections paid for two nights at a local motel to give him and opportunity to consider his next steps. After supplementing the groceries we received from Catholic Charities and purchasing some hygiene items I left him for the evening, feeling very much like the Good Samaritan.
Friday, I pulled up to the motel at 11:00 to find William sitting in his wheelchair entertaining a woman in his doorway while sipping a beer. Apparently, William was going to test God's unconditional love as he flexed his hardened cynical old self. My resolve was also tested as I moved into the room to find a grocery bag full of beer cans and bottles. As we drove away from the motel I did my best ignore Williams taunt, "I guess you were being so nice to me because you thought I was a stand up guy."
For the next half hour I prayed continually as William wrestled with the man he was purposed to be and the man he had been for many years. I choose not to react and continue to serve as the storm within William began to calm. He spoke of resisting temptations and being encouraged on Thursday by a friend of mine who lived on the streets most his life and yet now has stable housing and a relationship with God. I witnessed God continue to minister to William through others throughout the morning including a kind receptionist at Hanger Prosthetic, a Vietnam Vet who knew motorcycles, a severely disabled woman in a wheelchair, and a woman a parking lot. Through each encounter William tested the legs of the man he was meant to be.
William, once set against staying at the Haven of Rest, chose to stay there until we can find a more permanent solution. I called on a few favors and was able to get him a bed for the month. He will face many more temptation in the coming weeks and his old self is not done trying to exert itself. I will continue make myself available to God so he may love William through these trials. Please pray for me and William.
Through outreach Connections continues to minister to people experiencing homelessness by visiting the jail, hospital, shelters, and day centers. Since May, Through our partnership with The Shelter, we have restored identification for 60 people. We have also met prescription, transportation, food, and clothing needs. The Mighty Ones continue to meet Sunday nights to encourage people in their relationship with God and teach discipline through accountability. Old relationships are being nurtured and new one cultivated.
Nearly a year ago, during a visit to the jail, I met William. William was a fifty-year-old biker adorned with tattoos and walking with a severe limp. William was a hard and cynical man cast by many years on the road, failed relationships, and too many run-ins with the law. He was in jail for battery and it appeared he would be remaining in jail for many more months. I encouraged him as much as I could and asked him to notify me as soon as he received a release date.
Many months past and I forgot about William. In April I received a special request From Donna, a classification officer at the jail, to meet an inmate who recently had his leg amputated after a severe infection. It was William. The man I met was not the hard cynical William I had met previously, this man broken and scared. His release date was still months away but we began mapping out a transition plan. I met with William regularly over the following weeks and months to encourage and make plans around major obstacles.
On Wednesday morning William was released. I was there to meet him and we exchanged his jailhouse wheelchair with a loaner from Ability 1st. William was release without identification, food, or housing so we set out to overcome those barriers. God went before us in all these areas and we met little resistance along the way. By 11:30 William had received a new Florida ID, Social Security Card, and had an appointment to talk to someone about receiving disability. We were blessed at the Access Florida office by a woman under the tremendous strain of coping with a higher demand for food stamp assistance and reduced staff. The interview line was three hours long (a quiet day) and there was no hope in getting through by phone, but she was moved to process Williams simple application as we stood at the counter.
William was overwhelmed. It is safe to say he had never experienced the power of God's unconditional love in such a tangible way. I had the honor of watering the seed which God planted in Williams once hard heart, now slightly soften by the loss of his leg and the outpouring of God's mercy and grace.
William's shaky housing plans quickly fell apart when a jailhouse buddy he was counting on turned us away. William could not face the prospect of navigating the shelters in a wheelchair so Connections paid for two nights at a local motel to give him and opportunity to consider his next steps. After supplementing the groceries we received from Catholic Charities and purchasing some hygiene items I left him for the evening, feeling very much like the Good Samaritan.
Friday, I pulled up to the motel at 11:00 to find William sitting in his wheelchair entertaining a woman in his doorway while sipping a beer. Apparently, William was going to test God's unconditional love as he flexed his hardened cynical old self. My resolve was also tested as I moved into the room to find a grocery bag full of beer cans and bottles. As we drove away from the motel I did my best ignore Williams taunt, "I guess you were being so nice to me because you thought I was a stand up guy."
For the next half hour I prayed continually as William wrestled with the man he was purposed to be and the man he had been for many years. I choose not to react and continue to serve as the storm within William began to calm. He spoke of resisting temptations and being encouraged on Thursday by a friend of mine who lived on the streets most his life and yet now has stable housing and a relationship with God. I witnessed God continue to minister to William through others throughout the morning including a kind receptionist at Hanger Prosthetic, a Vietnam Vet who knew motorcycles, a severely disabled woman in a wheelchair, and a woman a parking lot. Through each encounter William tested the legs of the man he was meant to be.
William, once set against staying at the Haven of Rest, chose to stay there until we can find a more permanent solution. I called on a few favors and was able to get him a bed for the month. He will face many more temptation in the coming weeks and his old self is not done trying to exert itself. I will continue make myself available to God so he may love William through these trials. Please pray for me and William.
