How God Put The Homeless in My Backyard

I had to share this story and it was too cool and too many words to make it a FB post.
Last week I stepped out of my FB comfort zone of posting cute and funny things about my kids and confessed my sinful pride & judgmental thoughts against homeless people. I did it hoping that my brothers and sisters would help me foster a more loving attitude and they did! There were personal stories, helpful tips, people who felt the same way I did, good stories, bad stories, information from professionals in the field as well as Gods servants who have gone before me and loved on the homeless.
One of the problems I had was that I figured that all homeless people are druggies looking for a handout to buy more drugs and how would I be helping them? But I was encouraged to hear that it is better in the Lords name to be gracious when asked than be stingy and that was what rang true with me the most! What a simple answer, "be prepared to give & let God take care of the rest".
I read the book Under the Overpass as recommended, and the only one my library had, and was inspired by the author to simply treat the homeless as people and not to look the other way or ignore them when you walk by. Making eye contact and saying hello matters even if you don't feed or clothe them. I was surprised to find that he sums the book up by saying he wouldn't just hand a homeless person $ because it might not help their problems, but to offer them a meal or something they need right then and also offer them hope.

So taking this new information I have I was ready to be open to opportunity...

This morning I got up early and went to pick up my 40# of chicken from Zaycon (use "Katie Zuerner" as your referral code please :o)
Then stopped by Once Upon a Child to inquire about selling them some baby items. I normally give to Goodwill and write it off but I wondered if this would be more profitable for ME. They offered me $10 for a few items and I figured a quick ten bucks would be nice so we made a deal. I never have cash on me and it burns a serious hole in my pocket. Especially money that my husband doesn't know about, I can blow that on a couple of Chai Lattes no questions asked (not that he really cares)!
I came home and there was a knock on my door. Two guys that I had seen out walking in our neighborhood were on my doorstep. They introduced themselves as recovered drug addicts now living at and working for a ministry downtown called Cincinnati Rescue Church. They were in my neighborhood trying to raise awareness and $ for the ministry. That's great! I said ALL the right things like "God bless you" and "Amen" and asked politely about the whereabouts of their church/recovery program and such and then they said "would you like to donate?" I said... are you ready for this? "Not right now thanks!' and shut the door... wait...give it a minute ...I'm a little slow...

There it is!! DUH! Drug addicts & a 9 month live in drug rehab in the name of JESUS! I don't have to give them $$ once they have hit the bottom and are homeless. I could help them out before they get to that point! Or maybe they are to that point and are ready for change and have walked their homeless butts to the mission! Who Cares? That $10 in my wallet was singing the hallelujah chorus from inside my purse on the counter!
I grabbed it and ran to the sidewalk looking up and down the street for the guys. The were nowhere to be seen. Darn! Missed opportunity! I checked the mail so if any neighbors were looking out their windows they wouldn't think I was crazy because what people think matters :o/ and walked back into the house dejected.
I went to the kitchen to make some lunch and I spotted out my back door the men walking up the driveway that goes to the house behind mine! God Put Two of His servants in MY BACKYARD!!!
I about died! I ran out the back door and handed them the $10 and told them how it came to me and that it was all I had for now and with a very sincere "God Bless" and a heartfelt "no thank you" for the tootsie-roll pop they offered me in exchange (for the love of the amount of candy in this house!)

So there you have it. God is bigger than my excuse of "they are all druggies" and "I am a woman not wanting to danger my children by interacting with the homeless"

Time

Its been a year? It doesn't feel like its been a year since I last posted... time is a funny thing. I have decided to just rest in the fact that time was part of His creation. He designed the length of the day and the span of the year. He chose how quickly we would age and how forgetful are our brains :o)
Lately with two now in school I look back and I can't remember all that I thought I would be able to. Its fuzzy, the memories are there but SO many things happened in those long days that I thought would never end and yet here I am years later not being able to remember what exactly I tried to seer in my memory. I also laugh when I think of how young they seriously still are. I mean my oldest is only Seven for heavens sake!
But the epic days and the long nights are all just a blur, things that I do remember is the feeling of a sleeping baby on my chest and the frustration of one who won't nap when its all you as the mother want to do. I remember looking at their tiny little faces talking like they are so old and yet they are so tiny and I still get to do that because they are still so tiny and I love to remember that. I love to treat them like they are tiny people and love on them because I am their mother and that is what I always get to do even when they are 30 because I will be 60 so they will still be babies then :o)
I remember reading to them the same book so often they memorize it and hearing their first words, I remember their funny sayings at the dinner table when Joe and I smile at each other over their heads or stifle a laugh into our napkins. I may not remember the exact funny words but I remember the feeling of looking at him thinking how much fun it is to be at the table. I also remember saying "sit down, eat your dinner, no singing, why are you crying, please eat your dinner, take smaller bites or for the love of JESUS take bigger bites we are going to be here for years!" :o)
I remember talking with them about God and sharing with them that He loves them. In the car last week Brady told Carly she didn't love Jesus because she was a liar. He had asked her if she was smarter that God and her 3 year old reply was "yes" so He told her he Knew she didn't love Jesus because she was lying. She told him She did love Jesus and she wasn't lying she just didn't know that God was smarter :o) I told them that Jesus does not like it when we lie but one lie doesn't make us a heathen, there is grace and God loves to give it to sinners ;o)

I am sad that I haven't kept up with the storytelling on here, however I do have photo albums and I don't have many of those from my blogging years so I guess there is a season for everything.