Good Friday was Good!

On Good Friday evening I went to the bus as usual to do bible study with the kids. This week we colored eggs and told the Easter story. It was a blessing to spend time with the kids telling them about Jesus who loved them so much.

But the story I want to tell is about a friend of mine named Cece (pictured above). I met her about a year and a half ago when she had just gotten out of the nursing home after recovering from getting run over by a semi-truck. Her leg was pretty messed up. When she found out that I had treats for the kids each week she would yell in a groggily (if that's a word) voice, "Hey, honey, you got any chocolate?" And since I couldn't lie or tell her no I would bring her some reluctantly. Didn't she realize this candy was for the kids? What nerve! But week after week of hearing that "hey honey" I began to expect it and was ready to give her some chocolate. At some point God began to show me an alcoholic woman whom he loved and who was very lonely. She comes each week to the bus and sits on one of the chairs, next to her man- Marvin (that's another post another time). They stay the whole evening and all the volunteers know them and look forward to them each week. On good Friday evening for the first time that I know of, she expressed a desire to get clean from drugs and went to a rehab. She didn't stay long and she is still drinking (not sure if she really does use drugs) but it is exciting to see in her a desire to change. She continues to talk about doing something and she welcomes our prayers each week. I can see God loving her and beginning a good work in her. Pray that she continues to seek Him and begins to understand what He has done for her on the cross. Also, pray that we can find the right connection (more than just Friday night) for her to develop a new relationship with Christ.

A visit to Giant's Stadium by Austin

Part of the mission that God has laid out for me here, is to be able to help people find work. A perfect opportunity came up last fall when a dear friend from Indiana, Lee Ayers, came to put padding up in the practice facility at the new Giants/Jets stadium. I was able to refer a friend to him and it worked out beautifully. They finished the job and Lee and my other friend were both glad that it worked out.

Fast forward to this past week when Lee came up to put padding on the walls at field level in the new stadium. Lee really needed help this time and we got our same friend who is still struggling to find a permanent stream of employment. My friend is a person similar to myself in that he has spent time in jail/addicted/and overall a complete mess at different times in his life. Now he is doing okay, but really struggling to make sense of a God that in his words, “keeps letting me down”. Whether God actually is letting him down or not, the perception is the same in his mind.

For this week he was able to work with Lee and keep his head up as he was assisting in putting pads in the new stadium. He was in good spirits when I went to pick him up on Saturday night. Lee came out and let me see the job that he had just done at the newest NFL stadium. I was amazed!! The last piece of Astroturf had just been laid and I walked onto the field, (I pretended w/o any movements that I was in a game) it was awesome! I took out my camera to snap a couple of pics…I turned it on and a message comes across the screen…the battery is exhausted. Well, so much for proving that I was on the field before the players were, but I will have the memories.

On the way home with my friend I was thrilled that he got to experience and work inside of the new stadium, but even more excited that he can turn the T.V. on in the fall and on any given Sunday he will be able to see his work in the new stadium. As we talked we were able to get into conversations of things that he is dealing with and I was able to offer any insight that I have gained through the years. One of the things that my friend is going through right now is anger management classes. Keep praying for him as he is struggling with being the best Christian he can be. He feels lonely a lot of times and struggles with the death of his brother from 5 months ago, who died in an apparent overdose.