The Devil Tried to Break Me, But You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down - Miami, FL

Hey All!  Thank you so much for following our journey.  Today's post is a long one, but filled with some great information and some great stories.  So grab a cup of coffee and hang in to the end!

IT'S A SMALL WORLD

We arrived in Boynton Beach at Faith Farm Ministries on Kathy’s Birthday.  We were so amazed at the two bedroom home they had for us to stay in.  We each had our own bath, there was a kitchen and living room and cable TV.  Boy did we feel special!  Boynton Beach is close to Miami and other suburbs in which we have engagements.  Makes it easier if we don’t have to pack and unpack every day.   Our contact here was Emily.  What a delightful young lady.  She showed us around the farm on a golf cart, (yes, you need a golf cart to tour this facility.)  They have about 90 acres.  

While doing the tour, we discovered Emily is from a small town in Oklahoma so that made everyone in the golf cart from Oklahoma! But it didn’t end there.  I inquired as to where in Oklahoma she was from and she said, “Oh, a small town you’ve probably never heard of.”  Well….I had heard of it, it was Chickasha!  I was raised in Chickasha!  This was just the beginning of a wonderful association with this young lady.  More about Emily in our next story, she’s quite a testimony herself.

BASECAMP

Even though we were at Faith Farm Ministries, we used it as our base of operations to go to surrounding communities to serve as there was no opportunity, at this time, for us to volunteer in that ministry.  We got settled in and got prepared for our next assignment the next day at Pompano Beach. 

We went to Pompano Beach Broward Outreach which is overseen by Miami Rescue Mission but funded by Broward County.  The county is trying to help their homeless population but turned to Miami Rescue Mission for the day to day operations expertise they already had.  We met with Nina, Sr. Community Development Associate, who plugged us in and got us ready to serve.  She introduced us to her staff, a group of very nice ladies who are good at their job.  They don’t treat it as a “job” but as a calling.  They truly care about their clients.  They are currently preparing for a Christmas in July celebration which will happen on the 25^th. 

"NO ONE IS HOMELESS"

Their vision, prominently displayed throughout the facility and in their literature is, “No one is homeless.”  They have career education programs, a career center in addition to classes helping their clients prepare for getting their GED, obtaining employment and classes teaching them life skills and addiction recovery.

We served in the kitchen, spoke with some of the homeless and got to meet many caring people who volunteer there on a regular basis.  Before serving, Nina gave us a tour of the facility and showed us the places for the single men and women and the families they care for.  Their family center was well thought out and is a place for the entire family whether that be a single mother or a husband and wife.  They have a nice playground area for the children.

After serving there, Nina had set us up to go work with their sister facility in Hollywood the following Monday. 

On Sunday we had been invited to attend the Graduation Ceremonies at Faith Farm Ministries.  They had 9 men, ages 25+ through 65, a diversity of ages to be sure but these men were truly brothers in Christ.  They cared for one another, upheld one another, held each other accountable and were now celebrating being made whole again.  They each told their stories and there wasn’t a dry eye in the church.  Such moving testimonies of being lost and then of being saved by grace and knowing they have been saved.  Through the work/learn programs of Faith Farm they all now feel they are equipped to stay out of their addictive habits and lead fruitful lives again.  We felt fortunate to have been there at this time of celebration but, as we all know, this is not a coincidence, it was a Divine Appointment.

On Monday, we had two appointments.  Our first was to be at Jubilee Center of South Broward County Hollywood Florida in the morning and at Broward Outreach Center Hollywood in the afternoon.  We arrived at Jubilee Center and met with Michele, Director of Social Services, and a delightful man named Lucius who is the Logistics Volunteer.  Lucius has been a volunteer for over 17 years and loves every minute of it.  He showed us around and put us right to work. He is retired military and you can tell by the way he runs the volunteer operation.  It’s very well organized and runs smoothly and efficiently.  

By the way, Lucius knows where Muleshoe Texas is, do you?  Everyone knows their job and the sequence of events.  Quite an operation they have going.  Kathy and I filled over 200 “walk about” bags.  They consist of a drink, a protein, a vegetable, a fruit and a snack. 

That afternoon we went down the street to the Broward Outreach Center Hollywood to meet with Toni, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator.  We’d met her while at their outreach center in Pompano Beach but this is her usual office.  She took us on a tour of their property and told us all the wonderful things they do there, which was pretty typical of all their mission locations.  While touring the men’s part of the facility where the program students live, I noticed a sign and asked Toni to tell me about it.  As the men progress in the program, they get more privileges along with more responsibilities.   

While in the offices with Toni, we met Parnell.  Sammie asked Parnell what his job was at the missions and he said his job was “to make people laugh.”  What a hoot Parnell is.    He answers the phone, keeps people calm, and they just know he’s going to get them to the correct place.  But off the phone he is so funny and personable and just oozes kindness.  He had gone through the program there and is now on staff.  Parnell admitted he’d been in a lot of trouble when he was younger but had been given a chance here and is working to stay “out of trouble.”

We served in the kitchen that evening and got to talk with many of their clients.  I spoke with a lovely lady, Lucia, who volunteers with her two sons once a week for the last year.  They are teens and she wants them to know what it’s really like in the world and how you are only one bad decision away from being down like some of these people are. 

We bid all these new friends goodbye and drove back to Boynton Beach which was about 30 minutes away.  We decided the next day would be catch up, computer work and phone call day.  I’d been working on the revival project that we’ll be having in New York City around the 1^st of January to end this Project and begin Project 2014.  

"A HAPPY DANCE GONE WRONG"

I had already made some calls concerning this event and while working on our chores for that day, I got a phone call and it was one of the men I’d been working on the event with and he had some good news.  I jumped up in excitement (while remaining entirely professional on the phone) and was about to do my happy dance.  Because of chemo and being a diabetic at one time , I have neuropathy in my feet.  Since I’d been sitting, working for hours, I didn’t realize my feet were in the wrong position for this celebration and when I came down my foot was turned and we both heard a loud POP!  While wincing with pain, I calmly said to the person on the other end of the phone, “Great, this is good news.  Could you please give the details to my assistant?” and then handed Kathy the phone.  Kathy got the information and then helped me to the car to go to the emergency room. 

Luckily, a new hospital had been built at the edge of the property owned by Faith Farms so it was very close by.  We arrived and there were just a few cars in the parking lot and one by the emergency entrance.  As Kathy helped me to the door, a security guard met us on the sidewalk with a wheel chair and wheeled me back to the emergency department.

We got immediate attention because we were about the only ones there and the floor was fully staffed.  The Xray confirmed the foot was broken.  They put me in a temporary cast up to my knee and made me an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon for a few days later.  I was supposed to speak to the ladies at Faith Farm that evening but had to miss it due to this accident. The Devil only got one on me here. Because then the Ladies all starting praying for me , God Took it back. Yeah...

"CAN'T KEEP A GOOD WOMAN DOWN"

Next day I had two speaking engagements.  I didn’t really feel like going but I also knew they had cancelled other speakers to accommodate me on my time so I felt I really had to go. My foot was really hurting BUT GOD…  My first engagement was at the Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopalian Church in Miami. 

 Miami is about an hour away from where we were staying so we left a bit early because I had a friend in from Los Angeles who was working with a ministry that had set this up for me and I was to meet them for them to take us there. 

At the Church I met Rev. Clayton Hodge who is Senior Pastor there.  As I hobbled to the sanctuary he introduced us to the pastor in charge of the pre meal Chapel service for the homeless.  I was to take Rev. Hodges time in that service.  I spoke to the group, at first only a few but as I spoke the number grew.  I gave a condensed version of my testimony due to the time I was allotted.  It was well received.  After speaking, we ate lunch with the people I’d spoken to and all the personnel involved with the Chapel experience.  My friend, Boogie, from Los Angeles worked in the kitchen and food service line. 

My friend, Boogie, is in Miami working with Urban Resurrection/Interchange of Miami.  His mentor, Laurie is the one who arranged for me to speak that day.  She and I visited during lunch and she explained what her ministry does in the low income portions of Miami.  They live in the neighborhoods they serve and help their neighbors realize the potential for their neighborhood, help them achieve clean up and rebuilding and are advocates for them with the government entities they have to deal with in order to keep their neighborhoods clean and safe.  During our talk, we discovered we had mutual friends in The Woodlands, Texas!  As I’ve said before, it really is a small world.

You may remember Boogie from our stories of LosAngeles.  He’s a Christian Rapper and delivers “the spoken word.”  I’d asked him and Laurie to be my Praise and Worship team for this evening’s speaking engagement at Miami Rescue Mission.  He’s really growing in his work for the Lord and I’m proud to know him.

Boogie and Broken Society will be with me in New York City for the revival and closing party for Project 2013. More details on that coming soon. 

Stay in touch!  I appreciate your comments so much more than you know, so be sure to leave me a message at the bottom!

-Sammie

This is Not Our Home - Boise, ID

We left Portland in the morning and drove until late that night, on my birthday.  10 miles from the Idaho line, I got stopped and got a speeding ticket.  Even though I had the cruise control on and am very sure I was NOT speeding, I got a ticket anyway.  For an hour before this, Kathy and I were jamming to praise and worship music and having a great birthday party until . . . Happy Birthday to me, courtesy of Officer Friendly.  Oh well.

It was after midnight when we found a hotel in Boise.

The next day, we slept a little later than usual, but we worked on setting up appointments at locations down the road.  We did have an appointment at the Boise Rescue Mission for the next day.  We rested and worked on the computer some.  It was a perfect day so we decided to go downtown and check out where the homeless were.  Oddly enough – we couldn’t find them!  This town is SO CLEAN and so well laid out I couldn’t believe it.  It has a small town feel, very laid back, felt a bit like rural Texas. Everyone in this lovely state capital city was exceptionally kind. 

We went to eat lunch in downtown, and the manager came by our table and started talking to us.  His name was Denton.  He remarked, “You know, just like your Denton Texas.”  I was surprised he knew there was a Denton, Texas, as he’d been raised in New York.  We chatted a bit telling him about what we are doing.  I asked how he got to Boise.  He said he’d been in a lot of places in Oregon and spent some years in San Francisco but once he arrived in Boise, he didn’t leave.

He told us while we were downtown, we should go to the Idaho Ann Frank Human Rights Memorial Park which was just a few blocks away, in easy walking distance and right by the green belt that ran along the river.  So we decided to go there, (after all it was a park and there are usually homeless at a park).  

We walked down to this amazing spot.  It was a small park but packed with history.  It had a full, life-size bronze of Ann Frank and the walls surrounding the park had many quotes from her diary.  Very moving place.  There were quotes from many world leaders and other famous people through the years including Martin Luther King and Eleanor Roosevelt.  Idaho school children had raised the money for this park.  It is really something to see.

One of my favorite quotes on the wall was “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  This quote was by Margaret Mead.  When I read that it took me back to what 5252 Ministries Project 2013 is all about (as I’m hoping that what we are doing out here will rally citizens to do what they can for the homeless in their own back yard.)  

I believe homelessness can end with the help of private citizens.  I know we’re always going to have some homeless, but I’m seeing more need for shelters for men, women and children all across America but we CAN make a difference one person at a time.

Next morning we went to the Boise Rescue Mission where Kathy and I served in the cafeteria.  We helped feed 125 homeless.  They said it was a slow day.  After lunch Linette, the volunteer coordinator, took us for a tour of the men’s facility where we had served.  

The place was extremely clean.  They house around 160 men at that facility.

 

The third floor is for the service veterans.  It’s called the VMP (Veterans Ministry Program).  They opened the doors for this about 2 years ago in partnership with the Boise Veterans Affairs  (VA.)  In the last two years, they’ve housed over 60 chronically homeless veterans that have transitioned from the program into independent living.

I could go on and on about this mission, but I want to share a story of a sweet homeless woman I met there.

Susan is from Louisiana and you can tell she can take care of herself.  She has been so fortunate to have the opportunity to succeed in her life.  Susan was married and living in Alabama due to her husband’s job.  He was an alcoholic and was involved in a fatal accident killing the lady in the other car.  He almost died but recovered and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.  He’s still serving that time with 15 years left.  

She went from place to place, just her and her daughter, barely making it.  She’d been living with friends that had done things she didn’t want to be around, so for survival, she sent her daughter to live in a safe place with a friend so she could go to school.  It was a sigh of relief knowing her daughter was taken care of and safe. 

She continued to try to find a job and a safe place for her to stay.  People told her to go to the mission.  She kept saying “no” but finally there came a point where she had no where else to turn and had to go to the mission.  

At first they would only give her a bed for one night, but she heard if she volunteered in the kitchen she could stay again so she did just that.  She volunteered every day while she was looking for work.  She was such a good worker they wanted to hire her, so they helped her find a place to live and hired her for the open position.  She’s worked hard and has moved up to where now she is the Manager of both the Men’s and Women’s Shelter kitchens.

When Susan got to the mission she noted,  

“Everyone around me was a Christian.  They showed me love, they inspired me, they lifted me up.  I started going to church and women’s groups and finally I realized what I’d been missing all my life.”

It’s the realization that we are missing something in our life that leads us all to Jesus.  And at the end of the day, we are all homeless here because this earth isn’t our home.

-Sammie

2 Drug Addicts and a Hospitality House - Portland, OR

When we arrived in Portland, we went straight to Union Gospel Mission.  When we drove up, there were homeless everywhere, on the sidewalks, leaning on the walls, standing on the curbs.  It was dinner time so they were lining up and there were lots of them.  

So, I got out and started packing snacks for later and bags of toiletries. 

I ran across a guy by the name of Steven.  He was a 48 year old man living on the streets off and on for 22 years.  He now is trying to help people get off the streets by telling them different places to go. He and a couple of his friends are living in a semi truck trailer not too far from the mission.

Steven is an alcoholic and a drug addict.  

He really knows the ropes out on the road, and seems to have made it his personal mission to help the kids out on the street not end up like he has.  That week, he helped the 5th kid get off the streets (5 kids in 15 years).  He believes he will always be on the streets because he’s supposed to help the kids.

Even in his addiction, his is doing his best to help others.

We went on to the Portland Rescue Mission.  This place was different from the Gospel Rescue Mission.  This one was in the less desirable area of downtown.  People were sleeping on the streets right in front and down the street and on the bridge close by.  It was by a place called Old Town which is sort of a farmers market area with some nice shops.  There were lots of people lined up there too. 

We handed out many toiletries  and snacks there and prayed for lots of people.  It was really sad (which for me to say, after all I have seen, is saying something).

We met a man named Mike there. Born in South Dakota, Mike has been a drug addict since he was 13 years old, and he is now 45.  He is a Christian (has been one for 16 years) but just can’t seem to get clean and stay that way.  

He’s in the program and has been for 4 months, but he says he’s serious this time and is praying every day for a different life. We're praying with you, Mike.

The next day we went to Blanchet House of Hospitality which started in 1938 at the University of Portland when a group of students organized a social and service club.  We had stopped by the evening before because we found out from the last mission that they served the homeless, breakfast, lunch and  dinner 6 days a week.  They also offer transitional housing  for struggling men.

They currently have room for 27 men that live there. We went in and the manager let us talk to some of the guests.  We spoke to a lot of the homeless, and I prayed with some of them.  They serve 700 to 900 meals per day. They just opened this new section this year.  It’s very clean and open and bright with sunlight.  It’s a great place, great food, great volunteer system, and a great web site.  They’ve been doing this for over 50 years and “it’s a tradition of excellence and service run by volunteers” said the manager.

This one’s a short one (but considering how long my last post was, I figured you needed a break!)

Thanks for traveling with me, supporting me, and praying for me.

-Sammie

A Valuable Lesson on Homelessness - Seattle, WA

Seattle with a tour guide, rocks.  Just sayin’.  :)

Kathy, Richard (the tour guide I mentioned from Everett) and I went off on our own to Seattle many times. I remembered from being there before that the homeless often hung out in a little park across from Seattle’s Pike Market, so that’s where we headed. 

I had purchased a new back pack in San Francisco, so we packed it up with snacks, water and Bibles and took off up the hill to the park.   We saw many homeless, so I started talking to them and praying with a couple.  (So funny how medical marijuana is openly smoked everywhere!  I guess everyone has a medical problem . . . ha ha ha!)

I always pray over places before I go to them and ask for protection from God because I don’t ever know what kind of darkness I’m walking into.  Got to say it was dark and I left there shortly….with a buzz.  Just kidding.  We did leave though when we weren’t received anymore.  Glad we had Richard along.  Kinda cool when God knows when to send someone with you.

We then went to Seattle Gospel Rescue Mission.  We’d been trying to get ahold of them for over two weeks.  Seems it’s like that a lot of the time.  You send out inquiries, call, leave messages and wait.  When you finally get a real voice on the phone they say they never got your emails or calls.  This is one of those.  So…I always just pray to God to open the doors for the ones He wants us to be in, and when He opens, boy is it awesome!

You know me, I’m still going to try, so when we got there I went in to see if there was anything we could do for them.  It was pretty rough there I will say, but my friend Richard stood back, kept his eyes on me to be sure I was OK.  When he made sure I was OK, he’d run back to the car to be sure Kathy was OK even though she was locked in, then he’d run back to where I was.  My friend, Richard, said to me “You’re one brave woman!  You’re surrounded by God’s angels.”

I spoke to several people. They had chapel that night but there was no time to arrange for me to speak.  We also needed to get Richard back to Everett Rescue Mission before 8.  I spoke to some guys on the street outside the mission too and then we left.

We got a call from a homeless guy we had met in Los Angeles.  He was in Seattle hoping to work with a friend, but it didn’t work out so he called me.  I picked him up and took him to the Everett Rescue Mission where he worked with us on the line at dinner that night.  He told us about a woman named Carey he knew from the internet, and arranged for us to all meet as she had a good story.

Carey is a single mom, living in her van with her 9 year old daughter.  She is an activist for the homeless and needy on the streets.  She lost her job, her apartment, and had some pretty significant health issues, all which took her to the street.  

Carey is well-educated and even writes for the Huffington Post about homelessness in her area. She writes about the barriers to social services for people having hard times and are almost homeless, which eventually leads to their homelessness. She also has an incredible blog that she uses to make people aware of the needs of homeless.

She has seen, first hand, the impact of a bad economy.  Not everyone on the streets is mentally ill or has an addiction.  Some got there through health issues, losing jobs, etc.  She said there are just not enough shelters to handle the needs of Americans on street.  There are just too many gaps in services available.

Since her time on the streets, Carey has come to know the homeless populations, lots of vets and disabled people on streets, every day seeing people that have lost their homes and are living in their cars.

Carey has become a counselor of sorts for the homeless on the streets, showing them how to get qualified for help.  She gets the homeless to help other homeless.  They keep each other safe.

She teaches them how to stand up against harassment and how to be their own advocate.  She reaches out to local leaders in the community sharing problems and opening their eyes to how they can help people in need.

She told me this is the advice she gives other homeless people:

“Be a good listener.  Use your time to help others that will keep you from going into your own depression.  Don’t rely on anything but yourself.  Everything takes time on the streets so don’t wait until the last minute to seek help ."

I learned a lot from Carey.  

• Did you know that many homeless and working poor suffer from malnutrition even if they go to food banks? (Because they are getting starch, sugar and salt.)  They don’t all give out healthy food.  She works with neighborhoods to grow vegetables for the needy.  “Fresh produce for the needy.”

• Many people that are homeless have jobs but don’t make enough to get out of their homelessness.  They are the working poor.  It keeps them going around in the same cycle because they can’t get ahead.

• You don’t always qualify for social services even if you are homeless.

• Quality of Life Ordinances are targeted against homeless people so they like to keep a low profile.  A lot of homeless camp together for safety issues and to help each other out.  It becomes a community.

• The homeless youth cannot get any help because they are underage and can’t sign themselves up for any benefits.  They are treated totally different from adult homeless.  No food from the food bank until you’re 18.  Older ones get food and bring it back to the younger ones.  They share. 

Carey's parting words for you are this:

 “Don’t judge. You don’t know the situation or how somebody got there.  It’s easy to blame the poor for being poor, but if you’re not there with them 24/7 and really know how they got there and the help they really need, then you don't know their story.  Don't assume you do.  A lot of people don’t have coping skills and make bad decisions.  This doesn’t mean they are bad people, they have just made some bad choices.”

Good words, Carey.

-Sammie