Hello from New York City,
where we are both healthy. We wanted to give you an update on how things are in the city. You may have heard that NYC is in a state of anarchy. That is in no way accurate. We continue to reach out to the homeless community on the streets of this city, just as we have in the past, and there is no evidence of anarchy.
We have both settled into a routine in New York. Naomi partners with NYSUM five days a week, and bakes cookies and muffins for the homeless. When she joins me on outreach, everyone is happy to see her. They are happy for the fresh bakes to go along with the coffee we buy them. We have been purchasing a lot of coffee at 7-Eleven for the homeless. When the manager found out why we were buying so much coffee he gave me 200 coupons for free food and drinks to pass out to our homeless friends. God Provides! Naomi has also been sewing, some for enjoyment but also making baby blankets and face coverings. We just celebrated twenty-nine years of marriage and on the night of our anniversary Naomi was passing out cookies to our homeless friends.
I continue to help NYSUM with some building renovations, but most of my time is spent out on the streets with the forgotten. As I continue to build relationships, there are currently names of 122 people on my morning prayer list that struggle with homelessness or addiction. With the cooler nights, I have been distributing blankets, hoodies, jackets, gloves, and hats. I am continuing to research water solutions for our friends in Kenya, and I have just finished reading Banker to the Poor, an amazing book that outlines solutions to poverty in our world through micro-lending.
In the book Dirty God, Johnnie Moore says, “In a world of 1 billion Christians, there should never be a moment on the planet when hurting people feel orphaned by God”. Unfortunately this is not the case. I met Ron about a year ago. He was homeless and hurting. He told me about some of his pain and expressed it with clenched fists, threatening words, and outbreaks of anger. I remember returning from an outreach and telling Naomi that I met the most bitter and angry person ever.
I continued to reach out to Ron. I took him to Starbucks. One very cold night I gave him my gloves. He still behaved in the same way. I frequently ask the people I meet, “Tell God I said ‘Hi.’” This is to encourage them to have a conversation with God. As time went on, I was beginning to see that Ron was having some talks with God. Ron was part of my daily prayers and one day when we crossed paths I told him I had prayed for him that morning. He did not make a habit of asking me for money, but that time he asked if I had three dollars. Between my left pocket and my right pocket, I had exactly $3.00 and I gave it to him. It was like a light came on. “You prayed for me this morning and I asked for $3 and you have not $2 or $5 but exactly $3.” I assured him that God knew exactly what he needed and he added, “ and what I don’t need.”
God was working in Ron’s life. One day on the sidewalk, I was telling him that Jesus was the answer. A woman passed by stopped and came back. She heard what I said and told of how she had been homeless, digging in trash cans and doing things she never thought she would do and Jesus had changed her life. I began to see a drastic change in Ron, now I was seeing him smile and say thank you when I would bring him food. One Saturday morning I brought him breakfast and coffee and he said, “I love you man.” I am not sure if he had uttered those words before, but I was shocked.
One of the last times I saw him I gave him a jar of peanut butter, jelly, a loaf of bread, and a quart of milk. I also gave him a mat to sleep on. He was sitting on a concrete barrier with his “buffet” and while walking away I heard him say, “God is Good.” I saw him one more time and could not find him again. Then one day I got the word on the street: someone got in a fight with Ron, shoved him down the subway steps, and Ron’s time on this earth ended right there. The story is that the fight was over $5.00. I don’t know if that is true, but what I do know is that I need to be constantly filled with love, joy, and peace as I reach out to the hurting people of this world.
The needs in this city are great, as are the many needs around the world. We were praying about returning to Kenya this fall, but it seems as though we are going to need to wait until early next year. We will continue our efforts here in NYC and we ask for your continued prayers.
God Bless,
Paul and Naomi
Read more newsletters about our work caring for the homeless in NYC here.
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