The past two or so weeks I have been up to a lot. I arrived in Redmond, Oregon back on the 5th of July. I immediately went the next day to visit my teammate Ben who was in the hospital due to a broken leg (mentioned him in my last blog) and just reconnected and was able to share some words of encouragement with him. The first couple of days I was in Bend were to connect with the new teams, as they had changed up the teams for the first time in a few days after I had arrived. We all got the chance to share our hearts and what had brought us to signing up for the race for a second time around. It was interesting to see why people had chosen to do the race again, because it really is a big commitment from the fundraising to the different ministries to even the fact that we are not always even certain where we will stay every night and might have to camp in our tents some nights. After the first couple days and making final decisions on teams and saying goodbye to Ben, who was flying back to North Carolina in order to heal back up. My team was headed to Canby Oregon to start our first ministry as a new team! We spent the first full day there helping out around the house wherever possible and doing worship in the morning. The next day we went over to a ladies house who had recently had a debilitating accident which had kept her from being able to properly care for her big backyard. We were able to go over her house and clear out the overgrown blackberry bushes over the span of two different days and by the time we had finished on the second day, we had a HUGE pile of weeds and thorn bushes all piled up and ready to be hauled away. Apparently when she came out and saw all that we had done for her and read the card we left her (she wasn’t home when we left) she broke down in tears and was super thankful for all of the help we had given her. It was truly a blessing to be able to serve her and bless her home. On another night we went out and did homeless ministry which consisted of going out in downtown Portland and talking to people while handing out sandwiches and waters as an incentive for them to be willing to talk to us. We talked to one lady who said she had gotten out an abusive relationship and ever since then had been out on the streets while experiencing all of the negative things you could imagine from being raped to stolen from. She also shared her heart in how she used to sell drugs in order to get by but had felt convicted about it and stopped, now mainly surviving from peoples generosity. Another guy we talked told us how he had walked over hundreds of miles to get to Portland since nobody would pick up a homeless guy and give him a ride. He told us how he had been involved with the Salvation Army there and was getting his life back on track. He expressed his doubts about wether or not he had actually accepted salvation and it was really cool for us to explain it to him and have him restate the sinners prayer in front of us! We also were able to get him a Bible, pray over him and leave him with some words of encouragement for the future. The most touching moment of the night was when a guy came up asking if we wanted to party/get wasted with him. My teammate Dosson took him aside as we were still talking to the other guy I just mentioned. He was able to encourage him and the guy told him he was thinking about committing suicide that night and after talking to him had changed his mind on that saying he had never had a stranger pour out so much love to him. He said he would at the least live for the night and use it to watch over all the other homeless people around him while they slept to make sure they were safe. This was so encouraging and if you want to hear the whole story Dosson made a little blog about it that him and I shared on facebook. Another one of the days, Zach and I helped our host with renovations on his roof since they were in the process of laying down new roofing. Soon after we were heading out of Canby, Oregon and were headed to our new destination Everrett, Washington. We were only here about 4 days but were able to attend the local church and do homeless ministry on another day. Its so interesting to hear the stories of the people that live on the streets and what has lead them to their condition. One guy shared how he had given up a 17 year marriage in order to pursue his addiction and had been battling with it on the streets for the past 14 years. It was great to pray over him and encourage him and share how I also had come over addictions and that it’s possible through God’s strength. Thats a look inside what our team has been doing the past two weeks. I will be sure to update you on how things go as we travel to Yellowstone next. I still need some funding so if you feel lead to give that would be a blessing! Stay safe, until next time, over and out.
