Sleep-In for the Homeless

The “Sleep-In for the Homeless” is a public awareness fundraising event that benefits over 1,500 local homeless children, seniors, adults and families served through Community Human Services (CHS)homeless programs and housing services. The Sleep-In, an overnight event, features speakers, song-writers, local politicians, and homeless advocates. The goal is to invite participants to become more actively involved in helping the homeless. Many activities are planned for the event, including poverty simulations, street-rounds reaching out to the people living on the streets, and music and letter writing campaigns.

The “Sleep-In” will be held overnight in the portico and first floor lobby of the Pittsburgh's City-County building in on October 9, a Friday evening.

haha I miss NY

grow, grow, you're not through yet;
you may be half dead, but you're half alive,
so let's survive.

Homeless Ministry

Homeless Ministry will be different this year. Good different. Meeting new people means we're reaching out to people we haven't reached out to before. I'm going to miss seeing our friends Downtown but I think I'll see them again.

God, please watch over them and please lead us to those who could really use some love. And I pray that they (and I) will be satisfied in you alone. "Loose the bonds of wickedness... break every yoke."

"Resistance is futile"

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9

It's so amazing seeing God's plan for me unravel and to finally see why God did what He did. He knows better than me and He knows what's best for me. I'm a FOOL to resist... Resistance is indeed futile.

Praying for Cambodia

Grace Faith Church's Vision Team Presentation

"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble." - Psalm 41:1

Long Term Vision
purchased land = future location for mother church
- regulation sized soccer field
current church hosts 100-120 teens during the summer

"H**": raised by a neglecting, abusive mother
- young 20's: main caretaker for siblings while mom went to the casino
- many Cambodians are smaller because of lack of nutrients
- future leader for Poipet, Cambodia

Other churches in area: difficult to get to (2-3 hours away)
- only one paved road in Poipet
- very deep, muddy "roads"
- most reliable transportation: bicycle

Necessary for Cambodians to be resourceful
- homes built on stilts
- basins to catch rainwater

Soueth would travel to different churches
- bring gospel TO people, since it is difficult for people to GO

Simple worship (recorder, voices)

Most families have 7-8 kids

Only a creek separating Thailand and Cambodia
- mainly used for smuggling things/people
"Pa**" and the Miracle Tree
Pa**: small petite woman, "spiritual giant"
- widow with 7-8 kids to care for: prayed for God's provision
- God provided a tree that has a market for its own leaves: leaves could be sold for profit
- tree only grew in Pali's land, could not be reproduced elsewhere
Prayer Request: woman whose husband has 1-2 weeks to live b/c of liver cancer
- abusive husband, but she still loved him
- Domestic violence very common in Poipet

Kids were always joyful

Cambodia
96% Buddhist
Poipet-border growing out of refugee camps (150,000 inhabitants)
50% population under 21 - with limited knowledge/lack of education
few affordable language schools

Poipet: Mercy Ministries Foundation (MMF)
- preschool, hope center, orphanage
- many parents abandon kids (esp. girls)
- Soueth makes weekly trips to orphanage
- provides jobs, jobs are scare in Poipet
- ESL: $0.05/day (still unaffordable for some), Education Without Borders (EWB)

Q: Government's Role? mainly indifferent, care more about money coming in

"La*****" - run away girl (age 14) come from abusive family, picked up by Soueth from abusive uncle

Q: Ministry for Women? knitting classes, nothing much for women who have been abused

Article: "Helping the Poor and Reaching the Lost" - Augustine

Feeding Program
- fed children on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays only
- 20 children, all look really young (malnourished)
- cost: $20/month ($10/meal, $0.50/child)
- Church volunteers cook meals, often don't eat

Article: "Our Responsibility to Help the Poor" - Randy Alcom

"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." - Deuteronomy 15:10-11

"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." - Proverbs 21:13

longer days

Hot Metal now has a second service- 9:30AM! I really enjoyed going alone (out of the CMU crowd). It forces me to meet new people. If I hadn't gone to the early service, I also wouldn't have met David. I really hope he makes it to Hot Metal on Sunday.

God, he asked for a clean slate in Pittsburgh; please show him -

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." - Romans 6:4

I've also really missed going to Bryant Park after work over the summer just to read and I guess, "people watch," And I got to do that today (plus NAP and talked to a fellow "people-watcher")! Not at Bryant Park, but in a small grassy area between CMU and Pitt. It reminded me a lot like Bryant Park actually. The size and shape (proportionally about the same), random events with music, the kids running around.

In this day and age We got a false Jesus being portrayed

Her lyrics always give me the chills. What a gift God has blessed her with.

PRAY continually

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Hasta Luego, Mt. Washington

"Built to Die" - Pastor Derrick Weston, Presbyterian Church of Mt. Washington
As Christians, we are called to Die.
Die to the noise around us, so that we can only hear God's voice.
Die to the people who are like us and put aside our differences because Jesus is bigger than that.
Die to our right to be right, so that we can forgive others the way God forgave us.
Die for the sake of the poor and the oppressed, so that the voiceless will have a voice.
Die to our own comfort.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - Matthew 16:24

God, help me die to my own desires and be willing to go wherever you call me to go.

My Utmost for His Highest (ctrl+c)

What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— ". . . who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross . . ." ( Hebrews 12:2 ). "I delight to do Your will, O my God . . ." ( Psalm 40:8 ). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, ". . . the cares of this world, . . . choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful" ( Mark 4:19 ). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.

Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" ( John 7:38 ). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His "living water." Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live "your life . . . hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3 ). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.