I had a phenominal time in Champaign with Kirby and the church here. It was so great to meet everyone and be able to hang out with my church family out in the Midwest. And, of course, to be reunited to my friend and sister in Christ, Kirby!!
A definite highlight was being able to meet Cathy. Kirby and two of the brothers from the church here and I were in the University of Illinois student union at 10:30pm (ironing shirts...funny story). At the other side of the room we noticed this woman who was middle aged, by herself, just sitting on the couch, not reading or talking or sleeping, but just sitting. It got our attention so we went over to talk to her, see if everything was alright, and invite her to church. It was funny, the first thing she said to us when we asked her if she was alright was, "Yes, you can sit with me if you'd like, I'm very religious." Kirby and I laughed and I wondered if she overheard us saying we should go talk to her, but we sat down and she told us about her life. After leaving a relationship 6 years ago, she's been in and out of homelessness ever since. She was heart broken that her old paster at her church left after being her biggest support for years. We listened to her, asked her if she wanted to join us the next morning for church, and prayed with her.
The next morning, Kirby and I went to pick her up, and I was so happy to see her smiling face right inside the union where we said we'd pick her up!! She loved church and was singing and dancing and laughing and talking and crying and everything. It was such an encouragement! Kirby talked to the head of benevolence in Champagna and they put Cathy up in a hotel for the week, and she said she wanted to come back to church. Amen. This is what I live for!
A definite highlight was being able to meet Cathy. Kirby and two of the brothers from the church here and I were in the University of Illinois student union at 10:30pm (ironing shirts...funny story). At the other side of the room we noticed this woman who was middle aged, by herself, just sitting on the couch, not reading or talking or sleeping, but just sitting. It got our attention so we went over to talk to her, see if everything was alright, and invite her to church. It was funny, the first thing she said to us when we asked her if she was alright was, "Yes, you can sit with me if you'd like, I'm very religious." Kirby and I laughed and I wondered if she overheard us saying we should go talk to her, but we sat down and she told us about her life. After leaving a relationship 6 years ago, she's been in and out of homelessness ever since. She was heart broken that her old paster at her church left after being her biggest support for years. We listened to her, asked her if she wanted to join us the next morning for church, and prayed with her.
The next morning, Kirby and I went to pick her up, and I was so happy to see her smiling face right inside the union where we said we'd pick her up!! She loved church and was singing and dancing and laughing and talking and crying and everything. It was such an encouragement! Kirby talked to the head of benevolence in Champagna and they put Cathy up in a hotel for the week, and she said she wanted to come back to church. Amen. This is what I live for!
James 1:27
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Wow, so encouraging!
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