Thank you my friend

It seems like forever since the last update, but rest assured, we have all been hard at work; the next post will give you a full update. This post is going to be long, but please bear with me, it is a story that must be told.

A Brighter Day Ministries lost a dear friend on August 15th. Jeff Holland was a precious friend of mine and the man God used to break my heart for those on the streets. I met Jeff in September of 2018. He was always on the park bench near where I worked. I must admit, although he could act scary, I never was really afraid, just cautious. He never asked for anything, but was always there, a tiny wisp of a man. As the years progressed, we became friends, and (because he couldn't hear) I would write conversations in notebooks so we could interact. January of 2020 Jeff was assaulted and ambulanced to the ER. Later that night they released him with instructions to call several doctors and make appointments to take care of his severe hernia and broken nose. Only problem was, Jeff had no phone, nor transportation. That night, whoever gave him a ride, without checking, said he couldn't go to Crossroads (they had been closed for a couple of weeks due to Covid, but had reopened) and dropped him back off on the streets where he was assaulted.

When I saw him the following week to bring him a meal, I was heartbroken. How could anyone do this to another human being? Much less a senior citizen? Jeff was 71, almost entirely deaf, had a medical condition that could have been life-threatening, no social security and got around $90/month in food stamps. I tried to get him help through local agencies, but promises were made and not kept. I got angry, not physically, but that anger that wells up inside of you when you have to struggle to find help for a victim of violence. Violence is so common among the homeless that they don't get attention. Granted, much of my frustration was because I didn't know where to go and the agencies I talked to didn't refer us to anyone else. I cried out to God asking Him why there was no help and I realized as I was pointing a finger at the government, that it was never theirs to do. It was ours - the Body of Christ. Time to move and stop looking for someone else to do it.

I put Jeff up in a hotel, then a park model for a month, while a friend and I spent many hours in prayer and helping him transition. We went looking for a rig that was affordable that I could purchase for him to live in. There was one place that kept coming up in my mind, so we went and looked. I fessed up to the salesman that I was looking to purchase it for a homeless man that had been assaulted. There was one rig that just felt like "the one", but it was way more than I could afford. It was already marked down, but I asked if they could go any lower. The salesman said he couldn't, but they'd replace the slide-out awnings, go over everything carefully and he would personally throw in a TV. I told him I'd get back with him as soon as possible, but I'd been given a number to spend while I was in prayer and that I had to pray about it. When I got home, I had a call from the salesman. He gave me another price that was exactly what God had laid on my heart - thousands less than the original price. I started to cry. He told me that the owner knew the man I was helping. They had seen Jeff all the time when they were in town, and in fact, had missed him. They had asked others in the area if they knew where he was and the only thing they could find out was that he had been assaulted and taken by ambulance. He described the homeless man to me and said they'd been praying that he was okay and safe. I responded, "He's okay, and he's safe". They not only sold us the RV at a great price but made sure it had everything he would need and set it up for us. The only condition was that we never tell anyone who they are. They said, "This is a God thing, and we know it." At last, Jeff had a home. Months later, Jeff and I found the owner so Jeff could personally thank them. They could not believe the transformation in him. Praise God!

Within the next year Jeff had his birth certificate and ID replaced, got on social security, received the mental and medical help he needed, had major surgery, received hearing aids through the Miracle Ear Foundation (thank you Jennifer McCumbee) and got eyeglasses. Although he couldn't drive, he took a road trip a year ago with a friend to Missouri and loved every minute of it. After finally getting a home, he celebrated 2 birthdays with friends and last year was the first Christmas he had celebrated in decades. Jeff loved animals (especially birds and cows), Kung Pao Tofu (which he'd offer to me knowing good and well I wouldn't take him up on it), he was very frugal and loved being in "the country" at Cocopah. Jeff also was a brilliant man with a PHD in psychology. What happened that left him on the streets? I will never know this side of Heaven, but I know God used him to teach me and give me a heart for others. A heart that would start a ministry designed to follow God's leading, meet people where they are and love them with the Love of Christ. The question lingers within me.... how many more "Jeffs" are out there? People who aren't asking for a handout, who just ran out of hope and don't know where to turn. As I shared the news of his passing at the ministry, two precious men, both looking for homes, assured me that Jeff was the first, but won't be the last. God bless you all, thanks for listening to our story.

God has given us a mission - "Jesus answered, "The foremost is 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31