I just came from ministering at the men's homeless shelter in uptown Charlotte. As soon as we pulled in, men were standing outside in groups and lined up on the bench, soaking in the nice weather. Some guys were inside playing cards and making most of their time. As we unloaded our equipment, several men volunteered their assistance and we gladly accepted. I met one man named Emmanuel who insisted that he carry the equalizer I was holding. So, I let him. As we walked inside together, he asked me why I(we) was there. It must have looked strange to have 8 women walking into a men's homeless shelter with electronics. I told him we were there to tell them the "Good News" through song, and he agreed to come join us. I noticed that Emmanuel had a cane, and I thought this was unusual for such a young guy. Anyway, it didn't take long for me to see that Emmanuel had a servant's heart, and I made sure I told him that. As we entered the room I asked, "Emmanuel, doesn't that mean "God is with us"? He answered yes, but with hesistation. Then he explained his whole life he got flack for having that name because he didn't always walk with God and he always felt like he fell short when he didn't live up to or display that in his life. I told him that "we are all sinners and we all fall short of God's glory", but that God's Word says that He will never leave us nor forsake us" and that as believers, He lives inside of us and goes with us all the time." I also sensed from our conversation that his father was not a very loving or maybe an absentee dad, and I assured him that the Lord, our God, gave his father the idea to name him Emmanuel and that God knows his name. He, like many of us, wants to do go and be good, but keeps falling back into the traps of this world. He said, "I like what you have been saying to me, and I told him I liked what he had been saying to me too (and I meant it). He is an anointed man of God, and I will be praying for Him. I also told him that God has a plan and purpose for His life and that this wasn't it. You see, the Lord's Word says He wants to prosper us and to give us a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11). I am keeping my brother Emmanuel in prayer and will continue to do so. I pray that the Words that the Lord gave me will be planted in his heart. Next, my friend and co-laborer Trish and I took a walk outside and gave a personal invitation to anyone who was around to come take a listen to our message. I even teased one of the guys who tried to tease us by saying "as long as it doesn't interrupt my dominos game". So, I said, "well, your dominoes are always going to be there, but we won't. Come on!" So, he said, "I was just kidding, and I said, "so was I!"....and he ended up coming. I was so glad!! :)We started our program, and the room was packed. Some guys stood up in the back, some passed through and some walked back and forth by the open back door, listening, but not coming in. In the middle of our program, one of the girls did some tricks with rope demonstrating sin and how Jesus' blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness and how if we confess our sin and have godly sorrow, the Lord is quick to forgive. Then, another group member, shared her testimony of deliverance from an alcohol addiction and abusive marriage being restored by the Lord. It was powerful! Then, we passed out some lyric sheets, and had the guys sing some of our favorite hymns with us. It was such a sweet smelling aroma to our Lord. As our program came to a close, it was my turn to sing the "O Happy Day" solo with the girls backing me up. I love that song and use every opportunity I can to minister with it. It's funny even though the words repeat, I really medidate on what I am saying and really believe it with all my heart and soul. I was thinking about the day I recommited my life to Christ and the joy that filled my soul (and still does!) and what a happy day it was and when I sing "Let us rejoice and praise His holy name"....I am not just singing words here....I really and truly mean it. Anyway, that is such a fun song, and it was so nice to see these guys off of there feet praising the Lord. One African American man named Tyrone came up to me after our ministry time, and said, "you have got to have at least one African American in your family line girl, 'cause you got soul". I laughed and told him, too bad I didn't believe in reincarnation, 'cause if I did, I would bet money that I was a sister in a former life". He laughed. Then we talked and he shared how the Lord delivered him from a drug addiction and how he has been battling staying clean, but the Lord has been speaking to him a lot lately and he is ready to make a real commitment to the Lord. I confirmed with him that the Lord had great plans for his life and it was very evident that the work of the enemy was to destroy his mind and body so he couldn't carry it out. He shared how the Lord called his name and woke him up with a warning as a fire began to break out in his house from a lit candle that had toppled over. He knows the Lord spared his life for a reason and that there is a greater purpose. This isn't just it. I saw excitement and hope in his eyes, and I was truly blessed. He said maybe the Lord will have it that our paths will cross again. I said, yes, and I will be saying, look at what the Lord has done in Tyrone, big things...amazing things.....wow, and he knew that was true, and was going to make sure of it. That blessed me too! Another man, a vet of the Vietnam war, came up to me and wanted to share some poetry that he had written. As I read it, I saw a real gift from the Lord. A lot of his writing was of his experiences, and I thought if he hadn't been going through something, just like any of us do, he wouldn't have this beautiful material to write. How this is going to bless others and glorify God! One of his poems was about nature, and it described how he saw God's creation in such beautiful detail. I really felt that it brought so much joy to the Lord, and encouraged him to keep writing and reciting and it would fall into the right hands and/or ears eventually and the Lord was going to do great things with his gift. I explained to him about the paralyzing fear I had singing in public (why doesn't anyone believe that?) and how the Lord showed me that the only reason I feared is because I made it about me, and it wasn't meant for me. It was meant to glorify Him and bless His people. Doh! All of the men were so helpful, respectful, and willing to serve as well as an encouragement and blessing to us all. A young man named Derek just became a new creation in Christ and one of the girls gave him her husband's information so he could shepard him in his new walk. We all hugged him and welcomed him to the family of God. As we were leaving, I remembered I had a little brochure on salvation, etc. in my wallet. I jumped out of the car and came running to him, calling his name. He was probably like, what now!? I handed it to him and told him that I wanted him to have that...I really pray it helps him. I also told him to stay grounded in God's Word and to daily commune with God, because the voice of the accuser will come trying to sow seeds of doubt and discouragement, but to remember that the joy of the Lord is his strength and that we have the victory because of the blood of Jesus; so, "no weapon formed against us shall prosper". The ladies I minister with are such a blessing, but I have to admit, these homeless men were even more of a blessing. God doesn't see us in dominations, social status, etc., he sees the heart of man. We need to see the heart of man too, and today I really liked what I saw, and can honestly say, I love these guys and can't wait to have the opportunity to go back and fellowship with them again.Krissy

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