Pastorgraph: "The Homeless Hero"
“I
wish I had met you about two years ago”, Tom the Marine said to us
Thursday afternoon at Miramar. “Why is that?” we asked. “Because two
years ago, I was living out of my car and could have really used The
Fount to locate some things I desperately needed back then.”
I was speechless. Standing before me was a handsome young man in his
military attire. I could not begin to visualize him as homeless. Tom is
now a Marine aviation engineer who works on America’s military jets,
making sure we are prepared to defend our nation and freedoms.
Nearby
over the course of the afternoon, at least two dozen of those jets Tom
works on took off, often flying in precision formation. Those pilots
depend on Tom’s training and skills to keep our air fleet in tip-top
operating condition. Again, not so long ago, Tom the aviation engineer
was homeless: sleeping in his car.
I am well aware that many of the homeless in America are veterans. But
this was the first time I saw things working the opposite way.
We all have stereotypes of homeless people. As a matter of fact, the
word “homeless” is itself a stereotype. We see them as dirty, lazy,
with no ambition, addicts, mentally ill, or criminals. Women make up
23% of all homeless people, children are another 8%. Let me say that
again: 8% of homeless are CHILDREN! Only 17.8% are chronically
homeless. (Stats per the latest HUD report to Congress, 2013.) The
vast majority are people just like you and me who are recovering from
life altering events such as a lost job, family breakup, emergency or
health crisis that took away their livelihood. There but by the grace
of God, go you or me.
We were at Marine Corp Air Station Miramar for the annual
“Relationship, Parenting & Marriage Expo”. Hundreds of Marines and
Sailors and their families passed our booth. We were there to share
with them Christ Ministry Center’s “Fount of Blessings” project
(MyFOUNT.com) to which Tom was referring. It is a website we have been
working on for two years making available a way to find information
about the abundant “Streams of Mercy” (food, clothing, shelter,
counseling, and two dozen other services) being offered by churches,
charities, social services and government agencies. Anyone can use
MyFOUNT.com free of charge! It’s like Google in that anyone can search
for hundreds of services being offered right in their own city or
neighborhood.
This week, we reach a major milestone: The Fount will go nationwide.
By that, we will have at least one Fount of Blessings (charitable
organization) in all 50 states. Every day, we discover and add new
organizations offering a wealth of ministries and services, most of
which are free of charge. And many of these are “Four Star” charities
listed with Charity Navigator, Guide Star (who rate non-profits and
charities by their performance), and the Better Business Bureau.
Based in San Diego, we conducted our MyFOUNT.com pilot project and
proof of concept here. Our second metro area of focus is Chicago where
we have some “Fount evangelists” who are helping bring The Fount to
The Windy City.
We are looking for “Fount evangelists” and volunteers in every state
and city in America. If you are interested, please contact me at (888)
282-6367 or reply to this E-Vangel. I would love to talk with you
about bringing MyFOUNT.com to your area.
There is perhaps no better way for churches, charities and social
agencies to become more efficient and effective in meeting the needs
of the homeless, hungry, hurting and hopeless than through The Fount.
It truly is a revolutionary new way for us all to collaborate in
meeting needs, especially as governments cut social programs. Who
knows? Maybe the person living out of their car today might just be
the person who saves your way of life once they get back on their
feet.
Unto the least of these,
For Christ’s Sake, Bill Jenkins
From The Quote Garden
“Sometimes
it's easy to walk by because we know we can't change someone's whole
life in a single afternoon. But what we fail to realize it that simple
kindness can go a long way toward encouraging someone who is stuck in a
desolate place.”
~ Mike Yankoski
~ Mike Yankoski
Photo credit: Fotolia.com, royalty paid
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