Standing on Holy Ground and a Link Up

Over this past month we have been talking about the importance of  leaving a legacy of service to our children. Today we have the privilege of reading the testimony of Kristin from Ponderings. In today’s post she will be sharing her story of working with the homeless, and what a difference serving others in Jesus name really means. 

 
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Fredrick Buchner

 
I would have never thought it four years ago. . .before the birth of the Blanket Ministry. But now I look out over the bridge,

especially underneath the bridge, where dirty mattresses lay,

crushed cans, cigarette butts laying on the four foot slab of concrete, the only place to sit and lay. . .the graffiti on the walls, faded colors from the years. . .yes,
even here. . .this is holy ground.

God goes with me and others as we visit with the homeless. We have brought food, coffee pots, we have decorated Christmas trees for them; all of this, sharing the love of Christ; something new for them. They have come from chaotic lives that have no hint of real love, real joy, real grace.  I always pray we bring a little of that to them. I believe God meets us there because someone always has a tear in their eye as we pray, as we leave. Hugs are shared. The love of God is shared. This is where I met Dave, Gordon, Larry, Daryl, and Melanie,

the woman who had all her fingers broken by her dad years ago.

“You shouldn’t judge a book by the cover unless you understand the story.”
Anonymous

 

I met Tony as he came into town.

He ended up at the bridge. Last Fall when I met him, he was scared and nervous from being homeless. . .this was his first time. We talked for two hours. I shared about the love of Christ. He knew it once, long ago but wasn’t sure about “all of that” anymore. We shared time together and he let me pray for him. Nine months later, his eyes were opened all the way and he rediscovered Jesus.

He rededicated his life and is now going to church on a regular basis with the young college guys who had been doing weekly bible studies with him these past few months. Holy ground amongst the trees, river, and bridge.

They showed me that no matter how deep the hole gets, God gives them what they need to make it day to day. They have shown me that even though the world sees dirty clothes, grubby faces, dirty hands, that they have strength, they have guts, they have humor that has not died with the circumstances. The ones so many call bums, these precious ones became my friends. This place brought people from two different worlds together to share with one another. Yes, this place is where I find I am standing on Holy Ground.

 

The downtown park, on the square as it’s called, is another holy ground. I have sat many times on these black, iron park benches visiting with the homeless;

the drug addicts, the alcoholics, the abused, the lost. All I do for the most part is lend them a listening ear. I share God’s love and offer a few of His truth’s and promises. I put my arm around them when they cry, I hug and I pray; such simple acts, such easy acts. They wouldn’t have been for me four years ago. But three years ago, the Lord led me to start a Blanket Ministry for the homeless, a comfort zone I could not believe He was asking to step out of. But I shouldn’t have been surprised, He’s been doing this to me for the last 15 years. Even though I go shaking like a leaf, I’ve learned to go. I am blessed every time.

 

On one of these benches I had the privilege of praying a man into the kingdom of God. He became my brother in Christ.

He still struggles, but He knows who he can turn to now. He prays with me every time we are together and he cries. Why? Because I think for the first time, he feels the holy ground beneath his feet.

This is also where I met Richard, the young man from Boston.

He had been abandoned.

He showed me the stories behind his tattoos and I listened. I shared about Jesus. He listened. He told me he would never forget me and what we talked about. Yes, holy ground out there among the businesses and dog walkers.

I’ve learned that if Christ Jesus is in us, then any ground we are standing on is Holy Ground, because He is always there. I pray that I honor Him with the ground I stand on, and in those times when I let Him down, I know I’m forgiven because I accepted the gift he offered from another holy ground, a holy hill, the place of His cross.

Did you know there are living graveyards and these are holy grounds?

 

 

“All of us are people walking through a living graveyard. Everywhere we go, among everyone we meet every day, there are the walking dead. There are people so radically impacted by death in one way or another that they are candidates not only for healing but also for resurrection; death of relationships, death of dreams, death of business, death of loved ones. And you and I have been prepared to bring a living answer.”

Jack Hayford

Yes, where there is God, there is holy ground. . . even underneath a bridge, a park, and in the living graveyards.

 

I’ve been married to a very sweet, patient, loving man for 30 years. I’ve been a mom to two sons I love with all my heart for 24 years. I’ve been a born again Christian loving the Lord for 38 years. I homeschooled for 14 years. I’ve run a Blanket Ministry for the homeless since 2009 and now working on a book about the people I have met in the homeless community. I’m just an ordinary woman who lives for an extraordinary God.

 

~Now it’s time for a link up party !~ 

 

The purpose of Leaving A Legacy is three fold. It’s mission is to challenge it’s readers to work on leaving Godly legacies for their children, to be a place of encouragement for its readers, as well as sharing my journey as a cancer survivor. You can link up your posts that deal with leaving a legacy and ones that offer encouragement to the community.This link up will be happening every Thursday at Leaving a Legacy. Please tell your friends, and join us on this journey of leaving a Godly legacy for future generations!

 

• To link up go to the sidebar and get the code for the Legacy Leaver Thursdays button, right click and “save as” on the code and then upload it into your post. Or you can provide a direct link somewhere in your post linking back here. That way other bloggers can join in too!

• Then copy and paste the direct link from your post, (not your blog url), into the linky tool below.

• In order to create an encouraging community here, please take a moment to visit the person in front of you. As time permits, I will read as many of your posts as possible throughout the week. Thank you!

 

 
For those of you that link up throughout the month, I will be choosing a “featured blogger”, for the following month. The featured blogger will be someone who actively participates in the link up, and who’s posts have really touched the community. They will receive free advertising for their blog on my sidebar for that month, and also be allowed to submit one approved guest post during that month.

The featured blogger for August is Deidra from The Middle – Daily Devotion Blog. She has a way of writing that will really challenge you and grow your spirit. Please take a moment to stop by and visit her wonderful blog.
**Keep in mind that this link up is only for posts that share how to leave a legacy for your children, or posts that offer encouragement to the community. Any other posts that do not fall somewhat within these guidelines will be removed. Thank you.**

I hope you have felt encouraged while visiting Leaving A Legacy. You can get additional updates that are not posted on the blog by connecting with us through Facebookand Twitter. You can also subscribe to Leaving A Legacy and have the latest posts delivered right to your email .

 
Many Blessings~
 

Linking to:

Thought Provoking Thursday
Denis in Bloom
Grace Cafe