Transformation

He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

I am watching this being lived out with my own eyes. Today, we went downtown and had a picnic for our street kids where we handed out sandwiches, snacks, and Cokes (or POP as they call it here!!) We set up in one park while a couple of us walked with Matt farther downtown to where a lot of the kids hang out-to invite them to our picnic. We got to meet people like Shadow (who has been in every state except Alaska and 7 countries!!), Giggles, and Rooster. On our way back, we ran into a guy who had been on the streets and into all of that scene only a year or so ago. This man was glowing-it was beautiful. You could truly see the Lord in His life-it just poured out of him as we talked to him on the street. He is 43 years old and has returned to school-and is more disciplined than just about any college kid I know!! He spends his weekends studying!! He has a 3.8 right now and loves, and I do mean LOVES history. He said that he has 90 books he has poured over about the Holocaust, and that he knows more about it than any professor he knows. He really wants to get his Ph.D in World War II History-and as he put it, wants to "teach the truth". We invited him to come back with us and have a sandwich, and he very wisely answered that he was trying to stay away from that scene, and was going to go back home to study and hang out with his dog. It was SO incredible to actually see these verses lived out in this man-He was just radiant!! It was such a blessing to talk with him and see the passion and the love of Christ in his eyes. He has set some incredible goals and I am pretty sure that he is going to reach them!!

It is incredible the relationships that Matt & Nikki, Robbie & Karen, Benny and others have established with these kids. I know it has taken them a long time, lots of effort, prayers, and love-and I admire and appreciate that...and love sharing in that this week. Please continue to pray for them and this awesome ministry!!

We also went and saw Cody today in the hospital. His mom was not there, but they allowed us to go in 2 at a time to see him (which really surprised me!) I went in with my friend Elaine, and we prayed over his bed-he was coughing a lot because he has pneumonia, and as we talked to him-it seemed like he calmed down for a few seconds. They say that he has been unresponsive to anything people have said to him, but I think he may be comprehending it deep down somewhere. Maybe that is just optimism. That visit also had a HUGE impact on our group. We went back to the church building to de-brief about the day, and it is was an incredible conversation. We shared a lot of things that were on our hearts and it really bonded our group together. Several people commented how after experiencing what we have the last few days, meeting the people that we have, and then seeing Cody lying in that bed-how much life we have to live for!! We should never take life for granted-or anyone around us. We also related this to how God must have felt watching His son die such a horrible death on that cross-Cody's parents must feel so helpless watching their son lie there while they can do nothing. Although not quite the same scenario-it is incredibly hard and unfathomable.

PLEASE continue to pray for this family-God needs to work a miracle on Cody's body, and we all KNOW He can do this!!! Also continue to pray for our efforts here-God IS working in amazing ways, and we are all being transformed-hopefully closer to His image. Thank you my friends, I hope you are all having a blessed week!!