Shoulder The Cross

The Wisdom Tooth

Teiha came and told us how bad her teeth were hurting. "It kept me awake all night last night and I have gotten to the point where I can't even open my mouth to eat anymore. I have had to chop my food into little tiny pieces" she said. We told her to wait until everyone had been served and Shoulder the Cross would call a dental contact to see if they had any openings. After the lined had finally suppressed, Teiha, who was initially the first person in line, came up to us and we made the call to Dr. Scott Smith's office at Buttercup Dental. "We have an opening at 3:20 today. Bring her by and we would be more than happy to see her". We picked her up at 2:40 at Wooldridge Square Park and headed north to Cedar Park. We dropped her off then headed out to get a bus pass. Getting a bus pass would make it easier for her to get back downtown and giving her a 7 day bus pass would definitely benefit her. We made it back to the dentist around 4:30 after she was all done. Dr. Smith gave her a prescription for antibiotics to kill the horrible infection she had and set her up with an appointment to have her wisdom teeth removed 3 days later. Teiha was grateful because using her MAPS card would not have given her the service they did at Buttercup Dental. She was sure that an appointment through MAPS to have the tooth even looked at could have been weeks away. Hopefully all goes well on Thursday, updates to follow.

 

Developing a relationship to share the good news

It was a great week for Shoulder the Cross. Samuel showed up this week with his normal smile and great attitude. When asked about Jesus, Samuel said "I don't know a lot about Him, but I want to learn". the following day, we treated Samuel to lunch and talked about Jesus. Samuel was wearing a hat with the names "Luke, Mathew, Mark, John and Peter". Samuel asked "Who are these dudes, were they Jesus' friends?" This was a great lead in to talking about the Gospel. "Who is Peter then?" Samuel asked. He soon found out Peter's denial to his best friend Jesus. We talked about Judas a little as well. Samuel later explained why he was homeless. "Drugs and Alcohol" he explained. Samuel agreed to go into detox, then rehab and future hopes of a halfway house and being lifted off the streets. After agreeing to getting treatment, we brought him to Blue Bonnet Trails for his OSAR (Outreach, Screening, Assessment, Referral) evaluation. He is waiting for a Detox bed to open up. We took Samuel back to his home in the woods near Lady Bird Lake, when asked what he had learned that day Samuel said "That Peter guy, he gave Jesus the finger. Judas? He put his finger on God and lost" Given this translation, it is obvious why there are so many translations of the bible. The New Living Translation is already taken, right?

God's work in all His Glory

I was blessed today to step in for Brian. I don't know what it is with these sweet people but I always feel so comfortable around them. They are so appreciative and after I have served them I feel so ashamed to complain about anything. Kimbra and Connie showed up. Connie handled the clothing orders and Kimbra was the Barista and I took care of their other needs with this extremely well equipped truck. My daughter Rachael who is 18, donated some clothing and shoes for the women as well. Everyone I talk to about Shoulder the Cross wants to be a part in it. They are so moved how one person can touch so many lives. Brian has an amazing heart and I am so proud to do the little that I can to help. What I walked away from this morning was love from these folks, a more appreciative attitude and a softer heart. In the midst of my own personal issues, being with them made me walk away remembering why I am really here and who I am really living for. God always shows up in the midst of those in need and today was no exception. I felt his presence and his calmness and his love the entire time.

We are growing!!

What a wonderful time it has been for Shoulder the Cross. It is very excited to see growth within the ministry. God's glory has shined as several volunteers have stepped up to help out. A trip to California kept one of us away for doing Jesus' work on the streets. As soon as word went out that we were canceling the Monday run, Rene Dorsey stepped up to fill in, preventing the cancelation. The Sandwiches for Monday's run were made by Hillarie Smith. It was amazing how heavy the bag was. There were 2 dozen eggs, 2 dozen cookies and about 3 dozen meat sandwiches. Rene plans to reorganize the truck for comfort and workability. Kimbra Wolf plans showing up on Monday morning to help distribute some of the socks and bus passes she donated to Shoulder the Cross. Connie Park will be there to help with coffee and chips. Even Tom Kopecky said he wanted to stop by to help. Just a few short months ago, Shoulder the Cross was a ministry of one. Today we have over 12 members. The next goal of the ministry will be to get a truck for distribution. If anyone reading this knows of a dealership wanting to donate a truck, please contact us through the website at http://shoulderthecross.org. Last week, shoulder the Cross was serving our brother and sisters in need on 3 different days. Monday was covered as it usually is. Friday, AlanMichael Luck distributed with his best friend Aaron Gonzalez. AlanMichael told stories about Marcus, a 32 year old machinist. He mentioned that Marcus has only been on the streets for about 7 days now. AlanMichael really liked Marcus and was impressed with positive outlook. It was evident that Marcus was scared, but doing what he needed to survive. On Saturday, Rene joined us to learn the ropes. Rene has such a comforting demeanor, all the friends on the street immediately warmed to her soft heart. We spoke with Gregory on Saturday, who was there with his 4 legged companion. Gregory told us how he had spent 32 sleepless hours recently. Not sure of why, we prayed for Gregory and his Diogee, as he called him. We also brought water out on Saturday. After 90 minutes with our homeless friends, almost 5 gallons of water were consumed. We served about 45 homeless friends in all. I know that God is doing some amazing things with this organization. Please be with us in prayer as we continue to do the work of Jesus, and grow as a ministry.

Street Retreat in ATX, no birth certificate required ...

It was another awesome week serving the homeless in Austin TX. Shoulder the Cross was privileged to serve those on the annual Easter street retreat hosted by @MLFNOW - Mobile Loaves and Fishes. Rene came through the line this week and kindly said "Are you sure you can spare a sandwich for me?" We made 3 loaves of bread worth of sandwiches this week, so of course there were plenty to go around. Rene expressed interest in helping us with bus passes and socks. We also met Lamar this week. Lamar, @lamarstockton is a local artist who plays the bass guitar. Lamar fills in for the Justin Cofield Band, @justincofield from time to time and we know the JCB very well. Many of the members of the JCB have been out to "help Shoulder the Cross" in the past. There was a nurse who also stopped by for a sandwich and some hot cocoa. She also expressed her interest to help. One of the street retreaters needed a Band-Aid and some triple antibiotic cream. "You never know what you might need on the streets, then when you do need it, you find out how hard it is to get it" she explained. We were happy to help all those in need. Rene is a radio producer for a local Christian radio station, KLGO at klgo.net. She has invited Shoulder the Cross onto the show to bring widened awareness to homelessness in Austin Texas. Lamar plans on helping Shoulder the Cross real soon and I should hear from the nurse soon. I listened to Amy Dillon Live this morning. Alan Graham referred to a quote by Mother Teresa that really gets you thinking:

"It is very important that right from the beginning, we simply live the Gospel. Live the Gospel in prayer; live the Gospel in words. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t reach the height right away. The fullness of our heart comes in our actions: how I treat the leper, how I treat the dying person, how I treat the homeless. Sometimes it is more difficult to work with street people than with the people in our homes for the dying because the dying are peaceful and waiting; they are ready to go to God. You can touch the sick and believe, or you can touch the leper and believe, that is the body of Christ you are touching, but it is more difficult when these people are drunk or shouting to think that this is Jesus in that distressing disguise. How clean and loving our hands must be to be able to bring compassion to them!"

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta