Compelled to Pray

Note: The images used on this blog of downtown scenes and individuals are public domain.

Soul & a Name

Soul # 25.  

We met Soul # 25 mid-summer.  The first thing he said to me when he met me was, "I know you."  I said, you do?  "When I was a kid, I remember you, you were nice but I can't remember where."  Today he is 20.  

He was downtown for several hours every day.  His mom has owned a well-known restaurant in the downtown area and was very successful and busy till she contracted diabetes.  She turned angry and had to stay home a lot.  Soul #25 did meth, and when he was 18 she kicked him out.  He got in a fight at the Union Gospel Mission so he is no longer allowed to stay there - he can't even eat there.  He also stayed at TLP - a housing ministry to homeless young adults, but he stayed there the maximum time alloted, long ago.  About six months ago meth caused him to have a stroke.  He will never do meth again because of it.  Slowly he is regaining his feeling and use of the one side of his body.  

One day I will never forget how compelled I was to pray for him when one of us entrusted him with money and a errand.  He came through that stewardship very well!!  Coincidently it turns out the police detained him and found nothing against him - that was why I was praying so hard I found out!

He was searching for a job.  Daily when we saw him, he was hungry and when we talked about the weather turning bad he became seriously stressed.  "Do you have enough to stay warm?" we asked.  He said he had a tent and only one blanket.  So we got him a sleeping bag and he allowed me to drop him off where he was camping.  Let's just say it's downtown Salem - these places are coveted and protected from general knowledge.  

We didn't see him through the rainstorms we've had lately.  Then, Friday last, Soul # 25 was walking a couple streets away from mine in Keizer.  I pulled over to say hi.  An ex-girlfriend told him that the child she is having is his.  He looked happy.  The girlfriend's mom is letting him live with them in her home.  His face lit up.  

My heart turns over at the condition of this budding little family....  But I can't help but praise God for the look of joy and hope in his eyes.  He he has a place he belongs.  He has been taken off the streets and has a place to live.  This is an answer to prayer.  

Father, watch over Soul #25 and continue to show your goodness in His life.  You love far deeper than anyone ever will.

"You cannot be what you cannot see."

- Jo Saxton