6-22-24
Our first time doing a Neighbors outreach event from a new home base! Though we didn’t prep downtown, it all worked out really well logistically, which was a blessing. We had 14 volunteers and were able to hand out 118 meals AND full hygiene kits to our neighbors experiencing homelessness!
It was 95 degrees and turned out to be the weekend of all the Pride festivities downtown, which we were nervous would make it difficult to find people out, but we were pleasantly surprised!
In one group, there were 5 different occasions in which we approached people and they said something along the lines of “we were just talking about how hungry we were” or “I was just chatting about what we need prayer for.” Hearing that was such a blessing to our volunteers, as they were able to see firsthand how much of a blessing their willingness to serve is, and how timely God used their servants’ hearts.
On another note, this time two cool things happened:
1. The only donations we got were from a client of mine (Christina) who I worked for almost a year ago, who apparently had seen our post and left a note on her supply donations saying “I spent the last 2 hours wondering how best to do something nice for someone and I came across your instagram post right before I was about to go to bed! I've been so blessed and was hoping I could pass along a blessing for someone else. I hope this helps & I hope to join the next event!” What a cool surprise, and just what we needed.
2. We were getting nervous because we didn’t have many donations for supplies this time, and I realized in the busyness of my move a couple months ago that we actually were covered, with bins full of supplies that we needed. Why? Because my mom had told my siblings that in lieu of a Mother’s Day gift for herself, she wanted them to purchase supplies off our wishlist since she lives on the other side of the country and wants to be a part of what we do at Neighbors. Another example of a servant’s heart blessing this ministry right when we need it!
Some post-outreach prayer requests:
- Landon Williams
- Paradise and Brian: pray that they find shelter and can get off the streets at night.
- Anthony: pray for him and his son Nathaniel. Pray that they would be able to get their home back, as they bought a house and let some friends live there to help them out, but they’ve become squatters that won’t leave and do drugs in the house.
- Joe: pray that he can find shelter.
- Cole: pray for continued provision in his life.
- Beau: pray for healing for his foot that was swollen and infected.
- Sage: pray for clarity and guidance, as he recently out of an institution and wants to stay on the right track.
- Daniel: pray for safety for him as he’s unhoused.
- Yvette: pray that her housing situation will come through so she can get off the streets.
- Crystal: pray for her as her boyfriend is abusive and her friend Yvette is trying to keep her out of harm’s way.
- Harold: pray for his family, as they are making him sick.
- Cinnamon and Carol: pray for providence and that they can make their appointments.
- Justin: pray that he can experience true hope, as he struggles with depression and anxiety and doesn’t understand how to deal with it well, and that his housing would come through.
- Ernest (Bama): praise God that he already loves the Lord, and pray for conviction as he continues to sin but doesn’t want to.
- Spider: pray for him that he can find a better life.
- Emmanuel: pray that he will have better days ahead and that God would take care of him.
- Erica: pray for miraculous healing, as she was shot in her back and though it got taken care of, she is still disabled from the pain and the damage that the bullet caused.
- Hannah and Daniel: praise God that they care enough about each other to work on their relationship; pray that they would learn to respect each other and fix their relationship.
- Faith: pray for blessings over her; she had no specific request, but said our interaction was an answer to prayer. She thanked us for sharing the gospel and that she’s really been humbled lately and needs God.
- Dennis: pray for him, as he is a veteran who feels shame for killing 89 people during the war, including children. Pray against the lies of the enemy that tell him he’s guilty and that there is no God.
- Hippie: pray for blessing over him as he has been having seizures every once in a while that send him to the hospital. His skull was cracked open in a fight 20 years ago this month (he showed us the scar) and is a walking miracle that he is still alive, but is struggling with the aftermath of that.
- Richard: pray for him as he is battling mental struggles including schizophrenia. Pray for his family (9 kids and many grandkids), and that he would regain his faith, as he stopped believing in God after his daughter passed away.
- Scott: praise God not only that he is 9 days sober, but that our ministry is impacting his life; he recognized one of our volunteers and thanked her for the prayer last time. Pray for his continued sobriety from drugs.
- Kat: pray for justice in her legal battle.
- Leo and Lakente: pray for their family, work, and health.
- Alice: pray for justice and for more forgiving weather, like cloud cover in this heat.
- Tony: pray for his safety and health to improve.
- Pedro: pray for his family back in Cuba; he came to Denver when he was 16, so pray for continued opportunities and provision.
- Chris: pray for his heart and that God would work in it. He is against prayer and wholeheartedly against religion. He grew up Catholic, then Baptist, and now doesn’t believe at all. He thinks religion is brain-washing and mentioned the moral failing of the church that to him point to an absent God; pray for healing of the wounds in his spirit and for openness in his heart.
Our neighbors that didn’t have specific prayer requests, but that we’d like to pray for anyway:
- Enrique and Frankie
- Tom Hicks
- Forrest
- Quinton
- Ashley
