29th meal served this morning.

What a beautiful spring morning! The warm weather brought more folks than usual to the park for breakfast. In fact, we have increased the number of people we are planning to serve each week based on advice from some of our regulars. Today we arrived at the park at 6:32, a couple of minutes late. One man told a team member that several new folks were beginning to doubt that we would show up. Our friend assured them that we would be there. It is neat that they trust us enough to be there each week!

Many team members were able to engage those who came for breakfast in conversations. Those we serve in the park have truly become our friends. These relationships are so important. We are able to celebrate the good things that happen and to offer comfort and the promise of prayer during difficult times. This morning, we rejoiced with a woman who recently received a new I.D. card. She hasn’t had one for a long time, and we had been praying that the paperwork would be processed smoothly. A team member was able to pray with this woman (we’ll call her M) for God to help her deal with some deep-seated bitterness that has resulted from her recent job loss. As they talked, the team member shared with M that God is our Provider and that no matter our circumstances, He knows what each of his children is dealing with and cares deeply for them. Another team member succeeded in striking up a conversation with a man who prefers to keep to himself each week.

Several of the prayer requests people shared with our team involve the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves. Our prayer is that God will show Himself to these precious people this week. Please join us in this prayer. The following passage serves as a reminder that there is so much beyond this life; in fact, we are called to live beyond ourselves. “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’ but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) This assurance means as much to us as it does to our friends in the park—we are all created in his image and mired in our own sins. But our Heavenly Father, through his never-ending grace and love, promises us abundant life if we believe in Him.