This page chronicles my relationship with four homeless panhandlers trying to get from the East Coast to Arizona. The story reads in descending order, from top to bottom, because there is an end to this story…not the desired one unfortunately.

January 2019

I spent about 25 minutes with four pan handlers this past week.  We exchanged ideas about life, the world, and Jesus.  I was really excited about this interaction.  These are the definition of The Truth’s target audience; the “Least of These,” homeless, wandering, beggars who hate the world, have been given, or found themselves on the short end of the stick.  These people didn’t like the thought of Jesus, but I could see them thinking as we exchanged philosophies. I was also able to meet their immediate need…I gave them all a $5 gift card from a fast food restaurant (which I have been doing for years) and the interaction ended in hugs.  If only planting seeds, I will see them again. 

February 2019

I played a game with my new homeless friends. I started this game in Baltimore and found it to be very effective for initiating conversation about Jesus. Many people will not talk to me about Jesus if they know where I are going, so I start the conversation out like this. “I am going to give you a couple words and I only ask you to give me the first thing that comes into your mind on each word. Be quick, be fair and be honest.” I found that people love the game and I get to pick the words. SO, I get a firsthand view into their worldview and philosophy without struggling or arguing with them. I always get honest answers as opposed to the answers they think I want to hear with this approach. So, I approached the Four Amigos (which are really three males and one female) and asked if they wanted to play with me. They were ecstatic about the idea.  First, the leader of the group considers himself an academic and likes games that make one think quickly.  Not to mention that they are homeless, wandering beggars and no one really talks to them, so I am a real person who wants to interact with them on an intelligent level.  Win win, right?  I give all four the same words, I jot down their responses, told them I was going to pray and see if Jesus told me anything about their responses and give it back to them.  I could tell they were all in until I told them who I was, what I did, and that I was going to talk to Jesus.  Side note, sometimes I will do this in an area I am trying to understand how people are thinking.  Sometimes I do this is different social settings to feel people out.  This time I wanted to interact with The Four Amigos and see inside their head to establish a plan for evangelism.  Anyway, when I got to my seat I started praying over their answers and, sure enough, Jesus gave me a message WITH SCRIPTURE TO SUPPORT IT to hand back to each of The Four Amigos.  They accepted the messages graciously, a couple told me they didn’t believe in all that stuff, but more importantly I got in with them, as a friend.  I learned who they were, how they processed life, and they knew who I was and I wasn’t a threat to them.  I became a friend today. 

February 2019

One of these four plays the guitar at the corner where they conduct “business.”  I kinda like the idea because he is doing something he loves to give back a sort of product for the investment received during the transaction at the corner.  The next time I talked to him I asked him, “What happens if you break a string?”  He answered in statement form, “I am afraid of that.  A couple of them are getting weak.”  I was praying about these guys and Jesus told me to purchase a set of guitar strings.  So I did and handed them to my pan-handling, guitar playing friend with a message from Jesus about his father (biological).  The result…a hug and a tear.

February 2019

I spoke to one of the members of the group of four pan-handlers in North Salisbury today.  I am learning more about how they process life.  He was telling me they were being hassled by the police for pan-handling and the only girl in the group told me they got ticketed.  I asked, “Are you not supposed to be out there?” even though I know they are not, because there is a sign posted.  His response was something like this – “If they can’t get us for one thing they will get us for something else.  They just want to harass us.”  Even though I didn’t reply, I received his statements offensively.  It’s as if they justify themselves in being there because the world has been unjust to them (I learned that in one of our previous conversations).  It seems that they believe the police are harassing them because they have nothing else to do; they are the focus of aggression from the world.  My flesh wants to be so annoyed with this attitude of entitlement but then Jesus reminds me of a video I watched of a man who found Jesus as a homeless man and now conducts a rather successful ministry to the homeless.  This man said that every day is life-or-death on the street and a homeless person is in survival mode at all times.  Right now it’s at the later stages of winter and the days and nights are cold.  Even though they stay in a hotel, day-to-day, based on the day’s productivity, there is always the risk that they could not raise enough money to get them into the hotel and meet their basic needs.  They are not treated nicely and not welcome in most establishments. No wonder they have positioned themselves against the world, and the world against them.  Winning against these odds is almost impossible outside of the power of Jesus Christ.  They have basic needs, but their eternal needs need to be met through Salvation.  What a crappy deal to live like this for however many years on earth, only to die and spend eternity in hell.

February 2019

My guitar-playing pan-handling friend “Fez” walked into McDonald’s today and walked straight up to me and told me that what I told him the other day about his father was “really messing with me.”  As I was walking into McDonald’s to give him his guitar strings the Holy Spirit told me to tell him this; “I didn’t have anything to do with what happened between you and your father.  Don’t let your father be the image you measure Me by.  I love you.”  He told me today he didn’t understand how I would have known to say that because I do not know him or his father and his father was a “horrible F&@*ing person.”  He also “used to be saved” and led worship in a church and everything.  He told me his “scientific mind” is still trying to process what was going on and he wanted to talk to me about it.  Here I thought the tear and hug were all about the guitar strings.  Turns out it was Jesus’ message that touched his heart.  Amen!  I gave him a card with my cell number on it and encouraged him to call me so we could meet.  I am looking forward to the next post about him and his other three amigos.

February 2019

Fez’s guitar was stolen and it had everything important to him in it.  I ended up speaking to “J” – another one of the four – and we exchanged philosophies about ancient belief systems and how they compare to Christianity.  We had “church” all up in McDonald’s for two hours.  “B” AKA Moon, is the female companion of the quartet.

February 2019

Today I spent about an hour and a half with “J” as we discussed more about the topics from two days ago and more.  His tone was more Christ-accepting as we moved through our discussion.  I was able to give him some Christian apologetically supported videos to watch on YouTube addressing these issues on his smart phone.  He was excited and we agreed to get together again and discuss further.

February 2019

Ever since Fez came to me in McDonald’s telling me he was really freaked out about what Jesus told me to tell him, he has been real sick.  I know Satan attacked him because he was considering what Jesus told him.  All the sudden he is stricken with pneumonia, which could be a death sentence for someone living in the streets.  He also has a history of issues with a couple of his organs because of his former drug use, as per his girlfriend “Moon.”  He will not go to the hospital because he’s “going to die anyway” he says.  I text my wife and asked her what we could do for him.  She said nothing really for pneumonia but I could purchase him some over the counter meds to help him, which I did.  I also took the opportunity to offer dinner to my friends and took their orders.  They gave me the bare minimum, which is what they expected, but I gave them a microwavable (which they have access to) banquet.  I wanted to meet their immediate hunger need, bless them, and give them a good meal and evening.  Jesus also told me to pray for Fez, but touch J’s arm and have him go deliver it to Fez, touch him on the chest (lay hands on him), and deliver the prayer.  This is what I felt Jesus telling me to do.  We will see what happens.   

February 2019

It turns out F has pneumonia and it was shutting his organs down.  I prayed holding J’s arm and told him to go and place his hand on F’s chest to deliver the prayer of healing.  Well, I noticed – just within a day – that F was out and moving around as if nothing was going on. I went over and grabbed J and asked him if he had delivered the prayer I prayed while holding his arm.   He looked at me with a smile and said “Yes, that’s interesting.”  Interesting indeed! 

March 2019

Today I sat with “B,” or “Moon,” the female of the four, and read John 1 and described the deity of Jesus Christ in a Message Bible someone gave her while she was pan-handling.  That’s pretty cool!  Also, Fez told me he was still interested in talking to me about the message Jesus gave him through me.  I was afraid he didn’t want to talk to me anymore. 

March 2019

Shared the gospel with Moon.  Fez got angry.  He is adamantly opposed to Jesus. 

March 2019

The four amigos were supposed to leave town on to their next stop in Virginia, headed to Arizona, yesterday.  I asked Jesus if He was going to allow them to go.  He told me “No,” so I guess we are not done yet. 

March 2019

The management at McDonalds changed and threw my four pan-handling friends out of their establishment.  Moon, the female of the four, told me they had been here (Salisbury) for three months, much longer than they had anticipated, and that they should be three states away by now.  I will have to move my work outside if they will entertain my presence.  When they told me they were leaving last week, I asked Jesus if He was going to allow them to leave and He said “no.”  I guess my work here is not done. 

March 2019

J has given up the mission of my pan-handling friends and is going back to Delaware.  The remainder of the four are not happy with him.  There is some level of weird pride in this “Mission” to get across the United States ending in Arizona.  Fez is the leader and has promised these guys things:  to get to Arizona to where his son is, for “B” or Moon to be able to be “a mother to his child,” J was going to be the bass player in his band, and they were all going to all get jobs and an apartment together and start a new life.  I was praying about all this and Jesus reminded me that Fez is acting like a “savior” figure to these people and is leading them to death.  J is from New York, but for some reason he is headed back to Delaware.  I am hoping that he has found this venture silly, that maybe some of our conversations have made sense to him, and these are the reasons he is backing out of his pact as I have been praying that the Holy Spirit would touch his heart.  I am trying to get his Facebook contact through Moon so I can follow up with him and try to continue our talks.  Delaware is not far away.  I would drive there to lead someone to Jesus…I would be jumping for joy to do that. 

April 2019

Last month Jesus had given me a message concerning Moon (“B”) and the others about her boyfriend Fez.  He said, “Fez is not their savior.  He is not leading them to the promise land.  He is leading them to death.”  These homeless people are following Fez as if he were their savior, anticipating an arrival to Arizona, their “Promise Land.”  They have told me of their plans when they arrive to Arizona and, quite frankly, they sound like “pie in the sky” dreams, but revolve around Fez’s selfish ambitions.  J is gone, Paris has no desire to speak to me, and Moon is their moneymaker – more people will give to a young female pan-handler than a man.  When speaking of the Bible in regards to her boyfriend Fez, she refers to him as the antichrist.  Perhaps that is the spirit running him: adamantly against the gospel of Jesus Christ, using the others to make money for him, controlling the movement of the party, wanting the attention and admiration (worship), etc.  I now believe Jesus wants me to deliver this message, so I will wait for the right time.  Perhaps it will be to both Fez and Moon.  I will wait until the Lord instructs me.  I am realizing that this ministry is a game of chess, not checkers.  Pray for these people to give up these ambitions of death and know their Savior! 

April 2019

What amazing times we live in where everyone can own a smart phone and have access to the internet, even homeless people.  And who would have thought that one could befriend a homeless person on Facebook.  Well, I have.  Moon is now that to me.  I noticed a trend in her FB posts and asked her about them.  She confided in me that her and Fez had just broken up.  This might seem like petty hearsay or gossip, but I argue not.  I have been praying for her and her salvation.  The fact that she has been pulled away from Fez is a miracle, whether she knows it or not yet.  She needed to be away from him and his antichrist spirit to be opened up to the Savior of her life.  Baby steps…she is still hanging out with and accepting of the mission of the final three, Arizona.  I do not get that, but a little at a time.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to pry her away from these negative forces binding her to this senseless wandering into a false promise land. 

April 2019

Today I delivered (for the third time) the message of the gospel to “B,” or “Moon,” the homeless pan-handler girl, through His mercy and provision.  Every time this happens she is softening up to the message.  Moon has a history of drug addiction, various substance abuse problems, rebellion towards authority, and a serious sense of entitlement.  Everyone in her group believes the world has done them wrong and owes them what they believe they deserve.  The rest of her group has discounted me and considers me a fool (Praise Jesus, 1 Corinthians 4:10).  Pray that Moon’s heart will be softened and that she receives the message of Jesus Christ and a new life to begin.  BTW, she thanked me for the conversation today.  That never happened before. 

June 2019

Today I drove to Rehoboth to meet J, one of the four homeless people from Salisbury I used to meet with up until a couple months ago. J is still homeless and lives in a tent outside Rehoboth Beach. The group of 4 has since split up and gone their own way.  I was able to communicate the gospel message with J again; still, no decision for Christ but we are at new levels of intimacy and our conversation about Jesus. When we were saying goodbyes, I asked J if there’s anything else I could do for him. He asked for super glue. I asked why and he responded “I need to glue the soles back onto my shoes.”  You know that’s all I needed. Jesus and I were off to buy him shoes, so we went to a local shoe store. We bought shoes and we’re talking about reading the Bible. He is interested in reading the Bible and wanted one when he “Saved up enough money.”  So, we went to the Bible store. When he went to put the shoes on I realized his socks at holes in them. I asked if he had any more shocks. He said no so we went to the sock store, lol. I tried to overwhelm J with the love of Jesus and he responded well. He wants to remain in communication to question about what he reads and I believe that he will receive Jesus soon. Pray for that to become a reality. 

July 2019

The remaining three of the original Four Amigos have moved on to Virginia, NewPort News, to continue their quest to their promise land, Arizona. My work here is over.

June 2019

Two weeks later, during our electronic communications, J confided in me that he finally wanted to know Jesus intimately.  I drove back over to Rehoboth Beach to assist in this personally as I felt led; but, no acceptance.  I was disappointed.  The spirit he has is one that brings up another objection every time the last one is overcome.  He is never without an objection to the message of God even when he agrees that he needs to repent and accept Jesus to Christ to obtain eternal life.  Pray for J’s salvation and let me know what spirit this is. 

september 2019

The Four Amigos have totally disbanded. After indicating he wanted to know Jesus, J never responded to me again. Moon left Fez and moved back home with her family. Paris is the one who never wanted to talk to me and I have no idea what happened to him. Who knows where Fez could be? Did he make it to his son in Arizona? Is he standing on a street corner in some American City, playing a guitar for money between here and Arizona. I don’t know. I do know this, none of them accepted Jesus but all of them heard about him through this ministry. Sometimes that’s all a Christian can do.