With our eyes on the nations, we know God has placed us in Louisville and there are needs we can meet. Each week, we have time set aside to reach out locally. We’re committed to seeing the Gospel go forth in Louisville and the nations through things like: helping out at soup kitchens, cleaning up the streets, befriending the homeless, serving the local church, street evangelism, tutoring kids, and the list goes on.
On the heels of an outreach last summer, an effort to befriend those affected by homeless in our community began.
On our second week of local ministry, we met a woman named Christie. She was very shy at first. Each week, we asked the Lord for what she may need before we met with her. As each week went by, she started to open up more and more.
Each week, we asked the Lord for what she may need before we met with her.
Christie was homeless. One of the first things we did for her was bring her and her husband some clothing they needed. A few weeks later as we listened to the Lord before going to see her, we specifically asked God what He wanted to say to her to make her day. We felt like God wanted to tell her that He sees her and knows her heart.
We felt like God wanted to tell her that He sees her and knows her heart.
When we saw her, we told her this and that God loves her very much, even in her circumstance, and that His love for her is so much more than the love of anyone else. When we told her this she started crying. She knew in that moment that she is seen by God. Every week we prayed with Christie and we ended up having true friendship with her.
-Romy, Winter 2021 DTS
A Note On Homelessness
Half a million Americans are homeless. East coast cities rank highest in homelessness with Washington DC being number one. In 2019 most homeless people were individuals, but there were also families with children with no homes. There are more than 200,000 homeless people sleeping outside or in places not meant for sleeping. Some fun facts that aren’t fun… California tops all states in homeless students, followed by Texas then New York.
In the city of Louisville there are approximately 4,000 homeless people. More than a dozen camps were cleared around downtown Louisville last year, forcing unsheltered residents to try to find a new place to sleep. There are over 30 shelters that volunteer their services to the city of Louisville and the homeless community. From housing them to providing clothes and food, Louisville is doing whatever they can to help people on the streets.