Learning to trust

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A Street Ministry

We are dedicated to bringing hope and recovery to people engaged in at-risk activities by sharing Christ’s love, compassion and forgiveness.

Abide Ministries 70x7 Street Outreach is a ministry working directly with people on the streets of North West and Central Detroit. The Street Outreach team uses a van as their mobile base. From the van we provide sandwiches, juice, hygiene kits, prayer and a list of referrals for services such as shelter, food, and rehab. Our main vision and purpose for this outreach is to show people of all walks of life that God loves them, without bias and desires a relationship with them, to encourage them and to give them hope.

Our focus is primarily women engaged in prostitution, and substance abuse. We also reach out to others engaged in various at-risk activities.

For More information contact:

Donna McCauley
313-801-2204
70x7outreach@comcast.net

Learning to trust

I was not feeling up to par this week so I had to cancel outreach, which breaks my heart. So tonight instead of writing an email I sat down for a long chat with my savior and offered up prayers for many. But the Lord had some wonderful news he wanted to share with everyone.

In the middle of my prayer time my cell phone rings, oh Judy is calling it will be nice to talk to her. But it’s not Judy it’s her fiancé Dennis and he’s so excited he can hardly talk, (I have permission to use their names). I’ve written about this couple in the past, about their struggles with addiction and homelessness. These last few months have been a big challenge for them. Dennis had moved back to the U.P. and Judy was struggling with living in the midst of all her temptations. Then Judy started having problems with her lungs and was in and out of the hospital until they finally opened her up and scrapped her lungs. It was a painful process and they didn’t want to release her from the hospital unless she had someone who could help her out. So Dennis got on a bus and came back down to help Judy. I would visit Judy in the hospital then stop by and visit Dennis. Neither Dennis nor Judy has a car so visits to the hospital were difficult to arrange. If it wasn’t so tragic it would have been funny; I would visit Judy and she would ask me to let her know how much Dennis was drinking and while visiting Dennis he would tell me to let Judy know that he was only drinking beer. Well a couple of weeks ago Judy finally came home and I stopped by to visit them. Judy was in a lot of pain and Dennis gave up drinking!!

Tonight’s call from Dennis was a joy as he and Judy both just went through the fires of temptation and were victorious. They had gone to a clothing closet to get some slightly used clothing and ran into their party buddies. They were both offered alcohol and some illegal substances and turned it down, Yeah God! Dennis was calling to tell me all about the incident, how tempted they were, how they decided right then and there to pray for strength, about the victory over the temptation and how they went back home sat down together and offered up prayers of thanksgiving. The best part of all was when Dennis said, “Donna I wanted to tell you about this because I know that you and the “church ladies” (that’s what they call us) understand the struggles and the unbelief that Judy and I go through and we wanted to share our excitement for thinking about prayer instead of getting drunk or high. Can you ask your church friends to pray for us, we need help in trusting that God can help us stay clean? We don’t know God very well but we want to believe that he wants to help us.”

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Ps. 139:23

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. I Cor. 10:13

Blessings,

Donna