May 2009 MBM Newsletter

I want to introduce you to Frank. (He is the one sitting between Pastor Brugosh and Feco.) We met him at a homeless shelter in Debrecen during HIH09. There is something very unique about him. God was telling us to we need to get to know him. We had seen him earlier at the day shelter, and again at the night shelter. We were very interested to hear his story. Frank is 18, healthy, and mentally sound. He is fairly well dressed, takes care of himself, and seems pretty together. We asked him "why are you here in the shelter and living on the streets?" He told us that he is an orphan, he is Roma, and he has no formal education. No one will hire him for full time work, and he cannot get out of the system. He is not an alcoholic, and does not appear to be hooked on drugs. We prayed with him. He knows the Lord, but admits that he does not know what it means to be a Christian. We invited him to church, but he felt very out of place as if everyone is starring at him. He has a good heart. He knows the words to many praise songs which are sung at the soup kitchen. He wants to get to know Jesus, but he says, "I just don't know how, I mean, it needs to be real."

We invited him to help us the next day to hand out backpacks. He was surprised and excited. We picked him up the next morning and he hung out with the team all day. He ate with us, prayed with us, went to church with us, and handed out backpacks. We had an evening meal with the whole team and Frank & I had a great time laughing and wrestling with all the kids. We had an awesome sword fight, Danya won. When we dropped him off that night back at the shelter, you could see his heart sink. We asked if he enjoyed himself. He replied, "It was so cool to be able to give the backpack away to the other homeless people. It made me feel so good to be able to give. I also had fun with your family." You could see in his eyes that he was thankful that we let him be a part of our team, and more importantly, our family. (Watch sword fight highlights here)
When we returned to Debrecen several weeks later for the Roma Conference, Feco called Frank and asked if he would like to go to a big Christian picnic with us for the day. He was so glad to hear from us.

We hung out again all day. This time we got to know each other better. We acted like brothers. He messed up my hair, I put him in a headlock, and he easily wrestled out. We prayed together, and we spoke about the future. I asked him, "What do you pray for when you are talking to God." He said I "pray for just one single opportunity, a chance...something that I can just grab and take the opportunity to get out of this homeless lifestyle." Frank is really a prisoner of the system. He has some possessions, gets jobs, and gets paid. He has a cell phone and nice clothes. At night he has to sleep on his stuff because other men at the shelter will steal his things when he is sleeping. In the morning he puts his possessions into a locker and is sent out of the night shelter. He goes to the day shelter, works, or hangs out on the street. In the evening, he has to be back to the night shelter to get his things when the place opens or else it will get stolen. One can say of Frank, "well just get a job, save your money, and rent a flat." Because of the shelter times of operation, no relatives, and nowhere to keep his things, this is not that easy.
"With God all things are possible." I ask that you pray for Frank, or rather, pray with Frank.

Join him & pray that God will show a way out and will give him the opportunity for which he prays. Pray for us as we decide how best to intervene. We know we need to do something, but what? Do we rent him a flat? Do we pass him off to someone else? Is he our responsibility? Pray that God shows Frank a clear answer and draws him closer. The story is not over. I don't know how it will end. But I know your prayers will help write the next chapter.