For the month of March, 2010, I had the absolute privilege to work with two fantastic organizations in New York City and to spend four days living homeless myself on the streets of Manhattan.  All three experiences were eye opening, to say the least, and each gave me a new perspective on working with and loving on the homeless in our cities.

Spending time with the Relief Bus was a blast.  Heading out onto the streets of NYC and just being there for people taught me a lot about what it means to live out the kingdom revolution.  Watching the Relief Bus staff at work showed me just how powerfully God can use even ordinary people!

The Relief Bus is a source of hope and life to many...

The Bowery Mission, where I lived for one week, was a remarkable vision of the kingdom of God.  Homeless men given hope, dignity and a second chance… I have never seen a place of such brokenness filled with such life and joy.

Below you will find each of the articles in this series, including the posts from my time living homeless (labeled “On the Streets”).  At the bottom of the article, you’ll find a video of my favorite pictures from the trip along with one of my favorite songs right now…

Enjoy!

Relief

All this month I will be embedded with New York City Relief. Already I can tell that it will be an incredible experience!

Click here to read this article…

The Long Climb

After meeting several heroin addicts on the streets of the Bronx, my perspective on drug addiction has begun to change…

Click here to read this article…

On the Streets

A few updates as I prepare to live homeless on the streets of New York City…

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On the Streets: Day One

On my first day living homeless in Manhattan I developed a whole new perspective on panhandling.

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On the Streets: The Station

After sleeping on the floor of Penn Station for a night, I learned how important it is to remember the invisible…

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On the Streets: The Shelter

After two nights living in a homeless shelter, I’ve had my understanding of homelessness totally changed…

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On the Streets: Alone

After four days on the streets of NYC, I’m realizing how disconnected the homeless can become from everyone else…

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What’s next?

After living on the streets, I am now going to be living in a homeless shelter to hear the stories of the people inside…

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Something Different

What is it about the Bowery’s program that makes everyone so joyful here?

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Arise

The incredible diversity among the men at the Bowery Mission reveals the Mission’s commitment to grace.

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Photo Gallery: Students of Hope

Through a structured and intentional program, the Bowery Mission gives hope to those that need it most.

Click here to see this photo gallery…

Grace

Why don’t homeless people just get a job?

Click here to read this article…

Irving

After meeting Irving for a second time, my bad mood drifted away…

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Messed Up Plans

What happens when Jesus comes in and totally “messes up” a person’s life?

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Photo Gallery: A Day With the Relief Bus

The Relief Bus is an incredibly practical way to help broken communities. Would you consider joining them?

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A Fighting Chance

Can one simple decision change a man’s life forever?

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New York City Trip Slide Show

Here is a video of my favorite pictures from this particular trip backed up by a fantastic song.  The music is by an artist named Matt Papa.  If you haven’t heard his album Your Kingdom Come, I strongly suggest that you pick it up!

Since the start of my time with The Relief Bus, I have already had the chance to rub shoulders with several current and former drug addicts.  I’ve listened to their stories, I’ve shaken their hands, I’ve prayed for them…  And as I’ve listened to what they have to say, my whole perspective on drug addiction and recovery has begun to change.

Irving

It began with Irving.

Irving is a 53 year old man from the Bronx who is struggling to get by.  I met him as he entered The Relief Bus to talk with Steve Pastor, one of the staff of New York City Relief.  Outside the bus is a sign saying, in big bold letters, “WE CAN HELP YOU.”  Irving had come to inquire.

A sign on the side of The Relief Bus.

Irving’s story is a heartbreaking account of a man who has lost everything to his addictions. As a young adult, Irving began experimenting with drugs.  Although he had a good job as a talented handyman, the need for drugs soon overwhelmed him.

His job went first.  Then his wife of 27 years.  After battling throat cancer and consequently losing her voice, she had had enough of Irving’s addiction and lack of support.  She kicked him out of their home.

Irving telling us his story.

Homeless and alone, Irving delved deeper into his addictions.  Soon, alcohol and heroin were his only reasons for living.  He had reached rock bottom, and it was only a matter of time before overdose or violence would claim his life.

Thankfully, through the work of a local shelter, Irving was able to get help.  A drug rehab program set him up with daily doses of methadone, a legal drug that helps addicts stave off the severe symptoms of withdrawal.

Alcohol, Irving admitted, is still a problem.  “But,” he said, “I’ve been clean for three days!  And I started with 140 mg of meth… now I am down to 70…”  As he said this, Irving’s face was glowing with pride.

A Shattered Life

Watching this broken man talking excitedly about his progress, my heart ached for him.  Because of his addictions, Irving’s mind was clearly damaged.  His movements were slow.  His attention span was very short.

As he rummaged through the pockets of his vest to find a piece of paper, I got a glimpse of his driver’s license.  It was obviously several years old.  The picture on the card was one of a strong young man with piercing eyes.  A far cry from the tired and broken 53 year-old sitting in front of me.

Irving looking through his meticulously organized pockets.

In one of his pockets, Irving kept two small flashlights.  He flipped one on to show us.  “You never know when you’ll end up in a dark place” he said.  His words resonated with a deeper truth.  You see, Irving is still homeless.  He still can’t get a job.  Although he is emerging from the darkness of addiction, he must still face the long climb out of poverty.

Loved

As Irving told us his story on the bus, Steve went to work finding him a program and shelter in the area to help with his rehabilitation. At one point, we all gathered to pray for him.  Irving put his hands together in front of him and asked, “Is it OK to pray like this?”

“Yes,” I explained, “you can pray however you’d like.  Your hands just reflect the attitude of your heart.”  He kept his hands pressed together and closed his eyes.  As we laid hands on him and prayed, tears welled up in Irving’s eyes.  For the first time in a long while, Irving was being loved.

When he left, Irving was smiling and laughing, reminding us several times that he “has a good sense of humor.”  For a few minutes, at least, he was given dignity and respect, and I could tell that it affected him deeply.

Beyond Just Bad Decisions

Meeting Irving got me thinking a lot about drug addiction and its effects on people in impoverished communities like the ones we visit with The Relief Bus.  Obviously taking drugs is a personal choice, and in one sense it’s an addict’s own fault if he or she loses control.

In New York City, there are deeper, darker forces at work...

But in a place like the Bronx, it goes beyond just bad decision making.  Drugs are everywhere here.  And they touch just about everyone’s lives.

Drug kingpins and black-market narcotic rings profit from the addictions of others.  Their mission is to get people hooked as early as possible and as deeply as possible.  Steve said that a few years ago, he saw a 12 year old girl coming up to the bus with track marks down her arms (a sign of frequent drug use).

For those drug traffickers who want to control a neighborhood, there is no better drug than heroin.  It gets you hooked fast, and the first few days of withdrawal are absolutely agonizing.  Once they’ve injected heroin into the bloodstream of a community, the drug lords have control.

Something More Powerful

But even in the midst of a devastating problem like drug addiction in the Bronx, there is hope.

The other day I met a man named Matthew who was a heroin addict for 16 years, but is now celebrating his sixth month of sobriety.  When I first met him, he had just come from his rehab program to get a cup of soup from The Relief Bus.

Matthew, a man freed from his 16 year long addiction to heroin.

He talked about living day to day with the unbearable need for his next “fix”.  He marveled at the fact that he can still function properly after years of injecting toxins into his body.

At one point, I asked him, “What caused you to stop?  How did you kick your addiction?”

His answer was simple.  “Jesus.”  After sixteen years of addiction, Matthew had reached a breaking point.  As everything crumbled around him, he turned in desperation to a local Christian ministry where he finally decided to give his life over to one more powerful than his drug.

This is a story that I am starting to hear more and more around here.  Through The Relief Bus and other ministries in the city, addicts are finding freedom in the kingdom of God.  Their lives are taking on a new-found purpose and they are kicking the addictions that have enslaved them for years.

The story of Irving is far from over...

Driving back to New Jersey with the rest of The Relief Bus staff, smelling like soup and aching from hours standing in the chilly air, I fought back tears as I realized just what I have been caught up in here.

Freedom is coming to captives of addiction.  Sight is coming to the blind.  Broken outcasts are being loved.  And good news is reaching the ears of the poor.

Say what you will about the dark sins of drug addiction.  I know what I’ve seen in the Bronx.  Irving had a smile on his face.

The kingdom of God is at hand…