Backpacks of love

*Note: This is a report from our church in Rancho Cucamonga, not the Pasadena location.

One couple in ViaCordis, Keith and Hope, are part of the Rancho Cucamonga gathering. A few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon they distributed backbacks to homeless people in their area. They had been collecting items to put in the backpacks, but then had the idea to take this ministry one big step further. They decided to ask their neighbors for contributions for the bags as well. Many neighbors were very excited to help.

Here are some of the stories from Keith of the homeless people that God put in his path:

Wayne (aka Leprechaun) is trying to get back to Texas where he believes he can get work as a truck driver. We found him under some trees next to the freeway. He needs a $198 Greyhound bus ticket and is collecting bottles and cans to recycle to earn money. He really appreciated the back pack!

We found Doug wandering through a truck stop. He lost his job, then his apartment. After we gave him his backpack, he led us to two other homeless men, Peter and Paul. Peter was kicked out of his father’s house. We didn’t ask why. He immediately opened his backpack and began eating the food inside. Paul told us he is on the street because of alcohol. Both were overjoyed at receiving backpacks. Just outside a Jack in the Box, Scott, Doug, Peter, Paul, and I held hands in a circle of prayer to ask God to meet their needs and keep them safe.

Then Doug led us to another homeless man, Ky. Ky was sleeping on cardboard boxes near a fence. His greatest treasure in the backpack? The socks! Doug, Scott and I prayed with Ky and then Ky told us where we might find “Ma,” a homeless lady. We looked, but didn’t find her. We will continue looking for “Ma” and other homeless people to give away more backpacks soon. We just received two more back packs already packed—by one of our neighbors! What a great place to be a part of.

ViaCordis in Mandarin

A few weeks ago, we had people from three countries visiting ViaCordis. God is putting flesh to our vision of an international, multicultural movement. We had a first-time visitor from Honduras who lives in Hollywood now. We had a woman from Indonesia who also lives nearby now. And we also had a new Chinese-American couple with us, who brought along her mother who was visiting from China.

As we were sharing insights from scripture, the church service was quietly being translated into Mandarin. Then Bob asked the woman from China, "What did you see in this passage?" She responded with her thoughts through a translator. This woman is not yet a follower of Jesus, but she expressed after the service that she would like to know more and would like to have a Bible. Since then, she received a Bible in her own language and returns to China in November, but we hope to see our new visitors from Honduras and Indonesia again soon.

Anger Management

Community service for two ViaCordis participants involves teaching Anger Management at a women's recovery house. Here's what some said after the completion of a recent class.

-"I've been able to better pinpoint what is a major trigger for me, where my anger stems. I am not isolating as much anymore."

-"I can express anger without physical contact."

- "It has helped me understand others' anger and through that I understand myself more. The changes I've seen for myself are patience and understanding."

-"This class pointed out areas and issues I never knew were anger-based. It was spiritually directed through Scripture."

-"It helped me step back and take a moment to get my thoughts together so I can react properly. I've calmly addressed my issues when necessary. It helped a lot knowing God gave us anger as a defense mechanism - it's all in how we express it appropriately."

-"The instructor really got involved with each of us individually and as a group. We not only did the book work but also used everyday situations as examples and talked about how we walked through each situation, i.e. what we could have done differently."

Praise God for the work of his Spirit in softening hearts and opening minds to a better way to live.