Need Your Help at PIN’s B-Ball Tournament

On Saturday October 4th PIN Ministry is having a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, and we could use your help. We can use a couple people that would be willing to come and help prepare hamburgers and hotdogs for the award ceremony after the tournament. If you would be willing to help PIN by making some hamburgers and hotdogs please email Dallas Stamper @ dallas.stamper@pinministry.org. Also if you would like to play in or know someone who would like to play in this tournament they can also email Dallas Stamper.

 

 

Life On The Street (Part 6)

Last post I was talking about loving the homeless with actions and that sounds cool but what does it mean. Here is a story of about how this occurs.

About 4 years ago I went to a friend’s wedding out of town. My family went a day early because my wife loves to travel so much that she can turn anything into a vacation. My friends Church had a Saturday night church service so we went to it. The pastor was nice, he wasn’t the best speaker I had ever heard, but there was something about him that I felt drawn to him. So after the service I talked to him for a little bit to see if we had ever met. No we had never met. So the wedding was the next day and it went well, but I needed to find out more about the pastor. So I talked to him for a while and nothing, he was just a regular pastor. Well my wife said it’s time to go and I said OK but I want to get some more deserts before we go. While I was getting desert for the road I heard a voice behind me and it was the pastor from my friend’s church (You know the guy I had been following). He asked me what ministry was I involved in at my Church. I said I’m involved with a homeless ministry. Then he said I was homeless before, and this is where things got interesting. I had a church intern that stayed with my family for a summer one time who would say he was homeless, because he had to stay with people at the churches he worked at. So I looked at him and laughed and said sure you were homeless “what when you were an intern”. He said no 10 years ago I was a crack addict and homeless in New York. OK now he has my complete attention!! I need to know how someone goes from being homeless and addicted to crack to being a pastor of a church in 10 years. So I asked how did you go from homeless to pastor in 10 years. He said well a pastor bought me lunch. Now I got real skeptical, so you expect me to believe a pastor bought you one lunch and it changed your life. So I said, “This pastor bought you one lunch and it changed your life.” He said not exactly and continued to explain. The pastor would buy him lunch and would eat with him and talk about life and stuff. This pastor would continue to come out and buy him lunch and continue to spend time with him. He would fall down and the pastor would continue to pick him up. This man found Jesus because that pastor never gave up on him.

So that is the secret….. No matter what happens you have to see people through God’s eye. We have to treat every person like they are important and special, because that is how God sees them. So when I see a homeless person I see a future: teacher, construction worker, engineer, nurse, painter, or pastor.

 

Life On The Street (Part 5)

In the past 2 years I’ve had two close friends who have lost a spouse. When I’m with them I can see their pain and I hurt inside for them. But I have no idea how they feel. The problem is when we try to relate to a person who has suffered a great loss we try to get in their shoes and we really can’t understand how they feel because we haven’t felt what they feel. It is really the same thing with the homeless. When we deal with homeless people we often do the same thing. We try to act like we understand their pain, which unless we have gone through it we have no idea what it feels like. So your next question is “What should we do?” LOVE THEM.

Love crosses all borders, breaks all walls, Love changes lives. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” I think this verse unlocks the door to how we can relate to the homeless. We need to stop talking about how much we love them and SHOW THEM!!!!!!! I’m afraid that the Church in the US has become really good at telling people about love and not showing them, “with actions”. When I read this verse it really convicts me to shut my mouth and love someone.

When someone first becomes homeless it might take a couple good breaks to get them off the street, but after a period of time it is going to be allot tougher. The only thing that will be able to break the cycle at that point is love. So how can you love a person that is homeless? Well to start with you will have to spend time with them. Can’t love someone unless you spend time with them. Have you ever really loved some that you never meet. The second thing is don’t look for results. People hate to feel manipulated, so don’t have strings attached to your love. Love is the only thing that is going to change their situation, but who made you God. Maybe God’s plan doesn’t line up with what you think a change looks like.  Finally, get yourself a snickers candy bar “Because you might not be going anywhere for a while” I’ve had homeless people that I’ve been sharing love with for over 5 years and I’ve seen zero change. This one is the hardest part, because sometimes I feel like I’m wasting my time. Let me make a general statement, it is never a waste of time when you love someone.

Come back Friday and I will share a couple of stories of how this is true

 

 

 

 

 

Life On The Street (Part 4)

When I work as an engineer, I worked for a company that installed software systems on US Navy Ships. The navy took one of its ships The USS Yorktown and made it completely computerized, since I was one of the software experts I had to go underway with the ship for 6 weeks. For the first 2 weeks I hated it, I gained a new level of respect for people who are in the US Navy. If you are in the Navy I just want to take a minute to say thanks. Well back to me on the ship after about a month something weird started happening, I started getting into a routine. I started to get comfortable being on the ship; although, just two weeks earlier I hated it. I think what happened to me on the ship is the same thing that happens to homeless people on the street. What happens is people who are homeless begin to get comfortable, to cope with the circumstance that they find themselves in.

When someone first becomes homeless they will do anything to get off the street, but after you have been on the street for about 6 month or more you begin to become comfortable with being on the street. It is not that the person is really comfortable with being on the street; however, they are beginning to look comfortable to cope just like I did on the Navy ship. Let me repeat there is nothing comfortable with being on the street. You will hear people say things like “he or she wants to be homeless”; it’s not that they want to be homeless. What you see is someone who is beginning to look comfortable as a coping mechanism.  Life as a homeless person in Virginia Beach becomes very structured; in order to eat you need to be at certain places at certain times. So they need to be on scheduled. Also once you find a safe place to sleep you will continue to sleep there as long as you can until the police push you out or someone destroys your place.

So how is PIN helping homeless people in this phase of homelessness? First, we are trying to help build a sense of self worth in them. So how do we create self worth in the homeless, by helping them to see themselves through God’s eyes? If homeless people and really everyone can see ourselves the way God see’s us then it will make us live a more fulfilled lives. Secondly, PIN is helping the homeless by trying to help them to make wiser decisions. We offer a biblical service, recovery groups, and counseling to put them on and help them stay in the right direction. Finally, I believe that we are helping the homeless by simple loving them. There are people who are homeless that haven’t felt loved in decades sometimes ever and we believe that if we can help make them feel loved it will change how they feel about themselves.

 

Life On The Street (Part 3)

So you are now homeless. Well at least for this post you have to image that you are homeless. I hope this is the closest you ever come to being homeless. The first thing you need to do is find someplace to eat. There are allot of places to eat, but you will need to find them.  At the oceanfront you can have lunch at the Star of The Sea Catholic Church on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and you can also get lunch at the Potter’s House at the Virginia Beach United Methodist Church on Tuesday and Thursday. You can also get dinner at Judeo Christian Outreach Center (JCOC) every evening of the week. PIN provides breakfast every Saturday morning and dinner every Sunday evening as well as a bag lunch. So there are meals available in Virginia Beach if you know and can get to these places. If you have a job getting to the places may be your issue. Kerry can probable explain that scenario.

So now you need to find a place to sleep and that is going to be your biggest problem. There is a lack of places to sleep in Virginia Beach so you are going to probable have to find a place to sleep outside. Between JCOC, Samaritan House, Seton House, and VSCDC there are 168 total beds which are identified by the city as emergency beds. These beds are always full with a waiting list.  In the winter time between October and March there are seasonal (winter) shelter available they have space for 64 people with a capacity of 78 on dangerously cold nights. The winter shelter is churches opening up their buildings to let homeless people sleep on the floor. The problem is that that is not enough shelter for all the people that are homeless so people continue to have to sleep on the street. Are you upset yet….? The next issue is specific to Virginia Beach during the winter families live in hotels at the oceanfront, then they are displaced during the summer as tourist take over the oceanfront. There are over 400 people that fit in this scenario. When you add all this up Virginia Beach is definitely not the city to be homeless in.

Come back next week when we look at what begins to happen to you after you have been homeless for 6 months.

 

Life On The Street (Part 2)

My son started his first day of high school on September 2^nd, and it was a very nervous day for him. I remember as I talked to my son the night before his first day of high school, he was going through the stress of the unknown. He was now entering something that was unknown and scary. As I talked to my son, I could remember the night before my first day of high school, and although that was a long time ago it felt as though it was a couple weeks ago. Can you remember how you felt before your first day of high school? Now imagine it’s not the first day of high school, but it is your first day of homelessness. Imagine the range of emotions you will go through.

For a second I want you to imagine that you don’t have a place to live and you are going to be homeless tonight. You are going to go through several emotions all at once; the first emotion you are going to suffer is fear. Where will I sleep, since I’ve never been homeless where can I sleep and be safe. You probably don’t realize that as soon as you go to sleep you are breaking the law “See our blog series it’s against the law to be homeless”. Where can I sleep and not have to worry about being hurt. What is going to happen especially for young people is someone who is already homeless will come with a smiling face; this person may not have the best intentions in mind. They may be looking to take advantage of the situation and are going to manipulate the situation. The sad thing is once you first become homeless the first homeless person that reaches out to you may not always have your best interest in heart.

When you first become homeless you are still holding out hope that you can get off the street pretty quickly, if I can just get a good break or make a couple changes I can change my situation. Feeling this way is a good emotion once you begin to lose this emotion you will begin to make homelessness you life. Part of what PIN tries to do to help people in this situation is to give them hope that they can change their situation.

Come back on Friday when we will discuss what are the options for a homeless person who is on the street, as far as food, and shelter.

 

Life On The Street (Part 1)

The next couple of weeks I want to focus this blog on what it is like to be homeless. Now I want to start by saying I’ve never actually been homeless. So I will be drawing on my experience working with the homeless and conversations I’ve had with them over the years. I will also ask Kerry to comment in case I’m missing the boat on anything I say. So I’m going to break the series into 4 sections that looks at different segments of life as a homeless person in Virginia Beach. First, we will look at when people first become homeless; basically we will start with the first day of homelessness and will focus on emotions and details related to the early stages. The second stage we will look at occurs after you have been homeless for 6 months. During this stage you are starting to get in routes that are becoming part of your life. During this stage you are beginning to think you can’t get off the street. The third stage is after I’ve been homeless for a long time. In this stage, I’m having trouble remembering what my life was like before I was homeless, and I’m not sure if getting off the street is an option for me. The 4th stage I will investigate will be getting off the street and all the challenges that I face in that stage.

During these series of post I will try to look at it through the eyes of the homeless, and how they feel. I will also try to explain how PIN is trying to help people. 

 

Hoops For The Homeless

Do you play basketball? Ready to get off the couch and get in the game? Want to find a way to combine your ballin skills and help the homeless at the same time, then you need to mark October 4th on your calendar. On Saturday October 4th we will be having a 3 on 3 hoop it up tournament to benefit PIN at Virginia Beach Community Chapel. If you are interested or know someone who is interest they can contact Jay Jump at jump75@gmail.com or (757) 318-1565. Jay Jump is in charge of the tournament in case you have any questions.

 

Thank You Patti !!!!!

I want to use this post to tell you about someone who used their passions to raise money for PIN. Patti Watkins, who is a nurse anesthetist and a runner, put her two passions together and used them to raise money for the homeless. Patti is a nurse who volunteers as a nurse at PIN on Sunday. The homeless are in desperate need of medical care and nurses like Patti are the only medical care that some of these homeless people have access to. Patti is also a runner. When I say that she is a runner that is an understatement, Patti has not only a passion for running but she also has a passion to get new people involved in running. Patti has actually put her passion for nursing together with her passion for running to raise money for the homeless.

Two years ago Patti came up with the idea of putting together a group of nurses that would run the rock and roll half marathon, and the proceeds would go to the homeless. That first year was amazing, and allot of money was raised and it was really fun and cool. This year was the third year and it was amazing. PIN was an official charity of the rock and roll half marathon this year, and Patti did all the work to make it happen. Just so you know Patti spends a good portion of the year working on putting together support for the half marathon. She talks to race directors, politicians, nurses, runners, and potential donors, about the importance of helping the homeless. If you have ever met Patti you know that she is a passionate person that has enough energy for several people.

So PIN would like to thank Patti for using her passions to raise money for the homeless…….

I want to close with a couple of questions….. What are your passions? and How can they be used to help the homeless?

 

My 42nd Birthday was really cool!!!!!

In 4 hours I’m going to my fantasy football draft, so I should be studying my draft picks and getting ready, but I thought I would put my blog entry together instead. Yes I’m a geek it’s OK I think it’s cool to be a geek now… At least that’s what this one guy told me. Yesterday August 31, 2008 was my 42nd birthday, yes I’m Legal * 2. Yesterday was the Rock and Roll Half Marathon, and we had a group of nurses running to raise money for PIN. So instead of running I was in charge of the last water stop.  If you ran we were that cool water stop on 14th ST between Pacific and Atlantic. As someone who has run the half marathon many times I can tell you being in charge of a water stop is way harder. So who was manning that water stop, PIN volunteers, nurses, and homeless people? Yes that is correct homeless people were serving water to runners on the same streets that they get tickets for sleeping on. There was a moment while working the water stop that I looked over and saw a homeless person working arm and arm with a doctor. In India they have a caste system where people are separated by their social classes. In the US we have an unofficial caste system were people are often separated into different groups. If we can be honest for a minute you know what I’m talking about. Rich people in this neighborhood, middle class people in this neighborhood, and poor people in this neighborhood, and none of the neighborhoods want homeless people in them. I’m so proud to be part of an organization that gives doctors an opportunity to work and associate with homeless people.

So I got up at 3:30AM to go to the water stop and we finished at noon. Came home took a shower and started getting ready for PIN’s Sunday services. I actually got to sit down for 5 minutes then I was out the door. I was so tired when I got to PIN, but it didn’t take long for God to give me a second wind. We have a biblical service for the homeless called PINnacle, and during that service we were singing a song when I was overcome with a sense of how Awesome God is. I have to be honest, during August I was dreading my birthday I was thinking that it was going to suck. I was going to get up at 3:30AM and work non-stop all day on my birthday. As I was worshipping with homeless people I was given this feeling of how really great God is. Then we had the message which was provided by Richie Merritt. Richie is planting a church in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania; the church will be called Legacy Christian Church. Check it out at http://www.lehighvalleyproject.blogspot.com/. Richie is working on his preaching skills by preaching to the homeless. HOW COOL IS THAT. As I was sitting there listening to him I was struck by how good of a preacher he is becoming. I can’t wait until Richie is unleashed on Lehigh Valley. I got home at 8PM sat in my chair and realized that this was probable one of my best birthdays ever…..