moving forward with feet in the water

Joshua 3

"Then Joshua addressed the People of Israel: “Attention! Listen to what God, your God, has to say. This is how you’ll know that God is alive among you - he will completely dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. Look at what’s before you: the Chest of the Covenant. Think of it - the Master of the entire earth is crossing the Jordan as you watch. Now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Chest of God, Master of all the earth, touch the Jordan’s water, the flow of water will be stopped - the water coming from upstream will pile up in a heap. And that’s what happened. The people left their tents to cross the Jordan, led by the priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant. When the priests got to the Jordan and their feet touched the water at the edge (the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest), the flow of water stopped. It piled up in a heap - a long way off - at Adam, which is near Zarethan. The river went dry all the way down to the Arabah Sea (the Salt Sea). And the people crossed, facing Jericho."

The Israelites were ready to enter the Promised Land, but first they had to cross the Jordan River, and God gave them specific instructions on how to do so. Step 1 - the priest had to put their feet in the water. What if the priest had been afraid to take that first step? So often God provides no solution for us until we trust him and move forward with what we know we should do.

We will never walk in victory until we are willing to step out in faith, get our feet wet, and trust God to do the rest. If we hesitate with the instructions God has given us, if we refuse to step out in obedience, then we are limiting the blessings that God has for us.

Yesterday I put my feet in the water. In 4 hours, with the help of some amazing servants, all the demo was done on the house. I don't even own the house yet, but God said to move forward in faith, so I did. I was overwhelmed, humbled, and grateful for everything that happened yesterday.

And this is where the promise is beginning to be fulfilled.

"Not for our sake, God, but for your name's sake, show your glory. Do it on account of your merciful love, do it on account of your faithful ways." Psalm 115:1 - 2

full of fault. full of faith

Joshua 2

"The woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, two men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they’d come from. At dark, when the gate was about to be shut, the men left. But I have no idea where they went. Hurry up! Chase them—you can still catch them!” (She had actually taken them up on the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that were spread out for her on the roof.) So the men set chase down the Jordan road toward the fords. As soon as they were gone, the gate was shut. Before the spies were down for the night, the woman came up to them on the roof and said, “I know that God has given you the land. We’re all afraid. Everyone in the country feels hopeless. We heard how God dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you put under a holy curse and destroyed. We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and God, your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below. “Now promise me by God. I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!”

I just finished reading a fictional book on the life story of Rahab. While it is not all accurate (not recorded in scripture) it gave me great insight into what her life might have been like.

She trusted a God she had never known, never seen, never understood. She was set apart by Him to be a part of a miracle, even when her life didn't reflect what the world would say could be used as such. She let the borders of her trust be torn down and it opened up limitless space for God to love her.

A life that was full of every fault in the world, even though she lived in a wretched, sinful place - she was still considered "one of those people." Yet, God prepared her heart for things unknown to her, and she didn't understand those things until she was obedient to His spirit in her. God used a lost child of his to bring victory to a whole nation that did know Him. That's His heart.

As I was praying through what the Lord taught me through the scripture, and what insight I was given into her life, I thought of the song "Oceans." It is a pure picture of her life. How faithful she was, even in her faults. When I think I have reached a place of intimacy with the Lord, I am quickly reminded there is so much more to the depths of the Fathers heart, and I am no where close.

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

be strong. be courageous.

Joshua 1

After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses’ assistant:

“Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I’m giving to the People of Israel. I’m giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It’s all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

Then Joshua gave orders to the people’s leaders: “Go through the camp and give this order to the people: ‘Pack your bags. In three days you will cross this Jordan River to enter and take the land God, your God, is giving you to possess.’”

Then Joshua addressed the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He said, “Remember what Moses the servant of God commanded you: God, your God, gives you rest and he gives you this land. Your wives, your children, and your livestock can stay here east of the Jordan, the country Moses gave you; but you, tough soldiers all, must cross the River in battle formation, leading your brothers, helping them until God, your God, gives your brothers a place of rest just as he has done for you. They also will take possession of the land that God, your God, is giving them. Then you will be free to return to your possession, given to you by Moses the servant of God, across the Jordan to the east.”

They answered Joshua: “Everything you commanded us, we’ll do. Wherever you send us, we’ll go. We obeyed Moses to the letter; we’ll also obey you—we just pray that God, your God, will be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who questions what you say and refuses to obey whatever you command him will be put to death. Strength! Courage!”

4 times the Lord tells Joshua - be strong. be courageous. The Lord could see things ahead of Joshua that he would face. Things that would tempt him to quit, back down, lose strength. When we are moving forward in faith, we have to trust that the Lord knows what is ahead. With his promise on the other side, being strong through the difficult things, and being courageous through the temptations, we are sure to see His promise fulfilled.

What may look like a road going to nowhere - this is the place we learn to trust Him more. Our eyes are open only to see what He created, what He crafted for us to experience, and what He wants to give us in the moment. When we run with our eyes and heart open to Him, the road becomes more beautiful and our strength and courage become more aligned with Him.

Fun Facts about Midtown

Many people don't know where Midtown is, or what area is included within it's borders.

Here is a beautiful map of the area. The borders are: West Street > Woodrow Wilson > Mill Street > Fortification

There are close to 2,000 residents in the Midtown area.

Medium Household Income is $20,000.

The average person in Midtown is classified as:
"Urban single parents. These single parents are making ends meet with moderate income. Some went on to college, while others finished high school or lower. Most work in service, management, or professional occupations."

Schools are: Midtown Head Start, Brown Elementary, Rowan Middle School and all feed into Lanier High School.

I recently found this article that was published in the Jackson Free Press in December of 2013. Just to give you some perspective of the area, and what it is becoming.

A North Midtown Miracle
By Brett Potter Wednesday, December 15, 2004

What do you think of when you drive through North Midtown—the area between West and Mill streets and Woodrow Wilson and Fortification? In past years, you might have thought only of danger—that the neighborhood was one of those places where you double-check your car door locks and watch anxiously in your rear-view mirror at stoplights. Today, however, North Midtown is a family-oriented neighborhood just like other respected communities in Jackson. It's a place where mothers let their children play outside, and the elderly sit out on the front porch just taking in the world.

But getting to that place was not easy.

Ten years ago, drug trafficking and loud noise filled the streets of North Midtown. Crack addicts clustered in the many rundown, boarded-up "shotgun" houses. Today, most of the drug problems are gone. Although some problems linger, just like in other neighborhoods, the current levels are nowhere near what they used to be. If you look around today, you can see well over a hundred newly painted, three-bedroom Habitat for Humanity homes sitting right where those crack houses once were. North Midtown is turning itself around.

Althea Collier and her husband, Kenneth Collier, who now live at 335 Duncan Ave., were some of the people who helped stem the tide of the neighborhood's drug problem. The intersection of Blair and Roosevelt streets is where the tumor of drug problem was in darker times. The Colliers, though, were determined to see their community fix the problem; they joined many residents to have "sit-outs" against drugs and violence in the area.

I made a promise to myself that (after) seeing everything that happened on Roosevelt, I would help," Althea Collier says. "When the opportunity came for me to do my part, it was truly a blessing. Maurice Canard and my husband went from door to door, and then they met with City Councilwoman Margaret Barrett and decided to make signs and clean up all the trash out in the streets."

Collier describes the past: "There used to be gunshots all the time. People were hungry in the streets. The thing that opened my eyes was when I saw my kids walk through those same streets on their way to school. It was the fear of seeing my children get hurt."

The area was one of Jackson's worst hotbeds for drug activity before the neighborhood banded together. "I bet 90 percent of the calls to the police were from the Roosevelt/Blair area, but when they came you never knew what was going to happen. Back then, I would see an armed policeman running after a bare-footed man on the sidewalk, or once a man had run through our house trying to run from the cops." Collier says.

'Thank You, Lord'

Today, Dorothy Jones lives at 212 Roosevelt, and she, too, was a witness to all the changes in this area. Jones was born in 1952 at 1535 Blair St., and she has lived here all of her life.

"I remember all those juke joints and hole-in-the-wall places where they used to sell all the drugs, but those came down when Habitat for Humanity came in here," she says. Her street used to be a dead-end gravel road. "Then, Habitat came in and they [along with North Midtown CDC and the City] bought some of the lots and put houses on both sides, and I said 'Hallelujah, thank you, Lord.'"

Today, Jones says: "I can sleep with my front door open and the screened door unlatched if I want. I can sit on my front porch and watch neighbors take out each other's garbage and mow each other's lawns in this very neighborhood that used to be so bad."

Between Jones' house and the corner, there used to be seven houses crammed next to each other. Now, there are only two normal-sized houses there.

The neighborhood even has a new name. Since it began in the 1950s, the region was known as the Factory Hill Subdivision; however, it was recently renamed North Midtown when the community decided to turn around and put a new face on itself.

Help, and Be Helped

Dorothy Jones and her daughter Amberia have been very active in the turn-around. In fact, they live in a Habitat for Humanity house themselves. Jones recalls that when she moved, "I left all my old roach-infested furniture over there in my old house. After moving into the Habitat House, I got a financial blessing, and I got new furniture. It was wonderful. From this I have learned that you help other people, and they will help you."

Jones says she realizes that some of the problems will always be there—just like any other inner-city neighborhood, but she is willing to take a leadership role and make a change. She and many other residents are working to help improve things today, especially for the schools. Jones says she is always attending meetings and learning new ways to help through North Midtown Community Development Corporation. She also asserts "With the help of good Rev. Willy Varnado, if someone slips through the cracks at school, we'll try and get them at the church. We are all working together to make things better."

Like Jones, the community as a whole is banding together to improve their schools. The area has two schools—Brown Elementary and Rowan Middle School, which feed Lanier High School, Murrah High School and Bailey High School. M.C. Burkes, director of the North Midtown Community Development Corp., says: "The residents and families are not satisfied with the schools in this area, but we are working on it. Currently, both of our schools here are a Level 2, but our goal is to get to Level 5." They are referring to the achievement label required to be placed on the schools by the federal "No Child Left Behind" act, based on their students' yearly improvement in test scores.

According to the Mississippi Accountability System, a Level 2 School is one that is underperforming, failing to meet growth expectations and achievements. "There is no reason why our schools can't be a Level 5, too," Dorothy Young says. Brown is improving, though. This year, it met the federal "adequate yearly progress" requirements for reading and math.

Developing Community

The North Midtown CDC (Community Development Corp.) is working to improve the education levels in the neighborhood. The nonprofit organization seeks to redevelop Midtown through housing restoration, education, improved quality of life and economic development. They have a GED Center where adults can get tutoring, learn how to make a resume, fill out job applications properly and learn computer skills that are helpful in the job market.

North Midtown CDC also has an Enrichment Center at 215 McTyere Ave that helps about 50 children each afternoon. They offer tutorial services and teach manners and behavior modification, while the kids have fun playing together. Burkes says the program is working so well for the children that they haven't had a fight there in over two years, when all you used to see the kids do is fight. The kids can get help at the Enrichment labs for math, science, reading and computers.

M.C. Burkes has lived in this neighborhood for nine years. Today, he happily resides at 311 Alexander St. When asked about the area's history, he replies, "At one time, it was very vibrant. Look at the houses. People could afford very nice houses a long time ago."

A Segregated Past

Burkes is right. Observing the architecture there, one will notice that from McTyere Avenue to Woodrow Wilson, almost all the houses are brick. However, from Livingston Street to Fortification, most of the older homes have wooden frames and wood siding.

Why is this? Like every other place in Jackson prior to the Civil Rights Movement, North Midtown was fairly segregated. The white people lived mainly where the brick houses are today and from Lamar Street eastward. The blacks lived where most of the wood-siding houses are today in the southwestern corner of the neighborhood. Ironically, Lamar, the street separating the sections, used to be called Greyson Street. (white+black=grey).

So what happened to this vibrant place of the '50s? "It was white flight and neglect from the city," Burkes says. "Absentee landlords are milking property for all it is worth, while providing no maintenance for their tenants. That is why many of the houses were run-down."

Fortunately, help was on the way. Today Habitat for Humanity is building new homes all over North Midtown. There are around 180 Habitat Homes in the area. In fact, two are now being built on McTyere Avenue and Millsaps Avenue. These homes have changed the lives of many families.

When asked why he lives in North Midtown now, Burkes replies: "I would have to say convenience, because we are very near downtown. Some other advantages are that we live less than a mile from three major hospitals (Baptist, UMC and St. Dominic's Hospitals) and two major colleges (Millsaps College and Belhaven College)—they are good sources for jobs and are close enough that one can walk to work. We are also very close to the interstate, and don't forget that because of our past reputation and the landlords, our homes are a bit more affordable than some of the comparable areas around like the Belhaven area and the Fondren area."

Burkes says of crime in the area, "It varies now. The noise of the neighborhood has gotten much better, but some of the crime is still there. There will always be drugs here to some extent." In North Midtown there have been nine total crimes since the beginning of October. Seven of these crimes were crimes of property theft and the other two were violent crimes: an aggravated assault and a rape. Midtown is located in Precinct 4, headquartered at 3304 State Street. Most of the crimes in North Midtown are auto burglary. Burkes' comments are consistent with this. He says: "The majority of our problems are car break-ins and auto theft. There are not many home break-ins here. The perception of crime here is a little higher than reality."

What Do the Kids Do?

North Midtown is so densely populated with families that one can't help but wonder what all the kids in the neighborhood do. M.C. Burkes answers this well: "They mostly hang out in the streets and in the parks. They play basketball and kickball after school and on the weekends. However, it troubles me with them in the streets. We need a center for them. We need to have something positive for the children to engage in."

The two parks Burkes is referring to are Benjamin Bryant Park and Wightman Park. Wightman Park has been the talk of the neighborhood lately because North Midtown CDC raised funds to renovate it. "It was lying dormant before, with just some patches of grass and asphalt," Burkes says. "The basketball goal was 11 feet tall back then. Now after the renovation and the addition of the playground, the pavilion and the new basketball goals, it is buzzing with activities on the weekend. You see family reunions and picnics there all the time. It is definitely being utilized now."

Dorothy Jones remembers during the 1960s when Wightman Park was just a big, tall grass field on Livingston: "I just get so happy when I think about all the children that are playing there now. I remember when I was a little girl, and on the second day of school I was playing over there with all my brothers. I was running real hard when I cut my foot on a piece of glass. My mama said, 'I told you not to be playin' in that field with those boys.' So she wrapped a piece of red meat up in a white rag soaked in turpentine and put it on my foot. Then she said, 'A ha, get your bad ass back out there now."

When Dorothy Jones reminisces about all the ups and downs of her life in Midtown, I can't help but listen attentively. Ms. Jones truly has nothing less than a home for her heart, a tomb for her troubles and a spark for her soul in North Midtown.

An Artistic Integration

Andy Young, the owner and artist of Pearl River Glass Studio at 142 Millsaps Ave., comments about the Millsaps Arts District and how the street artistically integrated itself into Midtown. His was the first studio to move there in 1976, and then in 1980 Susan Ford bought a studio on Wilson Street around the corner. He then recalls, "In the mid-80s Debra and Chip Billups formed the 121 Millsaps Corporation and bought four buildings to renovate and rent out as artists' studios. That really pushed the district over the edge."

Debra Billups was also the woman that lobbied the city to name Millsaps Avenue as the Arts District. This led to the inclusion of many new, wonderful local artists, such as Chris Porter, Susan Ford and Gretchen Haines.

"The creation of such an area has led to wonderful collaborations," says Young. "For example it has given me a chance to work together with Ed Millet on a commissioned work. He did the metal work, and I did the glass work."

Unfortunately, the Arts District has never reached the point where it is massive enough to attract restaurants and the like. It's always been kind of struggling. However, Young says, "Recently, a medical company that makes prosthetic body parts bought the old Mori Luggage Warehouse on the corner of McTyere and Wilson St., and that says a lot for the area. It obviously has attracted some type of commercial activity, which has led to increasing all the property values around it."

Movin to Midtown

I am excited to share some news with you about where God is leading me. I have been living as an intern at We Will Go for a little over 3 years. I remember when I first moved here thinking “what the heck am I doing!” and I anticipated that I would stay for no longer than 1 year. God has obviously changed my plans, and my heart, to align up with His desires and dreams for me.

About 2 years ago I started feeling a stir in my spirit for the area across Fortification, Midtown. I would go over and visit with some friends that lived on Keener Street, ride in the vans to pick up kids for our Sunday WOW kids service, and stop by Livingston Park to visit with some of the boys I knew. All the while, God was calling out others for this area too, and through some conversations, I began intentionally praying for Midtown and what role the Lord would have me play in His plan.

As time went on, I continued to pray, but nothing was really changing for me to move forward. I began to spend more time in the community by getting involved at Brown Elementary with some different things, met more people that live in the community, and started driving through and praying more. This only intensified my love for Midtown, as well as the burden for those that are living in darkness.

Early this year I knew that God was about to move me from just praying about it, to stepping out in faith to actually moving me there. Around April I was at a big block party that Millsaps was hosting for the Midtown community. I had taken several of the kids with me and as we were leaving, I walked out of the back entrance of the school, across West Street to where I had parked the car. The Lord stopped me right in the middle of West Street and gave me such a hard, but beautiful picture. I saw all of His children walking back into Midtown and He said to me “here are all of my children, walking across.” I literally stood in the middle of the street overwhelmed with the vision, as well as the confirmation that God was indeed calling me to this area.

Several months later, I started looking at houses in the area and after seeing one after another, I pulled up to 317 McTyere Street and my spirit man rose up from deep inside me and I knew that was the house God was going to give me. As I stood in the front yard looking at the house, I turned to my left and looked down the street – it was the very street that God had given me the vision of back in April!

The Lord started speaking to me about the number of the house, that it was not just some random number, but He was so strategic that He was placing me in that house, with that number, for a reason only He could craft and design. I started in the book of Genesis and was going to go through each book to pull out chapter 3, verse 17, to find out what His word said about it. It didn’t take long for me to discover what His promise for me, and His house was.

Joshua 3:17 “And there they stood; those priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant stood firmly planted on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground. Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan, and not one wet foot.”

God gave me a passion in my heart for the area. God gave me a vision of His children walking across to something. God gave me a connection for the house He wants me to live in. God gave me His word to confirm and affirm His promise for me, and more importantly, for His children.

I carry the same presence of the living God deep inside myself that was in that chest. It is my responsibility to stand firm in the middle of that ground, carrying His presence, as He calls His children to himself and they walk across from darkness, despair, hopelessness, into love, hope, grace, mercy and freedom. There were over 2 million people that crossed the Jordan, and it took about 30 days for them to all get across. That means that the priest stood there, with their arms lifted above their heads, holding on to presence of God, until every single person made it across. I know they got tired, they wanted to quit, they wanted to sit down, give up – but they stood firm and God gave them the strength they needed to hold that ground.

God has given me a promise of his provision for every step of the way. I will be buying the house and restoring it to make it livable, as a house used for ministry, a place to love people and share the beauty of His word. My first step is simply to buy the house, which will cost around $12,000. It will take close to another $20,000 - $30,000 for the restoration. I get very overwhelmed when I think about those numbers, and the work ahead of me, but the Lord says “this is MY idea, not yours.”

I am fully trusting that He will provide for every step of the way. All He has asked of me is to say YES to every step.

Ways you can join me in praying:

Pray for me as I transition out of We Will Go and into Midtown. There are many fears the Lord is pulling out of me that I didn’t even know I had. It is not fear of men, or getting robbed, but fear of doing this alone, and fear of getting there and settling back into my own time and losing the intentionality that I am used to. I have been living in rich community and it will be a big adjustment to break away from that. While my We Will Go family will be close by and support me, I am walking into a new season on my own.

Pray for provision for the house. I would like to be living in His house by the end of the year. That seems impossible to me, but Joshua probably thought it was impossible to get 2 million people to the other side of an overflowed river too, and it only took 1 month!

Pray for Midtown. There is a lot going on in the community and I am excited about the honor to be a part of God’s plan for this area. I have been able to connect with so many people already, but there are so many more that God is preparing to hear His word and experience His love.

More stories to come of people experiencing the love of Jesus in Midtown....

processing

There are moments in this life that I just have to sit down and process. Many nights I crawl in my little bed and lay there staring at the ceiling, processing. So many things happen in this downtown area. So many things on the street where I live. So many things on my porch. Lord help me process all of this. Living a life where you are available, and living a life where you are interruptible = living a life serving Jesus. I really just wanted to go to spin class. I had driven home from New Orleans and met a friend at the park over in midtown and was planning on going to the y. When I got home Patrick was sitting on my porch. I had already passed him walking down the street earlier and he looked away from me, not wanting me to see him. But here he was. He starts talking, rambling, crying, repenting, crying, talking, rambling. Crying over the guilt from a past life of murder, gangs, violence, drugs, on and on and on. He stinks really bad, not sure how long it's been since he has bathed. He has breath soaked with alcohol. I am just standing on the porch listening, in my clothes ready for spin class. I give him a ride to the store, where he might convince someone to help him find a place to stay for the night. On the way we stop at the end of the street to talk to some of the guys that live down there, they start talking in a language I do not understand - gang talk. He continues to ramble and cry and confess and cry and ramble. He listens to me, when I can get a word of truth in. Truth that Jesus suffered for him, died for him, rose for him, endured for him, loves him. He doesn't know how to forgive or love himself, that is the lie satan has him believing. Gosh it is so hard sometimes. I leave him at the store, stop in the parking lot and begin to process. No spin for me, other than Jesus spinning my heart to love Patrick even more, see him redeemed, set free. If I ever get to the point where I don't have to stop and process moments like this, I need to check myself. Something is wrong with my heart if I become immune to this. Interrupted, inconvenienced, and even a little irritated. I don't want this to ever be easy. I'd give up spin for the rest of my life for this moment with Patrick, and the processing that comes after.

waited almost two years for this day

I thought I had written a particular day almost two years ago down in my journal, but it is not in there. However, it is embedded in my mind and my heart so I can't ever forget it. Especially after today. Shortly after I moved downtown to WWGO, I was in Biloxi for work one day having lunch at Lil Rays. I was sitting at a table by myself enjoying a poboy when an older couple came in and sat next to me. They ordered fried pickles. For some reason I asked them if they were good. That sparked a conversation that further confirmed I was not crazy by moving to Congress Street when every day since moving there I thought I was. As we talked I found out the couple lived in Jackson and had a home on the coast as well. She worked part time at the Fairview Inn and had a daughter named Mary that was a prostitute and crack addict in Jackson. I told her that I didn't know Mary but I would look for her. I started praying for Mary that day and just asked Jesus to send her right to us. That he would literally bring her to my door one day. When I got in my car to leave Lil Ray's, I just cried, at how strategic God is. That's not coincidence, that is his perfect plan. He sat down for lunch at the exact place, at the exact time, for a specific reason that day. Today I got to see the other side of that. Sure, over the course of two years I have not prayed for Mary every day, but every time I thought about her mother and how desperate she was for her daughter to walk in freedom, I prayed prayed prayed for her. Several months ago, before I moved to Cohea Street, Mary Ellen appeared at the rooming house behind us. We quickly bonded and became friends. Prayed for her a lot. Over the last month she has gone from singing in the choir at a near by church, back into the darnkess that she was delivered from. Today I was driving circles around Farish Street looking for my friend David, but never saw him. When I got to the corner of Monument and Farish, I saw Mary Ellen walking. She got in the car and I gave her a ride to the end of Capitol Street. We can't save everybody, but we can sure give them a ride somewhere and share truth with them. In the middle of Capitol Street, through the course of our conversation, I realized THIS was the Mary I have been praying for, for TWO years! I had no clue months ago when I met her that Jesus literally did bring her to my door. I mean, WOW. If he can do something small like that, I am going to be shocked with his goodness at the big big big he can do with Mary. That's the king I serve.