Valentine's Outreach

Wednesday afternoon we were busy getting ready for our Midnight Outreach. Usually that happens on Friday nights, but we wanted to do something special for the ladies on Valentine's Day. We boxed up the chocolate and prepped the roses. An interesting sidenote: we discovered that long-stemmed roses average 12 thorns per stem. (We don't want the ladies getting 'stuck' so we always de-thorn before handing them out.) So, twenty pounds of chocolate and 2400 thorns later, our fearless volunteers were ready to hit the streets. (I wasn't feeling well so I had to stay home...I was so bummed!)

God's favor was definitely upon our team. Not only did they do the normal clubs, but we got in to some new ones as well. How cool is that?

In just a few hours HPC handed out 200 red roses. For many of these women, it was the highlight of their day. A rose won't stop a woman from taking her clothes off for money; it won't cure a drug addiction and it can't change her past. But what it does, at least for a moment, is to remind her that Somebody thinks more of her than she thinks of herself. It reminds her that she is loved and she is important. Isn't that what Valentine's Day is really about?

I love it that my church isn't afraid to go to the dark places; to take the doors of the church into the street. I always say, "If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space". All glory to God!