*P R O C L A M A T I O N*

*OFFICE OF THE MAYOR*

*Whereas,* every night in our state, homeless individuals and even families require food and shelter, and there are a greater number of hidden homeless who have not sought out or received assistance through existing agencies; and
*Whereas,* homeless Missourians are people who lack stable and adequate residence; live in a shelter, transitional living facility or a location not designed for human habitation; or are at risk of being dislodged from their residence; and
*Whereas,* the Governor’s Committee to End Homelessness and other service providers throughout the state are working to offer homeless Missourians decent, safe, affordable housing, food, medical care, transportation, day care services, job skills development, education and case management; and
*Whereas,* Missouri citizens and organizations, including schools, churches, and governments are encouraged to help address homelessness and become involved in community programs that provide solutions in meeting the physical, social, economic and educational needs of those experiencing homelessness;
Now therefore I, Raeanne Presley, Mayor of the City of Branson, Missouri, do hereby proclaim November 15-21, 2009 as

*HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS WEEK*

in Branson and encourage all citizens to recognize and support efforts to put an end to homelessness in our society. *Mayor Raeanne Presley*

*GRACE*

I received a few emails to “refrain from cursing and using the curse symbols” that were in my last blog about “Give Thanks Always.” Let me first say that I’m sorry if you were offended. I don’t want or intend to offend anyone. I just want to share my heart and the experiences of our Thursday night food deliveries. I really struggled with the response of these emails. I’m not a pastor, I’m not a seasoned Christian and I’m not perfect. What I am is a broken, messy Christian learning to live loving God and loving people. I was merely trying to emphasize that there have been times in my life, like when my first wife was killed in a freak auto accident, the messy divorce I went through a few years later and the near fatal car accident my father was in, that have caused me to be more than just angry (politically correct) at God. I believe God is a big God and he knows our hearts and he can take us being angry with him. What I came to realize, was that those times ended up being something that helped mold and shape me. I have made amends to God for being angry with him and I have thanked him for not only those experiences but also for bringing me through them. To get hung up on “curse symbols” is to miss the point of being REAL about God. Ultimately, I was saddened that we as Christians are still putting Jesus in a picture perfect-box of rules. To say that we are offended if a Christian doesn’t act right, look right, speak right or fit our criteria is shameful. It’s no wonder that when you ask people on the street if they feel Christians or churches resemble grace, they usually reply no. What they feel is law – zero tolerance, judgment and condemnation. It’s also no wonder non-believers don’t want to have anything to do with Christians when we are standing on the streets holding “God hates faggots” signs or looking down our noses when someone is smoking, has tattoos or drinking in excess. We can hate the sin but we are commanded to love the person. Remember the GREATEST commandments are to Love God and to Love Others. To love others means we have to show grace as God has shown us grace and to look at a person’s heart. Amy and I have been so blessed this past year to get to hang out with some recovered addicts and alcoholics. These people are some of the most spiritual people I’ve ever been around. They are transparent and real, not afraid to share their story with anyone that will listen. Yet, they are closer to God then most Christians of years that I know. They’ve been in the arm-pit of life and know the meaning of God’s saving grace and because of that they have a true dependence on God. I aspire to become more like them each day. Enough said.

*BLALA – Thank You*

We were really blessed this week with an opportunity to share Jesus Was Homeless with the Branson Lakes Area Lodging Association. They allowed me to speak and show our DVD to over 90 businesses and hotel/motel owners and operators. I challenged them to just order 1 more case of something the next time they place their orders for their motels. If everyone accepts the challenge we will have all the toiletry items we need. During this once a month lunch meeting they also do a 50/50 raffle cash pot. At this meeting there was $112 in the pot so $56 went to the person with the winning ticket. It just so happened my friend Ross Summers, who is the President of the Branson Chamber of Commerce and a “class act” won the raffle. He donated the $56 to Jesus Was Homeless but while he did that he asked for people to match the different bills that he had in his hand. When he was done, he had turned that $56 into almost $500 for us. We are so blessed in our community to have such great leaders such as Ross, Mayor Reanne Presley, Ed Akers and Jack & Pete Herschend, just to name a few and many, many more. I truly admire these individuals for the example they have set year after year for “loving God and loving People.” In this month of Thanksgiving be sure to thank them for what they have done for our community.

*JAMAICAN NIGHT AT OUR HOUSE*

Remember we are having a “Fellowship Night with the Jamaicans” at our house on Friday night, November 13th at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. We will have hamburgers and soda’s and we’ve asked that you bring a side dish (bag of chips) or a dessert (chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, but the Jamaican Orinthia really likes cheesecake). Some of you may not know them but you are welcome to attend to experience the “community” that we love.

*COOVER GRANT*

Our first grant attempt was unsuccessful. We had applied for the Coover grant through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks but we were not funded. This is unfortunate as the grant would have helped us to purchase another 15 passenger van and expand our food deliveries. There were 35 applications for the $110,000 available with the total dollar amount of requests being $458,909. We had asked for $15,000 – $12,000 for food $3000 for a van.

*THURSDAY MORNING & NIGHT*

*Dorgan Weaver*
We have been so excited to have Troy Garrison of Dorgan Weaver Apartments bring some of the young adults the past 2 Thursday nights for deliveries. The Dorgan Weaver and Tan-Tone group have also helped us decorate the Happy Meal bags. I am so glad I have met Troy. This guy has a HUGE heart for people. Had God not led Amy & I down this path with Jesus Was Homeless, we may have never come across the many people like Troy. That’s what Jesus Was Homeless is all about. Building relationships and experiencing community together. Again this month a BIG THANK YOU goes out to Pizza Hut in Branson West. They donated pizza again this month that we could give to 1 family last night. This month we choose the single mom with 4 girls staying in the motel room. They were so excited to receive the pizza. They screamed with excitement and dug into it. The volunteers had to duck as pepperoni’s and sausage’s were flying. It’s such a wonderful experience that God allows us to be a part of. It was another example of “being love” last night as we had several “newbies” with us. Not only do I love it when people come for the first time because it creates awareness but also because they are brave enough to step outside the box of their comfort zone. We had one new volunteer that I got to share and listen to about her experience. Her very first stop God led her to a woman whose mother had recently passed away and she was feeling very lonely and sad. Just by spending a few minutes with her it seemed to lift her spirits. Now this volunteer will be “hooked” as she will be led to come again next week just to check on this lady. We had so much fun last night as we were literally packed into both vans. It’s an awesome way to get to know your neighbor. We invite you to “Come and See”.

*VOLUNTEER GIFT WRAPPING*

Speaking of Troy Garrison he has arranged for us to have a gift wrapping table at Books A Million beginning the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas. If anyone would like to volunteer please contact me. We are trying to put together a schedule of what we can get covered and then Troy’s group will cover the rest. We would gift wrap for donations to Jesus Was Homeless and Troy’s group would gift wrap for Special Olympics.

*THANKSGIVING DINNER*

It’s less than 2 weeks away!! We are so excited. We have had so many people ask to volunteer and all are welcome. Spread the word, it’s free, there’s going to be live music, free winter clothing, free “care bags” of toiletry items, free transportation, food and fellowship. Doors will open at 5:30, food served at 6:30. If you know someone that will be alone for Thanksgiving then this is for them. There’s a flyer that you can print off on the website under the schedule page. Please keep the donations of items coming in.


Remember next week is *“Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week”*. Get outside of your comfort zone and help someone in need. If you’re not hungry or homeless, be thankful.


Have a blessed week,