Much to my surprise, I've enjoyed getting lost in the mythical love story....it's become my guilty pleasure. Not so impressed with the movies, but thoroughly captivated by the writings of Stephenie Meyer, her writing style is simple yet elegant. She has an innocent way of pulling you in and leaving you thirsty for more. (no pun intended)
As I mentioned two posts ago, 2010 is rapidly transforming into a year of new and exciting things. A few years back, while at a music school in south Florida, I had an opportunity to be involved with a group of people who had a burden for the homeless. Homelessness is huge in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area, mainly because the weather is usually mild (well, not too cold at least). While most travel to Miami for the beaches and the high end clubs and restaurants, this group of people had an entirely different mission - love on the broken and unloved.
This group was quickly named Love Bags and it began to spread like wildfire. What was meeting once a week, became several nights of the week and then began spreading to areas outside of Ft Lauderdale, Miami and Pompano Beach. During a meeting we would come together, bringing canned goods and supplies to help the homeless survive, such as bottled water, canned tuna lunches, granola bars, socks, travel tooth brushes, etc., etc. We would assemble large ziploc bags and inside leave a tiny folded paper containing a verse of love. We would then take a few moments to pray for our evening, asking God to bless our night as He leads us to the broken and then be on our way. Using the buddy system, of course, and taking necessary precautions, we would hit the streets of south Florida (usually at night) in pursuit of the homeless. 
I'll never forget the conversation I had with a woman - evicted from her apartment because she lost her job and could no longer afford rent, she was found huddled on the porch of an abandoned house. We approached her carefully, only wanting to give her a bag and offer her kind words - but as the others in our group began to socialize with homeless people scattered near by, I felt compelled to ask her more about her life. I soon found out that she had once belonged to a wealthy family, had traveled the world and had been married with grown children - her husband, for whatever reasons, had left her and she found herself alone, trying to afford a suitable lifestyle for herself and her kids (whom were younger at the time of the divorce). Seeing the pain in her eyes as she recalled the events of her life, gripped my heart. 
Her face was beautiful despite the dirt that stuck after a humid day, her eyes were honest yet filled with tears. I couldn't help but sit there and hold her - an embrace and a prayer was all a poor college kid, like me, had to offer at the time. Towards the end of our conversation, she began rummaging through what little belongings she had, and pulled out a beautiful hand blown, glass bird. She placed it in the palm of my hand and told me it was from a trip to Europe she once took with her father - it was the most valuable thing she had and she wanted me to have it, in return for my kindness. My eyes began to burn, as I couldn't find the words to say. And so here I sit, a few years later, not sure where that woman is today, but forever touched by her life. I'm challenged and compelled to live out Christianity in a way so real and tangible. So I'm proud to announce that I'm currently researching ways to bring Love Bags here to Pensacola. Now an official organization, they have a website explaining more of what they're about and how they touch the lives of the homeless community in south Florida. Click here to read their stories and see how you can be part of or begin a Love Bags chapter in your area. And stay tuned if you're interested in being part of the Pensacola movement - our projected start date is mid February.
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