"Striving to Ignite Hope"
CedarWood Outreach to the Homeless
by Ricci Johnson-Wilson
Every weekend CedarWood Homeless Outreach goes out into the depths of the city to serve those who have been discarded by society. They had the pleasure of serving 93 warm meals last Saturday and 97 this Saturday.
One wonders what type of individuals we see on the street. The truth is, homelessness shows no discrimination when it comes to gender, race or age. It would shock you to know how many once lived as middle-class citizens, lost their jobs, then their homes, and ultimately their dignity over the course of several difficult and ultimately painful years and now find themselves on the streets scrounging for food.
Seattle has the fourth largest increase of homelessness in the Nation, in addition to its status as a sanctuary city, city council-approved gentrification forces the rent so high, many simply cannot afford to keep a roof over their heads. The city that ranks number one in the nation for homelessness however, is Los Angles. LA boasts a 75% increase in their homeless population in the last six years for much the same reasons.
It is not just political decisions affecting residents; the housing slump, job loss, and long-term illness are among a few reasons these precious souls now live in their cars, tents, or strategically assembled cardboard boxes each night. Drugs, mental-health illness, and poor choices can also be found on this list. It would devastate you to know how many of our youth left for college and cannot afford tuition and housing. Some live in their cars to stay in school, others incur a mountain of student loan debt and struggle for years once they graduate. Others never make it to school. Many are strung out on drugs or living in clusters for safety within the harsh inner-city streets and now, they are digging through the trash to find a half-eaten sandwich to split between several friends-turned-family.
Homelessness does not discriminate between the pregnant mother of two and the healthy young adult, or the lonely senior citizen and the pre-teen kicked out of their home by a frustrated parent/foster parent, or even the veteran who risked his life to serve our country.
These are the varied stories our team reach out to every week. Regardless of the reason, homelessness in our nation is tragic with the events leading up to homelessness, as varied as the individuals themselves.
The economy is certainly headed in the right direction and we, as a nation, are rebounding from the recession. Jobs are on the rise, disposable income is increasing, and in 2017, homelessness declined in every area in the country – except Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington. As a believer in Christ, a conservative, I happen to live in the most liberal state in our Nation: California. At 24%, we have the highest percentage of homelessness in our Nation. However, if you eliminate just the Los Angeles area, even California’s homeless population could be seen in a decline. (Although, with Hollywood right at its center one wonders how it is possible when its residents tend to be famous for their public speeches on the sheer lack of concern held by right-wingers for the low-income or no-income populace, they aren’t doing much to reverse this situation—even within their own community. That’s a story for another time.) The rest of the team lives in Seattle, Washington, another brutally liberal area facing much of the same issues.
There are many reasons an individual is forced to step outside the warmth and safety of the hearth and take to the streets. Once there, they step into a shell of self-preservation to shield them from the onslaught of terror they face as night falls and hunger increases. One 18-year veteran officer stated he’s seen robberies up by 71%, aggravated assault up by 73%, and rape up by 91% over the last year in LA alone. So, yes, fear is fitting and unfortunately becomes a constant companion to those on the streets while trust is not just a rare commodity, it often becomes unattainable.
But God…
Fear, hunger, abuse, desperation, addiction, these are just some of the blockages our team must penetrate when they go out to feed the homeless each weekend.
Each weekend, extensive preparation occurs to enable us to provide a warm meal served from the back of a car. (God provided new warming trays before we even started this outreach knowing what He was going to call us to do next.) Whether it’s breakfast or lunch, biscuits and gravy, shepherd’s pie, pulled-pork sandwiches, or any number of delicious options, our team strives to ensure it will be fresh and warm come Saturday morning. This is likely the only fresh meal our homeless will receive each week and we want it to be special. They deserve nothing less than what we would place on our own kitchen tables. We also provide bags containing toiletries and water along with pop-top foods and snacks for the week. Certainly not enough, but they must be capable of carrying it with them wherever they go. There’s the meal-prep, bag prep, and loading which can be taxing, however, the greatest obstacle comes from the warfare.
Last week I had an experience while I was in prayer: I saw the enemy separating people into homelessness to alienate them from their families, isolate them from society, and ultimately detach them from hope itself. Detach them from HOPE! Hope deferred makes the heart sick and this kind of sick is nearly impossible to come back from. The enemy effectively separated them from family, isolated them from God, and then devoured them. I saw their souls heading for hell. Every person he managed to separate, was on a direct path to hell. I witnessed them each in the “isolation process” it was a holding pattern, provoked by the enemy until they finally shook their fist and cursed God. Once that was accomplished, he would drag their soul to hell. It was a heart-wrenching experience and the value I of this work instantly became immeasurable.
The enemy knows prayer will go forth when we meet with the homeless. No wonder he sends his army to stop us. He knows that the hard shell I mentioned earlier will be chipped away each week until the Light of the Lord can finally penetrate. The adage “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” certainly proves true every Saturday as an outstretched hand, a hug, even prayer gives way to something so beautiful as hearts are melted right before our eyes as tears cleanse these dusty and forgotten faces.
A flicker of trust is all it takes, and hope begins to build from there. Week after week, it seems trust is once again becoming an option as they openly share a prayer request and even allow us to lay hands on them and pray. Alas, a flicker of trust is ignited, and a flame is released as a grown man lays his head on a welcome shoulder and he weeps as the love of Christ pours down over him!
Friends, our efforts to bring nourishment and love to these precious souls, is not a battle for their bodies, it’s a battle for their souls. Is it little wonder why the Lord told us to launch CedarWood International? The CedarWood Pantry, our BackPack Kids program, and our CedarWood Coats & Clothes Closet provide a buffer to ease the financial burden for these families and help stave off hunger, harsh winters, and even thwart homelessness. Many who come for nourishment, leave as a brother or sister in Christ. Reaching deeper into the community by feeding the homeless is our final opportunity to touch their lives and bring them to salvation, how can we possibly say no?
Last weekend, we came across a family living in their truck. A man, his wife and their children. He was so impacted by what our team had done for him and his family, through tears, he brought them a bouquet of flowers he’d picked from the nearby field. It was all he had, but when he stretched out this humble gift, we saw hope ignited in his heart once again! This was the greatest gift we could receive!
I want to thank those of you who’ve partnered with us in our CedarWood Outreach. This was a commission from the Lord, but you have sown into it the necessary elements for it to succeed. We are winning souls for the Kingdom my friends, and the fruit you sow into the work, is credited to your account! (Phil 4:17)
I ask you to continue to keep our teams covered on both Friday and Saturday of each week—we prepare on Friday and serve on Saturday. As I mentioned, the warfare is intense, and we need the prayer covering. If you are in the Seattle area, I invite you to join us for this outreach. Contact the office and we will get you connected.
Blessings & love,
Ricci Johnson-Wilson
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Ricci Johnson-Wilson will be speaking this Thursday night at 5:20 PM PST. This is a powerful time of sharing and I encourage you to invite your friends! These are precious times and the Lord is transforming us through these teachings. Each message is uploaded into the
“Prophetic Intercessor’s Training Ground” by Monday. Time is short my friends and preparation is key to how we will endure the days ahead.
