Life on the Streets - From the Heart of David Van Fleet

Living LIFE on the streets is never easy.  Instead, it can be so brutally painful. Most of us have never been homeless, nor ever would want to. But it’s not always as simple as that. Many we serve do not want to be there.  As we know, life’s many-sided issues and choices (not always our own) can come in droves and completely blind-side us. Before you know it, there you are, living moment by moment, day-to-day on the streets, in need of everything you formerly had taken for granted: food, clothing, bathroom, where to sleep, weather conditions, who to trust, and how to get any money. These are just a few of the daily dilemmas and challenges the poor and homeless face.  

I (David) chose to live that way in the early ’70s for 3 weeks on the Jersey shore which was one of my many times of running away from home, starting at 6 years old. I was sleeping under the boardwalk, panhandling, stealing all I could, and then drinking and drugging even more. 

I have never forgotten that we ALL have run from God, and yet He came to seek us out and save us from ourselves and all our sins. Because of the incredible LOVE of God, we now serve Him from the new heart He has given us, and seek to GO after ALL we can with the same LOVE that He gave us. We seek to #B12Reach1 just as Christ did and still does today! 

For people like Billy, life on the streets has been hard.  He had been coming faithfully to the Step Van at Tompkins Square Park for months now and was receiving much love and grace along with all that we bring practically. We bring clothing, food/drink, hygiene kits, prayers, Bibles and Gospels of John. He was so excited about starting a Bible study for the people living on the streets.  

This summer, he was assaulted several times, had all his belongings stolen twice, and was removed from the place he had been sleeping (as many others had during Covid19).  He then found another place on the streets with a different crowd. I saw him during our end of summer break and brought a lot of much needed practical items for him.

BUT NOW, he is NOWHERE to be found and no one has seen or heard from him in weeks. I even asked the local Police to make inquiries. So we are asking for prayer for BILLY as well as the many others we serve. Please pray with grace and true empathy.  Imagine if this was you or a loved one. God will help and reveal His heart of love to you for the ones known as the “least of these” in Matthew 25.  God is faithful and He will hear and answer us when we call!

UPDATE:  Thanks to all who have prayed for Billy the past few weeks. He is back and doing better. Even today was a small miracle as his boots were completely shot and I told him I am going to get you a pair somehow, someway.  Wouldn't you know it, somebody right then dropped off a pair of brand new perfectly fitted boots for Billy. I never take God for granted or the simplicity of prayer, nor does Billy.