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Sole Beauti

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Community, Community Service, Documentaries, DRIVES, Education, Empowering Youth, Family, Family Values, Fighting for the Hopeless, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Home, Life Change, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Partnerships, Poverty, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve, Serving, Sole Beauti, Struggle, The Local Church, Videography, Vision, Volunteerism

Top Four Challenges of Living on Bus – Mobile Makeovers!

It hit me this AM around 5… It is only four days left until I attempt to do this!

Yesterday, when I picked my daughter up from school she hands me a card that touched my heart… For the last month, my wife and I have been preparing her (and my son) with the information I have been sharing about living on top of the bus for 30 nights.

I told her that she’d see me everyday but that I would be living on a bus trying to awareness/funds so we can help people with #lovebeyondwalls. At first she was uncomfortable because she said, “It was dangerous and she don’t know how I would take a shower” (LOL). But, yesterday it clicked for her. She has been serving with her mom and I since she was a 1 year old. We have modeled our lives in showing her how to be a giving person.

So yesterday she walked up to me, and says, “Dad, I will always be your best friend, and will help you…I’m going to be there…” In fact, she has encouraged me more to start and finish. Check out out card with my beard all grown out…

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This touched something deep within me, but it also caused me to start to think about the top four challenges I’ll face while up there. Here they are:

1) I’ll be staying up there at night in freezing weather. Although, I’ll have a power supply it will still be very difficult because the wind chills will get rough.

2) I will not be able to be with my family. Living on the bus will have me away from my family for a large number of days. I will see them, but it will be very difficult.

3) I will not have tons of social interaction. There are some days where we are going to ask people to come out, but I will be on top of the bus tons of hours and not around anyone. I am going to post my number so random people can call me and check on me.

4) It will be a battle mentally. Because I’ll spend close 700 hours on this bus it will be very difficult for me. I will have a lot of free time, and plan on writing, reading, and posting videos giving people updates.

I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I attempt to do this to glorify God, and hopefully mobilize people to help us get this bus up and going to serve/reach more people in Atlanta.

Terence

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Community, Community Service, Diversity, Education, Empowering Youth, Family, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Life Change, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Needs, Partnerships, Passion, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Resources, Sole Beauti, Struggle, Transform, Vision, Volunteerism

Get on the bus – Mobile Makeovers!

Below is a brief video introducing the next campaign, and why #lovebneyondwalls is attempting to do this!

LBW Team

Terence Lester
In 501c3, 90 Days, Be the Church, Campaigns, Collaboration, College Park, Community, Community Service, Diversity, DRIVES, Empowering Youth, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Begins, Life Change, Mission, Missions, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Needs, Organization Update, Partnerships, Plant Love, Poverty, Project5K, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve, Serving, Sole Beauti, Struggle, Techie News, Uncategorized, Violence, Volunteerism

We put Graffiti on the Bus – Take the bus!

Have you every wanted to see something happen so bad that you would be willing to do whatever it took to see it through, and make sure it happened.

Well, that’s the exact space I’m in right now. Around Sept, we were donated a bus, and dreamed of launching a mobile bus that would provide full makeovers (barbershop, closet, and showers) to this who were in need in the city of Atlanta. And, honestly it has been a really slow process.

I didn’t think we’d transform the bus over night, but each day that passes, I am becoming more and more compassionate about making over communities by building relationships, and launching a program that will give people skills who are in need. Especially after seeing the tragic events that have taken place with people killing homeless people in the city of Atlanta, the horrible police brutality cases, and encountering more families with youth in desperate need.

In fact, we are so passionate about this, I am about to stay on the bus a total of 30 nights until we can raise the funds to change this bus so we can reach people. This is by far the craziest thing I have ever attempted to do, but I am this fired up to see our organization play a major part in stopping violence, providing dignity to those in need, and serving more people as time progresses.

I am literally six days away from staying on top of a bus for 30 days to raise awareness about the need to see lives change. Below is a picture of the bus we have spray painted and put a ramp on top of where I’ll be staying.

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Terence

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Campaigns, DRIVES, Family Values, Fighting for the Hopeless, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Life Change, Love Beyond Walls Story, Mission, Missions, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Needs, Organization Update, Plant Love, Poverty, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve, Serving, Sole Beauti, Vision, Volunteerism

Standing Up for Something!

This year has been really emotional for a number of reasons! Firstly, I think our country has been awakened to the fact that people matter. No matter what color of skin, all people matter and should NOT be treated unfairly, unjustly, or dehumanized.

We’ve seen the homeless epidemic rise, people battle and struggle with job loss, multiple youth lose their lives to police brutality, and poverty continue to place its firm grip tightly around those that are plagued by it.

Second and last, we’ve heard the underlining clarion call for people to unite band together, and take responsibility in their communities. If we have learned nothing else from the events that have taken place this year, we have learned that more people are needed to take a stand for something. Whether it be poverty, violence, employment, etc… more people are needed to stand up and become a bridge for those who are in need.

Right now, #lovebeyondwalls is on a mission to reach communities, those faced with poverty and (young and old) people who want to overcome and make their lives over. Our hearts have not only been broken for the recent killings that have happened in the news, but toward community, youth, and the family structure.

A few months ago, a church gave us a bus to transform into a makeover bus to reach communities and people. It has been a dream of our organization not only to reach people, but to use it as a platform to launch a program to teach people skills needed to function in life. We’d pass along this skills to help people take steps toward having a full life makeover!

In fact, we are so serious about launching this vehicle, we are going to attempt something that’s extremely hard in an effort to bring awareness to the growing need to help families, youth, and those who are homeless in the city. Additionally, we want to mobilize people to get involved in helping us create real solutions. We are going to take a stand to launch something to help make the lives of people over!

Below is a quick clip of what…

 

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, College Park, Community Service, Diversity, DRIVES, Fighting for the Hopeless, Great Commission, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Love In The Trenches, Mission, Missions, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Needs, Partnerships, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Serve, , Sole Beauti, The Local Church, Transform, Vision, Volunteerism

Help Us Change Lives – Mobile Makeovers!

This past Saturday, we launched one of our most heartfelt campaigns called “Mobile Makeovers” on indiegogo! Simply put, we are aiming to raise funds to retrofit a 30 passenger bus and turn it into a mobile barbershop, closet, and shower to serve homeless individuals in the city of Atlanta, and under resourced communities.

Mobile Makeovers – Mobile Barbershop, Closet, & Shower from Love Beyond Walls on Vimeo.

In fact, the top five reasons we need your help getting this project off the ground is simple:

1) It will help us reach people who have no hope, and do not have a voice.

2) It will help us to restore dignity back to those who have been dehumanized or marginalized by poverty.

3) It will help us bring agencies, churches, and individuals together to do good in the city and love on people.

4) It will help us see total life change in the lives of those we serve that are ready to make that step!

5) It will help us educate more people about poverty, homelessness, and social ills that plague communities.

Mobilemakeoversart

Above are real reasons why we feel we should take this bus and do something amazing with it to impact real people experiencing real problems. There are four ways you can get involved:

1) You can pray–pray that God blesses us to complete this project.

2) You can share–share the story of this project.

3) You can give-give toward our 50K goal by clicking the image.

4) You can serve–volunteer to serve to help us retrofit the bus.

Overall, we would just like to give our small token back to society in a major way.

Terence

 

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Community, Community Service, Corporate Sponsorships, Diversity, DRIVES, Fighting for the Hopeless, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Life Change, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Needs, Partnerships, Plant Love, Raising Awareness, Resources, , Sole Beauti, Vision, Volunteerism

Historical weekend – DAYS 7-10

This past weekend, we partnered with Points of Light to mobilize 5 interns to help us take the seats out of the bus we were donated. They arrived, heard our vision, and instantly connected with the vision we are attempting to implement. Below are a few pictures, and clips from their service. We are going to launch our campaign to attempt to raise funds to finish our campaign… (this weekend also marks 10 days of no haircuts/beard shaving)

businterns

Terence

 

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Blankets & Socks, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Community, Community Service, DRIVES, Engagements, Fighting for the Hopeless, Great Commission, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Life Change, Life-dares, Love Beyond Walls Story, Love In The Trenches, Mission, Missions, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Needs, Partnerships, Plant Love, Poverty, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Resources, , Sole Beauti, Struggle, The Local Church, Transform, Vision, Volunteerism

Nov 1 – Starts the campaign

Starting tomorrow Nov 1, myself (Terence) and a few from our team will start another journey to help those in need. I’m literally going until 2015 without cutting my hair or beard. Can’t wait to reveal why soon…#mobilemakeovers #lovebeyondwalls

nomorehaircuts

LBW Team

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Campaigns, Collaboration, Community, Community Service, Current Events, Fighting for the Hopeless, Give Miles Away, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Life Change, Life-dares, Love Beyond Walls Story, Mobile Makeovers, Movement of Doers, Organization Update, Partnerships, Raising Awareness, Resources, , Sole Beauti, Transform, Uncategorized, Videography, Vision, VLOG, Volunteerism

No more haircuts!

About a month ago, we met a guy named Leonard digging through trashcans! We walked up to him, stopped him, and engaged into about a 45 minute conversation with him. During our conversation, we asked Leonard a very important question, “If you had one wish, what would you do with it….” Leonard paused, thought, and then said these words… “I WISH I COULD BE MADE OVER!”

He shared with us that he hadn’t showered in over two months, and he was too far from a shelter to walk to one. In fact, he was on the outskirts of Atlanta, and the nearest shelter was over 15 miles away.

I (Terence ) distinctly remember leaving there think to myself, “There has got to be a way to make people over….” Paul writes “that God has the power to make people a new creation through the good news (2 Corinthians 5:17)”

Well, to start the process of our next awareness campaign! I (and a few others) are going to go until next year without cutting our hair (starting Nov 1)…. This month also happens to be MOVEMBER (A month dedicated toward raising awareness about men health issues)

Why? I am glad you asked. Well, you’ll find out what we will attempt to do to help people like Leonard around the city of Atlanta! Pray that God continues to resource us to take #lovebeyondwalls

Watch the video below to see the bus…. Terence

 

Terence Lester
In Be the Church, Collaboration, Community, Community Service, Corporate Sponsorships, Diversity, Fighting for the Hopeless, First Office, Global, LBW Home, Life Change, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Organization Update, Partnerships, Plant Love, Poverty, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Serve, Serving, , Sociology, Sole Beauti, Transform, Vision, Volunteerism

LBW plants a Barbershop/Salon – #solebeauti

This past weekend, we started renovating again!

How? We decided to partner with #solebeauti to start a Barbershop/Salon in our offices to serve people in need. It’s being started by one of our team members and committed volunteers (Nicole Campbell). She is partnering with us and has vowed to donate and give discounted haircuts and styles to those #lovebeyondwalls serve in the city of Atlanta when her normal customers visits her Barbershop/Salon!

Below is a quick picture of the #solebeauti process at the LBW headquarters!

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LBW Team