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serving the homeless

Terence Lester
In 90 Days, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Diversity, DRIVES, Education, Fighting for the Hopeless, Global, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Home, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Movement of Doers, Needs, Plant Love, Poverty, Project THIRST, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Reflective, Resources, Serve, , Transform, Uncategorized, Vision

Days 12-14 Serving water

This AM was amazing! Why? We went out and passed out tons of water we collected during our #projectTHIRST campaign! This morning we encountered several people who said that they have experienced dehydration before while living on the streets, and were grateful for the water.

While serving, I got a chance to help some people on 14th day of #closetstrike… It was humbling…I’ve been wearing one outfit for 14 DAYS straight, and I still can’t believe it…

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Now, some may say that it is pointless to go out and distribute bottles of water, but I beg to differ… Our goal was to collect tons of water to encounter people who are subject to dehydration, and build relationships with them, learn their stories, and see how we can get them the resources needed to transition off of the streets (while making sure they are hydrated during Summer months).

Well, while serving we encountered this 28 year young man named Lamar! By passing out one bottle of water, it sparked a conversation that ended up with me driving him to Atlanta Crisis Center to check himself in… He told me he hadn’t slept in three days because of the hard drugs he was doing…But for some reason he wanted to try to leave the streets this AM…

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So, was it the water, or was it the conversation that mattered. I believe it was the conversation! I believe it was the relationship, and I believe it was because we chose to go beyond a hand out…

Hand outs do nothing, but hearing stories and building relationships can be used by God to do wonders!

Below is the bottle of water that sparked the conversation. Pray that we reach more people, hydrate more people, and pray that I stay committed to the #closetstrike journey.

Terence

Terence Lester
In Campaigns, Collaboration, DRIVES, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, Mission, Missions, Movement of Doers, Project THIRST, Raising Awareness, , Sociology, The Local Church, Transform, Vision

Dehydration and #projectTHIRST

Dehydration is one of the most common preventable reasons for hospitalization. Lower income families are at an increased risk, due to limited availability of resources. The homeless population, especially in cities with sweltering summer heats like Atlanta, are at an increased risk for dehydration related hospitalization.

People with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, the elderly and the young, have the greatest risk of becoming severely dehydrated, or needing hospitalization.

There are an average of 500,000+ people hospitalized every year for dehydration.

#projectTHIRST is taking donations of fluids to give to the homeless we can reach. To help, please contact us! Remember, just one bottle of water could SAVE a life this summer!

Jamie

Terence Lester
In 90 Days, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Diversity, DRIVES, Education, Fighting for the Hopeless, Global, Gospel, Great Commission, Journey, Life Change, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Movement of Doers, Needs, Poverty, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve, , Sociology, The Local Church, Transform, Uncategorized, Uniforms of Hope, Vision

1 day down 89 to go…

Today, was my first full day of #closetstrike! It is going to be a long journey to go 90 full days with only one outfit. I walked into the closet today, and just looked… Why go 90 DAYS? Check it out [HERE].

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Terence

Terence Lester
In Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, DRIVES, Fighting for the Hopeless, Global, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Life Change, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Movement of Doers, Needs, Poverty, Project THIRST, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve, , Sociology, The Local Church, Transform, Vision

DAY 1 #projectTHIRST

Day 1 of #projectTHIRST… We have 11 cases of water pledged so far… We’re excited about serving this Summer! Here are the updated drop-off locations for #lovebeyondwalls

LBW-ProjectThirstdropoff

Terence

Terence Lester
In 90 Days, Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Diversity, DRIVES, Education, Family Values, Fighting for the Hopeless, Gospel, Homelessness, Journey, Life Change, Life-dares, Love Beyond Borders, Mission, Missions, Movement of Doers, Needs, Overseas, Plant Love, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Second Homelessness Ribbon, Serve, , Story, The Local Church, Vision

Closet Strike (May 3rd-July 31st)

On May 3rd, I will start a journey that will be one of the longest journey’s of my life! Probably the most humbling too…. In fact, it will take over 2K hours to complete! But I feel like it is what I am supposed to do…

Why? Because I would like to advocate for children without proper clothing or closets! There are so many children facing poverty or are experiencing “family homelessness” that have to wear the same thing ever single day. Or, they don’t have the proper clothing period.

We have done community work in Title 1 Schools and have encountered so many children who literally wore the same thing every singe day because they didn’t have a choice or a washing machine….

In fact, that’s what this campaign is about… I am literally going to donate every single article of clothing, shoes, etc I own (leaving myself only one outfit), and will walk in the shoes of children across this nation and world who have very few articles of clothing in their closet. Yes, you heard that right… Every single thing I own! 

I am going to wear one outfit for 90 DAYS straight to raise awareness, uniforms, and clothing for children facing generational poverty. I’m literally giving up my closet, so children who do not have closets will have one. I will write, post, and update my entire journey via social media to explain the social pressures associated with little (hoping to educate the public about what poverty does to children psychologically). Hopefully, this campaign will enlighten, educate, and move people to respond to the issue of lack.

Why do this? Simple. Over the last several months I have had many experiences that centered around children not having proper attire and experiencing extreme poverty. I have met many homeless mothers that have children who lacked necessities during their hardship/transition, spoken with struggling single fathers who could not afford to purchase basic items for their children to wear, worked in schools and have encountered children (K-5) that have to wear the same thing EVERY SINGLE DAY because their family can’t afford to purchase items for them.

I even heard a child say, “Mom, my feet hurt…” because the shoes this 4 year old was wearing shoes that were not his size (while experiencing homelessness)…

I have discovered something in all the stories I encounter that involve children and poverty… Their pains are directly tied to their caregivers, and is not their own fault. As I prepare myself over the next 4 days, I’m reminded of how Jesus not only served people, but gave up his life to reconcile humanity back to God.

Pray for #lovebeyondwalls and our journey with #closetstrike… The artwork is below!

Instagram 2.0Terence

Terence Lester
In Campaigns, Collaboration, Diversity, DRIVES, Education, Fighting for the Hopeless, Global, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, Life Change, Life-dares, Mission, Missions, Movement of Doers, Needs, Passion, Poverty, Project THIRST, Raising Awareness, Resources, , The Local Church, Vision

Dehydration story & Homelessness

Most people have asked, “Why in the world are we raising bottled water for the Summer?” Well, we went downtown and interviewed several homeless people about public water access, and found out that it is extremely hard to get water and even harder during the Summer months. Additionally, I almost lost a friend who is homeless due to dehydration, hypertension, and health conditions this year.

Therefore, we chatted with a brother named Skip, and he said that he’s had a struggle trying to get water everyday (even being put out of public places as a homeless person for trying to get water).

Here is a short clip below:

With the lack of public water for homeless people, this quote below by the National Healthcare for the Homeless becomes true:

Heat-related Conditions

“Persons who live on the streets or in shelters are at increased risk for dehydration in warmer climates, particularly during summer months. Be aware that diuretics can exacerbate dehydration and that limited access to water or bathroom facilities may interfere with treatment adherence.”

With these findings, #lovebeyondwalls is vowing to combat homeless dehydration for many homeless people this Summer by providing drinking water. Yep. That simple. Bottled water. If you would like to get involved, check out our flyer [HERE], or contact us.

Terence

Terence Lester
In Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Diversity, DRIVES, Education, Engagements, Fighting for the Hopeless, Global, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, Journey, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Mission, Missions, Movement of Doers, Needs, Passion, Plant Love, Poverty, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve, , The Local Church, Transform, Vision

Heartfelt News & A Mission

The other week, I received horrible news about one of the guys that we worked with that stayed under the bridge (Tent City). When I met him a few months back, he was struggling with his health. Therefore, we got him connected to an agency that provides healthcare, and he was doing well. Well, after they shut down “Tent City” he started to go downhill again.

I just found out that he was hospitalized due to dehydration, and other health conditions. This not only upsets me, but it has me thinking….

Would this have happened if we didn’t lose touch with him and many others that were displaced from living under the bridge.

 

This morning my heart is heavy, and I feel like we have to do something! Not just for Joe, but for others who may end up in the hospital this Summer!

I wonder how many more homeless men, women, and children do not have access to water in the city… I wonder how many are rushed to the hospital because of dehydration and health conditions… I wonder how many will be rushed to the hospital today…

Well, in honor of my friend Joe we are going to make sure every homeless person we encounter this Summer is hydrated. Please join us in our May campaign to raise water!

We are calling this #projectTHIRST… Below is the image!

LBW-ProjectThirst-nonumber

Terence

Terence Lester
In Blogging Journey, Campaigns, Collaboration, Diversity, DRIVES, Fighting for the Hopeless, First Office, Global, Gospel, Great Commission, Homelessness, LBW Begins, LBW Home, Movement of Doers, Passion, Plant Love, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Serve, , The Local Church, Transform, Vision

Plant Love PAINT DAY (1)

Today is the first actual day that we were able to rally people around the office and paint! Why? Because we just secured our certificate to occupy paper yesterday. It’s the middle of April and a little behind, but definitely on track (God’s timing). Below is a panoramic picture of some of the team working today!

We are definitely excited about planting “LOVE” in ATL!!!!10260013_685362788167556_4563559948324472029_n

Terence

Terence Lester
In DRIVES, Fighting for the Hopeless, First Office, Homelessness, LBW Home, Movement of Doers, Needs, Passion, Poverty, Purpose, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve, Uncategorized, Vision

Donations & Monthly Contributions

While we are continuing to get our office space/storage locations ready for operation, we still have a few ways that you can contribute items or monetary donations to our organization.

For item donations:

You can review the list of items that we need for our office space on our Wish List tab and can Contact Us for the best location to drop those items off.

For monetary contributions:

We are currently looking for monthly contributors. You can donate monthly for any amount you would like on our GoFundMe account. Simply click “donate.” Next to the box for the amount, check “Yes! Donate each month.”

If you would prefer, you can also donate on our Paypal account – you can choose to turn that into a monthly contribution as well.

As always, we would like to thank all of our volunteers, and all the people who have donated money, items or their time. We simply wouldn’t be able to accomplish all of our goals for the city of Atlanta without the support of the community. Thank you!

Jamie

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