In Remembrance...

Ted Although we did not have a picture of our friend teddy, this tent that you see is where he lived and where we spent many mornings together. Teddy lived in the woods of Trenton for many years. You could always find him during the week waiting at the corner of route 129, in hopes of finding work for the day. Ted prided himself on being self-sufficient and independent. I'll never forget what happened on one Christmas Eve. The team and I went back into the woods to share a Christmas breakfast together and when we found teddy he had something for us. After returning from his tent he brought with him two gifts. The first was for Claudia, it was a make-up kit. The second was for me, it was a watch. I always wondered where those gifts came from but needless to say we were both touched by his thoughtfulness that morning. Teddy was a friend of this ministry and a friend to many others. He will be missed, and it is our hope that he experienced the Love of God during the two plus years of our friendship.
Walt We only met Walt twice, but his memory is sketched into our minds forever. The first time we met Walt he was sleeping in the woods in a tent in the middle of winter. I remember the morning like it was yesterday. We just came back into Trenton after ministering all morning in Philadelphia. We walked into the woods not knowing who we would find there, and we left the woods that morning having found a new friend. Walt was huddled barefoot in a tent. The thing I remember most was watching his hair fall as he was combing his head. We knew then that Walt was sick. And our suspicions were confirmed when he told us he had liver cancer. Dave and I spent an hour with Walt that morning. I'll never forget how genuine and honest Walt was with us and with the Lord. He shared his hopelessness and just how miserable his life was and how he saw no way out, while never blaming God for his circumstances. I remember how Walt called out to Jesus that day and shared his heart and his hurt with him. For months after that day my kids would ask for Walt and how he was doing as they were consistently praying for him. Just about a month ago we saw Walt again for the last time. He had just come out of the hospital and was back in the woods. He said he felt good and was thankful for whatever time he had. It's refreshing to know that Walt is free from his suffering in this world, and it is our belief that he is with the one whom he called out to when we first visited him on that cold winter day.	Walt is the guy with the glasses.
Mike We met mike while he was living in a shack in the woods. What impressed me most about mike was how he built the shack that he lived in. Taking planks of wood and painting tarps he erected the walls and the roof with great care. And inside he took great pride how he kept and furnished it. Mike grew up in the church and had a general knowledge of scripture. He loved to sit down with us and have a cup of coffee while combing over scripture. He looked forward to having Sunday morning bible studies and always asked for and appreciated when we prayed for him. Mike left this world at the end of 2006.
Jimmy We loved Jimmy. He will always be a part of us and a part of what we do. Jimmy struggled for over 40 years with drug addiction and at the end of his life he allowed us to get close to him while sharing many breakfast’s together. He lived the last years of his life underneath a bridge and always welcomed us when we went to visit him. Our friend Jimmy was probably the most appreciative person that we have ever ministered to. He was more concerned with my welfare than his own. He would often tell me that I was doing too much and he was concerned about the amount of time the ministry took me away from my family. When I first met him he had a hard time remembering my name so when I gave him my phone number he wrote God next to it to help him remember whose number it was. This might be the greatest compliment I have ever and perhaps will ever receive. Although he never could eliminate the demons of drug addiction from his life, near the end of his life on Christmas Eve he called out to the Lord while sitting on a park bench praying with several members of Street Church Ministries. Several weeks later in February 2007 Jimmy slipped into eternity. Jimmy will be greatly missed but I am confident we will be together again.
Mike We first met Mike while he was living underneath a bridge. He was a man who struggled mightily with addiction. Many mornings and evenings we sat together under that hopeless desolate bridge and shared our hearts. When we brought breakfast, Mike was always the first one in the parking lot to help us carry all the food. Oh, and it wasn’t because he wanted to eat (he barely ate a thing). It was just his way. I always thought that was real neat. When we first met Mike, he barely wanted to talk to us. After many weeks he began to trust us and after a while he would be the one asking us to pray for him before we left. Mike was what you would call a veteran, a lifer under that bridge. It’s our hope and desire that Mike is now a lifer in the Kingdom of Heaven.	Mike is the guy in the yellow shirt.
Al Al was one of the kindest, gentlest men that I have ever met. We first met Al while he was living in a cemetery. Not long after we met did he move across the street on the side of a building. Al had nothing. I mean nothing. But he never asked us for a thing. For the first few months after we met Al he barely said two words to us, nor did he ever call us by our names. After about a year our friend started to open up to us. He began calling us by name and he never forgot our names. Even after he returned from a lengthy stint in jail he remembered our names. This meant a lot to me personally. Al never shared his feelings much about the Lord, but he graciously listened intently to us and not only heard the gospel, but got to see it in action. Al was a man of few words, but a man of much kindness. In June 2007 our friend passed away. We at street church ministries believe that Al no longer sleeps on the side of a building but in a room that has been prepared for him by our Lord.