1-8-14

Greetings and happy polar vortex to you all!

I hope this message finds you all in the middle of a happy hump day. Also, I hope you are all staying warm from this extreme cold weather. However, this morning I walked outside into 30 degree temps and it felt like a heat wave.

Last week we witnessed a very cold night but we delivered an abundance of supplies to our friends and neighbors on the streets. Though we had a small group of riders and helpers, we managed to deliver 275 burritos, 4 cases of bottled water, loads of gloves, caps, scarves, and enough granola bars and snacks to feed an army.  I want to thank the compassionate group of discyplists, cooks, donators, helpers, and prayers that came together to make this night possible. It would be quite difficult to fulfill this mission with out all of you. God bless you all and thanks be to God.

As we all know the temps have plummeted to record lows. Over the past couple of days some UBFM members have come together to help out those who are on the streets and have nowhere to go. Thanks to those who initiated a movement to do this. We managed to pick up several folks and take them to shelters over the past couple of nights. There were many that refused to leave their corners and cubbies. For those people, we gave them a hot cocoa, wrapped them in a few more layers, filled their pockets with hand warmers, and prayed for them. Many thanks go to those who helped out with this mission. I was ecstatic to go out and help people on these nights. We did not use bicycles; we simply drove around in cars. I will say this was difficult. I was reminded of why we use bicycles. It is so much easier to approach people on a bike. It is also much easier to pull over on the sidewalk to visit with someone. This is hard to do with an SUV.

If the temps continue to stay low I would like to continue these trips. However, it seems that we may not get any more single digit temps this week. I don’t mind cold weather but that is a blessing. Stay tuned to the weather and I will post a message letting you all know if we continue to do this on these super cold nights.

Tonight will be our normal Wednesday night meeting. We will meet at 7:30 to load up, split into small groups and roll out at 8:00, and try to return around 10:00. If you would like to arrive early for preparation, my door will be open at 6:30 PM. If you plan on joining us for a ride tonight I look forward to seeing you and serving with you. If you are unable to join us I ask that you send us some prayers for safety and guidance. Pray that our mission makes a positive impact on those who we reach and those who experience it. Pray that we are able to spread love and joy around our great city. If you are not the praying type I ask that you talk about us. Tell people who we are and what we do.

Thank you all for the support, donations, prayers, physical help, and all the contributions. This missional ministry is possible because of you. I do believe this is a product of God’s will but I also believe God makes it possible through God’s people. It is a blessing to see it all unfold through my friends.

Peace