Ask and you shall receive (AKA "be careful what you ask for")

Ben and I are on vacation in Savannah this weekend, which is super exciting for us for a few reasons. A) We haven't been on a trip by ourselves in at least 3 years B) This was my birthday (surprise) gift from Ben which is super sweet as this has been a "dream" of mine C) It allowed us to stop off at David Platt's church on the way up, which has also been a "dream" of ours.

We attended the early service at The Church at Brook Hills on Sunday morning...wow. Lovedworshipping with the body of Christ, gaining a fresh perspective on how "church" is being done in other places, and we were challenged by the Word. We left energized and refreshed at the same time. The message had to do with taking the gospel to the "next generation" which isappropriate since we are in youth ministry. Awesome stuff. After being challenged, we were then headed on our way for a vacation. We know that we need this time together and the time away from our day to day routines at home. At the same time, we also desire to be useful for the kingdom...even on vacation.I prayed that morning that the Lord would provide us with an opportunity to serve and/or share the gospel. "Be careful what you ask for!" God LOVES to answer these prayers with a resounding, "OK!"Sunday night we got checked in to our hotel andwanted to do some exploring. We walked down to River Street and had a blast sightseeing, taking pictures, and taking in the sea air. We were looking for a place to eat the whole time that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and weren't having much luck. Then, we happened upon what we thought was "just another homeless guy," of whom sadly would be one of very many on this trip. He came up to us and said he was very hungry and just wondered if we could help him get something to eat. He proceeded to tell us that he was a Vietnam Vet, and said he didn't want any money...just some food in his stomach, we had no cash on us, and we both immediately felt compelled to help this man. We just trusted that the Lord would take care of us, and He wanted us to take care of this man. His name is Joseph Cohen, but everyone around town calls him "Joe." And believe me, everyone knows Joe. ;)

We quickly came to find out that Joe was not just a homeless guy panhandling in the streets of Savannah. Joe was a divine appointment from the Lord...the answer to my prayer from earlier that morning. Joe has a wife and her 6 kids. Up until last August they all lived together in a house on the south side of the historic district. That was, until their house was destroyed by fire. They lost everything.In order to provide for his family, they had to separate. His wife and kids are safe in the south part of town, while he sleeps on a friend's couch at night and walks all day (his friend is a user and will take everything Joe has or gets). Joe is a believer in Jesus Christ, and a man of great faith. He has had his share of difficult days over the past seven

months, but He says the Lord has never given him more than he can handle. He thanks the Lord for allowing his house to burn, but keeping his family safe. He told us that he would not have become dependent on the Lord had it not been for losing everything in that fire. He walks the streets of Savannah every day spreading the gospel of Christ everywhere he goes. We took him to dinner Sunday night and had coffee with him tonight (we were walking back to our hotel and "just happened to run into him" again!), and he keeps amazing us with his faith andperspective. He keeps telling us that he is so blessed to have met us, but it's us I believe who are receiving a greater blessing. I'm challenged by this man's response to suffering. He went from just being an average Joe (pun intended), to being separated from his family, forced to humble himself and rely on others for his daily needs and the needs of his family (which he

rightly sees as relying on the Lord...yet recognizing his having to have humility in asking for help), and being scoffed at and rejected by people who seven months ago could have been his next door neighbors. We took him to The Outback on Sunday night, and he just couldn't believe he was eating inside a restaurant like that. If he had tried to go in by himself, they would have turned him away. He's ok with that...he is gracious, polite, and kind anyway.Many have been helping him. He says all that have helped him belong to the Body of Christ. Praise the Lord for these obedient Christians! And we praise the Lord for His Spirit impressing upon us the need to help Joe and enabling us to obey. As we sat in Starbucks tonight (he's made friends with the night shift), I just couldn't help smiling as he praised the Lord for his current situation and thanked God for the ministry he has by being displaced. He told us story after story of people he's been able to minister to because of where the Lord has Him. And He gives God all the

glory for the hope that he has in getting his life back together soon through his caseworker at the VA. What an incredible child of God.

If you think about it, pray for Joseph (Joe) Cohen...actually, don't think about it, just do it. And pray for all of us as members of Christ's body, that we would obey, serve, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ without question and without fail. Pray that we also, like Joe, would live out that gospel wherever we find ourselves by being sensitive to the Holy Spirit living within us. Whether that's at home, in our churches, in the workplace, in line at the grocery store, or even on vacation. And one last thing to pray for...pray that we would have a right response to

suffering - I need this prayer especially. I'm really challenged by Joe's faith and response.

God certainly answered my prayer this week. Pray that I won't shy away from praying that again! I can't wait to hear what Joe has to say tomorrow night! I'm sure we'll "just happen to run into him" again. :)