LOVE

2010-02-18T03:41:00.002-05:00

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” -Gandhi

--How do we fix that? Well Gandhi was not only a problem finder, but a problem solver.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" -Gandhi

So what's the one thing you wish you could see more of in the world?

Go be that.

update. GOOD NEWS!!!

2010-01-20T02:11:00.005-05:00

last time i was in bend, a few people contacted me via twitter and gave some money online for the homeless kids. first of all let me say THANK YOU! its really cool to me that you gave money to better the lives of some people you'll never meet. so i feel like its only fair to share with you what your money is doing.

Sarai and Jeremy both have a consistent place to live now!! Sarai is living with a family and Jeremy has gotten a cheap garage apartment for $125/month. because of the money you gave we were able to get him furniture, clothing, and groceries. he still begs for change to try and pay rent, but whatever he doesn't come up with, we pay. and we're working on getting them both their birth certificates and ID's so they can get jobs.

maybe this story just hits you as words, but its much more than that. 2 kids who in their youth, have experienced way more bad things than anyone should in their entire lifetime are now able to sleep in warmth, cook meals, take showers, and start new lives. i'm so excited for them!! can't wait to be out there with them and catch up!

so thank you so much for your prayers and for those of you who donated your money. not a single cent of that went to us. every bit went to these kids. so thank you for helping us make their world a little better. i know it means the world to them!

HOW TO HELP

2009-11-17T04:48:00.014-05:00

the most common conversation i have these days is about me moving to oregon. explaining why. sharing the situation of the homeless kids we love so much. sharing my passion for a reformation in the modern church. even showing pictures on my phone of the absolute paradise that is bend oregon. it seems to be all people wanna hear about. which is great, because its all i really wanna talk about...

at the end of most of these conversations comes the same question: "how can i help?". here's a few answers:

1. Prayer.
i beg God on a daily basis for our mission. that its His cause and not ours. i can think of no greater tragedy than spending the rest of my life chasing my own cause and not God's. the thought literally turns my stomach and often keeps me up at night. so i plead with God to intervene. left to our own devices, we WILL screw this up. but we believe, and beg God, that this has absolutely nothing to do with us. we're just caught up in the plans of our amazing savior who is showing us WAY too much love by letting us be involved in this. so if you'd like to join us in prayer, pray that God keeps us in the direction of His destination for Icon City and for bend. and that we would never compromise our mission.

2. Clothing, Sleeping Bags, Etc.
oregon gets freaking cold. the homeless kids we work with need tools to stay warm. its hard to survive outside this time of year. sleeping bags are a big deal. if you have an old sleeping bag you never use anymore, it would make an amazing gift to a kid that has nothing. any old warm clothing helps too. if you have some stuff and want to donate, contact me at mwalker.rock@gmail.com and i'll give you the address.

3. Money.
i freaking HATE money. i'm an asshole when i have it, and i can let myself be miserable when i don't. i hate that something has that much power over me. but even worse than i hate money, i HATE HATE HATE asking for money. but i'm not asking for me. i'm asking for our mission. and if that's something you believe in, and want to give to, i feel i need to give you that option. again, this makes me terribly uncomfortable. but a lot of you have asked how you can give to the church so here it is. that link will take you to the donate page of icon city's website. icon city is a 501c3, so donations are tax deductible.

so that's pretty much it. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE -if you really want to help, start with prayer. clothing and money are details better left to God. i believe with my whole heart that He already has a plan for that stuff. if you feel like you're part of that plan, then give. if not, than please keep us in your prayers as we attempt this mission we believe in so much.

i've got love for ya
-walker