This past weekend,
Bryan & I headed to Atlanta to serve with the wonderful ministries of Atlanta Dream Center. If you have never heard of the
Atlanta Dream Center (ADC), please read the following information about this
ministry (taken from their website):
The Atlanta Dream Center (ADC ),
founded in 2003 by Pastor Paul Palmer and his family, exists for one reason: to
reach the lost, rescue those in need and restore the brokenhearted. We do
this through our three major ministries, iAm (men), Out of Darkness (women), and Metro Kidz (children).
At the ADC, we impact as many hearts and lives as we can through
the power of the Gospel. We know that to do this, we must abide in God’s
presence and seek divine direction in all we do. Our team is unified in our
commitment to walk in honesty, humility and holiness and to show honor and
compassion to all those we meet.
Our supreme desire is to share the love of God with everyone we
meet so that they, too, will follow Him. We believe that love is an action
word. It is the guiding principle behind all we say and do. It is why when we
see a need, we act, and why it is our overarching desire is to reach the lost,
rescue those in need and restore the brokenhearted.
Our vision is to reach, rescue and restore men, women and
children so that the glory of God may be known. Each of these precious ones is
part of a notoriously difficult-to-reach demographic that includes the
homeless, commercially sexually exploited and at-risk, underprivileged
children. We have seen the injustice visited upon these lives, and we are
determined to be aggressive in our response.
Through His goodness, God has allowed us to partner with Him in
bringing restoration to those shunned by society through three powerful
ministries: iAm (men); Out of Darkness, (women); and Metro Kidz, (children). Each day, we strive to reach, rescue and
restore these dear ones not through our might but His.
The need is great, and the time is short. We have faith in your
willingness to respond to the need that is before us and we know that He will
be faithful in accomplishing the work that He has begun here in the city of
Atlanta.
The Atlanta Dream Center is located in the Old 4thWard community of Atlanta. When you first drive up to their building, it doesn’t look as big
or impressive as many of the buildings in Atlanta, but when you realize how
many different ministries & outreaches the ADC is comprised of, you quickly
become in awe of it. In addition to the office spaces, the building also houses
a large commercial kitchen that feeds several hundred people (typically) a day,
a food bank, & a warehouse that stores donated furniture to give to those
the ministry helps to get back on their feet.
In the lobby of the ADC, on the wall you will find 3 different
stories from those who have come through the ministries. Below each story,
enclosed in a glass case, you will find objects that symbolize life before the
Atlanta Dream Center completely changed their life. Praise God for His work
through this ministry!
Tour of
the Atlanta Dream Center
Bryan & I, along with Alyssa & Kaylee (our daughter
& granddaughter) met with Pastor Paul that Thursday when we first arrived
in Atlanta. We found Pastor Paul to be very endearing & so in love with our
Lord. He loved on Kaylee (she reminded him of his own granddaughter) &
encouraged Alyssa. He told us his story & how he came to Atlanta. You can
see the joy radiate through him as he spoke of his heart for the ADC & the
people of Atlanta. You can hear in his voice how he yearns for everyone this
ministry touches to know the Lord & His redemption. His excitement gave way
for more of the same to build within us. We were already ready for our weekend
of serving to begin!
Pastor Paul gave us a tour around the ADC, introducing us to the
directors & staff of the different ministries & areas within the ADC,
which also includes the Atlanta School of Ministry. Everyone we met seemed so full of
joy & excitement for what God is doing through the Atlanta Dream Center. Although
I was impressed by it all, my most favorite place in the ADC is their prayer
room. Upon entering, the presence of God was so overwhelming, it brought me to
tears. You could feel the many prayers that had been lifted up within that room
& know that God is definitely worshiped in this ministry.
After we toured the main building, Pastor Paul took us across
the road to tour the Atlanta Dream Center Church. As we were walking, we met some
girls who were moving into the apartments across the street from the ADC.
Pastor Paul made a point to stop & welcome them to the community, inviting
them to the coffee shop located in the church. This is how he, the staff, &
many volunteers of the ADC, have made a difference in Atlanta: through loving
one-on-one interactions, seeing & loving people as God sees & loves
them, which is evident as they go about serving those who society has cast
aside.
To say Bryan & I were excited to start our weekend of
serving is a huge understatement. Although Bryan has been on a mission trip
& worked with the homeless before, we had no expectations for the different
ministries we would serve with as we had never volunteered with anything like
this before. We prayed we were just open enough to put aside our flesh & to
love on the people that most of society has forsaken. I am going to do my best
to describe to you our experiences throughout the weekend. Please know that
there is no way humanly possible to put any words adequate enough to describe
what we were a part of. I pray I can do it justice so you can see how God is
working through this awesome ministry.
Compassion
Night
On
Thursday nights, the iAm ministry part of ADC goes out into the community to
connect with those who are homeless (these connections allow them to identify
those who desire to leave the streets & the life it brings.) The goal for
Compassion Night is not to just feed those who are homeless, but to build
relationships that can lead them towards a God who loves & cares for them
desperately.
We
started the night at the ADC with the director, Nick. After giving the volunteers
(about 10 of us) some brief instructions, Nick prayed for the night & we
headed out to the location. When we pulled up, there were already a large
number of people waiting in line. Nick mentioned this was probably the largest
number of people that they had ever had waiting on them. Everyone helped set up
the food tables so we could start feeding. After we were set up, some were
tasked to help serve food & some of us were tasked to mingle & talk
with those who had come.
One of
the first things I noticed about those who were in line (which consisted of
mainly men, a few women, & one family) was the shame & embarrassment
they seemed to have about being there. As I looked around, they would quickly
look away from me, hanging their heads & looking at the ground. My heart
broken for these people, I remembered what Nick had told us about a huge focus
of the iAm ministry: helping these people find their identity in Christ, which
is not in their state of homelessness. I went up to each person in line, shook
their hands, introducing myself & asking their name, all the while, locking
my eyes with theirs. I prayed that this little gesture would at least help them
feel some sense of dignity & help ease their feelings of shame. I shook
hands with so many different people: a black man, a white man, a transvestite,
a war veteran, a teenage boy. Homelessness & addiction does not
discriminate.
Bryan
& I met many interesting people that night. Like Brandon* who was so
intelligent & pleasant to talk with, but was so quick to say he wasn’t
homeless because he was ashamed. And sweet Sir (he would never give us his real
name, telling us to call him whatever we wanted, so Bryan told him he would
call him Sir because he wanted to show respect) - such a funny man who had an outrageously
beautiful raspy singing voice. As he blessed us by singing some Christian
songs, he broke down into tears after he finished Amazing Grace & asked us
to pray for him. We encouraged him to use the gift God has given him to bless
someone else who needed uplifting. As Sir sang us some more songs, mine &
Bryan’s eyes kept going to this family who had a small girl who looked to be around
the age of our granddaughter, Kaylee. After Sir ending his entertainment, we
quickly went to them to see how we could pray with them. Devin* had lost his
job as a chef in Jacksonville, FL. Somehow, he & Tia* (who was 4 months
pregnant), along with their 2 year old daughter, Princess*, made their way to
Atlanta to find more resources to help them in this season of their life.
Princess was such a sweet little girl. She kept giving me hugs & playing
with my hair. When we had to leave the site, it grieved my soul to know we
would be leaving them behind & that she would be on the streets that night.
Before we
left the site, the team gathered up to discuss our experiences & to pray.
While we were talking, an intoxicated homeless man came up & wanted to talk
too, except he wanted to talk over the group members who were talking. Nick did
such an amazing job keeping this man from speaking over the team members; he
was neither rude nor condescending & took such great care to speak to him
as any man deserves to be spoken to. At one point, I noticed that Nick was
barefoot & that this man was holding Nick’s flip flops. He didn’t have but
the one pair of worn shoes & Nick had given him the shoes off of his feet.
Such servitude is amazing to see in person. I truly believe it is this sort of
servant’s heart attitude that draws people to Atlanta Dream Center ministries.
All of
the night was filled with God, but let me tell you how God made Himself known in
a huge way this night! We took enough sandwiches (as well as chips, desserts,
& drinks) for 160 people. By 8:30, we had run out, with about 30-40 people
still in line that needed food! Nick began walking around the site, praying. At
one point, he grabbed me & Bryan, asking us to also pray for the situation.
After Bryan & I prayed, we looked up & saw part of the team breaking
down the tables, preparing to leave. Nick told us that after he was walking
around praying for God to provide, some guy came up to him & gave him about
30-40 meals, which enabled us to completely feed each & every person who
was in line that night! God is so good! Even for the addicted, the intoxicated,
the homeless, God provided! He had not forgotten about these people, had not
turned His back on their need. This was such an amazing miracle to see come to
life! We may not have seen anyone escape the trap of homelessness or addiction
that night, but those men & women now know that the God of our universe
sees them & loves them huge!
“Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need
them, and
do not hide from relatives who need your help.”
~ Luke 58: 7 ~
Princess
Night
On Friday
night, we were blessed to be a part of the Out of Darkness ministry’s Princess
Night. The goal of Princess Nights is to build relationships & establish
trust with the women & young girls who walk the streets of Atlanta,
ultimately offering each woman a chance to escape this lifestyle which holds
them in bondage.
We met
with the rest of the volunteers at the Atlanta Dream Center for some brief training
& instructions, & of course, prayer. We had 2 teams of volunteers, in
separate vans, which headed out to a track in the Atlanta area to attempt to
make contact with some of these women. Our team, which included 6 women & 1
man (including Bryan & myself), was led by Mark & Carolyn. They have
participated in Princess Night for many years & have developed a wonderful,
loving relationship with many of these ladies that are consistently on these
streets. They have been trained to look for things to make sure it was safe for
the woman, as well as us, before they would stop to speak with her. Some
“Johns” don’t like when you speak to a woman on “duty” because you cost him
money. We had to be very careful to not touch a woman (unless we asked for
permission) because some of these women have to “log & report” each time
they are even touched by someone. Besides the obvious, you can see the
oppression & danger for those women enslaved in sexual exploitation.
Our night
typically went like this: When we would come up on a woman & determined it
was safe, Carolyn (who rode in the front of the van) would get out & get
ready to approach her. Bryan would let two of us ladies in the back of the van
out to accompany Carolyn. (Bryan was our door guard for the evening. His job
was making sure things were safe to let the ladies out of the van &
guarding the door while we were sitting at a contact site.) Mark would get out
of the van & walk around, keeping an eye on the ladies that were out with the
woman. The ladies would then approach the target woman, offering her a rose
& a card with the rescue hotline number on it. After talking for a few
minutes, if she would allow it, we would pray for her, holding hands in a
circle, lifting her & her situation up to the Lord. Some women declined
offers for roses & prayers. Some even ran away from us when we drove up.
Regardless, we prayed for each & every woman specifically after any contact
was made or attempted.
Prayer
was, & is, a huge part of Princess Night. During our ride to, &
through, the track area, no one in the van talked. The entire time, each team
member prayed aloud for the women we made contact with, the ones we passed, the
ones that ran away, & even for the men that are part of this sexual
exploitation cycle. We prayed for the other team, for the women that were
brought across their paths. We prayed for each other, specifically for courage,
protection from frustration, for safety. It was so incredible, so humbling, to
be a part of these prayers.
During
our ride back to ADC at the end of the evening, we again prayed specifically
for each & every person we came across throughout the evening (there were a
few men, too). Total, our team made contact with 24 women - some who were known
by the team leaders & some who we just met. We may not have been able to
witness their rescue that night, but seeds of God’s love were definitely
planted into those women’s hearts. Only He knows when they will bloom, but for
now, they know they are loved & that there are people out there that are
willing to help them when they are ready to break free from their bondage.
There
were some left over roses that Mark ended up giving to each of the women
volunteers. As I looked at that rose, I prayed these women would understand
what the rose symbolized (to me). That each that got a rose would see the
beauty in this created object of God & would realize that they, too, are a
beautiful created image of God. That the sweet, fresh fragrance of that rose
would transport them to a time where they were once innocent & free,
creating a longing in them to return to that freedom. That with a prick of the
thorn, they would know that even though life is painful, God can heal any hurt.
That as the rose dies, they would not just toss it away, but be reminded that the
things of this world, the things they may be working for, will all fade away,
but God’s love & pursuit of them will not.
Out of respect for their safety,
I will not divulge the names (nor will I use pseudonyms) of any lady or their
situation to you, but all of them are heartbreaking & need your prayers.
“I tell you, her sins - and they are many - have been
forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little
shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your
sins are forgiven.”
~ Luke 7:47-48 ~
Adopt-a-Block
Saturday
morning, we met other volunteers at the Atlanta Dream Center Church for
Adopt-a-Block. The goal consists of going into different areas around Atlanta, creating
loving, trusting relationships with the community & taking the love of
Christ to those who are struggling & feel forgotten. We started the day
with worship & prayer. There were about 8 areas you could volunteer to
serve at. I would have loved to have gone back out to the track area to
possibly speak with some of the women we had made contact with the night
before, but Bryan & I decided to let God lead us where we were needed most.
Bryan & I were the only ones that went to an area with the site pastor,
Mary. We ended up going to a small apartment complex right up the road from the
ADC. There are many single moms & children in this area that need
encouragement & love. (This ministry of the ADC is one that can ALWAYS use more
volunteers!)
The first
thing we did when we got to the apartment complex was to pick up trash. This
wasn’t a good time to realize that I should have brought a hair clip! It was so
hot & this was not “fun” work. I understand the importance of a home being
free of litter, but I just didn’t see how this was going to reach anyone for
Christ. As we are going around the property, God kept working on my heart, reminding
me He could work in any situation, in any act of service. So, for His name to
be known, I kept on without complaint!
After we
picked up all of the trash around the property, we went door to door to make
contact with these children & their parent(s). I think we knocked on about
10 or so doors, with no one answering at all. Discouragement was starting to
set in because, as a team, we had come to agreement that we desired to have
deep, intimate conversations about Christ with these families, but we couldn’t
do that if no one was home! When someone finally answered her door, she
mentioned that someone with Metro Kidz (a part of ADC) had already been by that
morning, inviting the children to the park right across the road for some
activities. We headed towards the park & found these volunteers had set up
a manicure station & were also building bird houses with the kids. So we quickly
joined in on the fun, playing with the children & talking with the adults.
During
this time, we met a woman, Roshundra*, who was currently homeless with 5
children (ages 16 months, 2, 3, 5, & 12 years of age.) She had escaped a
domestic abuse situation & was now living in a shelter just down from the
park. She came to the park to let her children have some play time & to
expend some of their energy. We were able to pray with her for her situation
& for her children. We also met Tiffany* & her adorable 18 month old
daughter, Annissa*. We never got into her story as she seemed guarded, so we
just hung out with her, loving on her & Annissa. We invited both ladies to
come to church with us at the ADC Church the next morning. I pray these
children & parents that were a part of this day will know, through the acts
of love from the ADC, that God loves them so very much!
“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
~ Psalm 27:10 ~
Church at
the Atlanta Dream Center Church
Sunday
morning, we were blessed to be able to attend church & worship with the
community we had been in all week. This was probably one of the most moving,
Spirit-filled services I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. This
worship service brought the purpose of the whole weekend into perspective for
me. It was such a humbling, overwhelming experience to be there, singing praise
to our God, among addicts, prostitutes, & the homeless. To hear the woman
shout out that she was adopted out of prostitution because of the work of God,
though the Atlanta Dream Center, in her life was so surreal. To have met, &
to now be sharing songs of worship & praise with, a man who has been in
prison & struggled with an addiction to crack was uncanny in a sense. To
know this church was full of those who have been cast aside, yet were here worshiping the same God as I, was beautiful. To watch the founder of this
wonderful ministry fall on his face in worship was so breath taking. I could do
nothing but cry at the awesome grace, forgiveness, & love of our Lord!
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and
admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
~ Colossians 3:16 ~
God Knows
the Needs & Hears the Prayers of His Children
I watched
God work in so many ways this weekend; in unbelievably miraculous ways (such as
needed food) & as small & simple as an answer to personal prayer. On
our way up to Atlanta, I told Bryan that one of my “fears” about the weekend
was that I was going to fall in love with it, but not be able to be as big a
part of it as we would like due to the time & the money it costs to come
& serve (we live about 190 or so miles south of Atlanta.) I prayed if this
was something God wanted us more involved in, that He would make a way for it
to happen. My fear came true as I feel completely in love with Pastor Paul
& his wonderful staff, as well as the heart behind the mission of the
Atlanta Dream Center. And God being God answered my prayer in the simple offer
from a young man we met during Compassion Night. Roger, one of the volunteers,
came up to me & Bryan after we were done for the night & handed Bryan
his card. He told us he had a house by himself, with his children coming only
every other weekend & that we were more than welcome to stay with him if we
ever wanted to serve again. Roger didn’t know about my fear or my prayer. He
probably didn’t know that his offer was the answer to a prayer. But our God
knew & put someone in our path that could provide a need, answer a prayer,
from one of His children. God is so good!
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we
ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
~ 1 John 5:14 ~
Red &
Yellow, Brown, Black, & White, They are Precious in His Sight
These
men, women, & children that we came in contact with throughout the weekend
are made in the image of God, just like you or I. These individuals may be
someone’s father or mother, brother or sister, but they were all definitely
someone’s son or daughter. They are so much more than their lot in life, in
what they do for a living, or where they sleep at night. These are human beings
who, even though some may have taken a wrong path or two, are created by our
God for His glory. These children who are born into less than perfect
circumstances are created, not by mistake, but by our Creator for a purpose.
They deserve someone to care enough to bring the love of God to them so they,
too, can become adopted by the most wonderful Father of all! Praise God for
Pastor Paul & the Atlanta Dream Center for seeking them out to do just
that!
“For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call
on him.”
~ Romans 10:12 ~
Making a
Difference: Reaching, Rescuing, & Restoring
The
Atlanta Dream Center is making a difference! Neighborhoods are being changed by
the love of God. People are getting help for their addictions, coming out of
homelessness, escaping bondage to sexual exploitation. And this all due to the
work of God in & through the work of Pastor Paul & the staff /
volunteers of the Atlanta Dream Center! The following information is taken from
the Atlanta Dream Center’s 2015 Annual Report. (Please click on the link to read the in-depth
report on what the ADC accomplished in 2015.)
Reach
- 8,203 meals were given out on Compassion Night
- 965 roses were given out on Princess Night
- 589 children were ministered to through weekly outreaches
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon [us], because He
has anointed [us] to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent [us] to
proclaim liberty to the captive and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
~ Luke 4:18-19 ~
Rescue
- 300 rescues out of sexual exploitation
“For He has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves in Whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sings.”
~ Colossians 1:13-14 ~
Restore
- 167 women went on to a long-term recovery program (55% placement rate)
- 75 kids came to know Christ as their Lord & Savior through various Metro Kidz outreaches
- 66 men were placed into recovery programs
- 43 women & children were assisted in leaving situations of domestic violence or homelessness
- 8 children attend our weekly Bible study, with 8 more at our newly opened second location
- 2 children publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism during a Sunday morning service
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves,
so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about
your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba Father.”
~ Romans 8:15 ~
These
numbers are AMAZING! But before there were numbers, there was a person; a
person who was sought out & loved on by the Atlanta Dream Center. Please
check out the websites & different ministries I mentioned earlier. Sign up
for a week, a weekend, or a day of service. Give their volunteer coordinator,
Abigail, a call & she will help you find the right spot for you to serve.
If you cannot visit them to serve, please give to their mission so the Atlanta
Dream Center can continue to provide these programs & resources. Be a part
of their vision: Reach, Rescue, Restore! I promise you will come away largely
blessed & forever changed!
In His love!
* Names have been intentionally
changed to respect the privacy of the individual
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