Yes, my brother in law when he was homeless and it was winter I would let him hang out for a while and make him some warm coffee and soup. I kinda miss those times, but he is no longer homeless so I'm happy for him.
How should we handle beggars?
- Thread starter Dropship
- Start date
-
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
@devin553344 though I am not 100% sure you know those two witness possibly could have been Jesus in the flesh and the Gospel that had spread about Him at that time. (Noticed a comment you made about them).
Jesus wandered around having no real place to rest his head, always look forward to the expected outcome of Hope laid out by his Father.
Same for the Apostles, most of the time Paul was going to jail, always expecting the heavenly home in total hope.
Love that you cared about your brother that much to allow him to stay with you for a time, glad to see he got him a place now that is awesome. Hope you guys stay in touch.
Jesus wandered around having no real place to rest his head, always look forward to the expected outcome of Hope laid out by his Father.
Same for the Apostles, most of the time Paul was going to jail, always expecting the heavenly home in total hope.
Love that you cared about your brother that much to allow him to stay with you for a time, glad to see he got him a place now that is awesome. Hope you guys stay in touch.
Yes the two witnesses is highly debatable and may have lived in Jesus time. That is during the 1st resurrection. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
My family just had my birthday lunch yesterday so I got to hang out with my brother then. He's got stomach cancer now and having back problems. Not doing well but did OK at lunch.
I agree with this. If you first let them see they aren’t going to get cash from you, then you have a conversation with them on what kinds of things they could use that you could bring, what could help them back in the woods, or what things they want or like to eat, they’ll open up and be pretty honest when you ask about any substance issues or medications they should be on. They’re honest because they know there will be no cash for that, so they ask for other things. The conversations help you to assess what you should NOT bring them.
Once you know homeless encampments are everywhere, you begin to be able to see where they are even though they’re pretty hidden from public view. And if you ask someone where they’re staying, it helps you learn where other encampments are too. I found one where only two men were, one in a tent and one in a makeshift shelter, in the woods near the target store in town. It struck me as odd there were only two of them, so I asked about it. They were both employed but had hit hard times and lost their homes. They were saving to get an apartment. They had been in a bigger encampment but because of drinking, drugs, theft and brawling, they met and decided to find a hidden place only the two of them knew about so they could come back from their jobs not robbed of everything. They would give me their phones to charge at home when they got low. I got them a grill and charcoal when I found out they didn’t do drugs or drink much to speak of, because I knew it wouldn’t be sold or stolen and knew they were together enough to not set the woods on fire. They were close to having the money to get a place and I eventually trusted them enough to offer what little money I could. They wouldn’t take it!
But they were among the rare cases. There has only ever been one other person, a woman, I could trust enough to give money to and know it wouldn’t be for drugs. There ARE some cases of just really hard times where drugs or booze aren’t involved, but they’re rarer. And taking the time for conversation is how you determine if you’ve run across one of those rare cases so you can figure out how to help.
If you go to a catholic Church (or other churches)and tell them you need some food for some homeless people, they will direct you which of their churches to go to and who to speak to and you can get food, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, feminine products, etc. They will also put the encampment on their list if you can tell them where it is. But be ready to help because they will enlist you for deliveries and you’ll be smack dab in the middle of a ministry! And if the church doesn’t have a ministry like that, they will usually tell you when to come back to collect what they can put together.
And I’m sorry if I was too rough with you devin, but if you have a heart for the homeless as you obviously do, you can help, but you need to understand how to, and how not to.
Thanks stunned. We can all help in the way we feel is right for each person and each situation I suppose.
Bob Carabbio
Well-Known Member
Here in Dallas, there are beggars on many street corners. Some time ago, I watched 'em get out of a van, with their signs and tattered clothes, and "set up" on an intersection to begin their day's work. It's really just another corporation.
My dad tells me the same thing. Yet I knew the homeless people that begged in my area. All of them lived in the woods or under bridges. I know because my homeless brother in law that lived in the woods would tell me about their lives.
Well, I’m now feeling bad for not going to see any of them since…March.
One of them I had gotten close to, Samuel, who kept falling off the wagon then getting himself together, then back down, got hit by a car one night almost right in front of my neighborhood. I found out about it by tracking down two guys who knew him when he hadn’t come to my shop to see me for long enough that I got worried. (They sometimes move to other encampments and then back again.)
When Samuel was sober, he was amazing. That man could build an entire house by himself, that’s how much he knew about every aspect of construction. He helped me paint my old shop and fix furniture and even built an archway in for me. He could figure out and fix electrical problems! Just everything. I’d been in the process of helping him get a copy of his birth certificate so he could get documentation. That was so sad. He would fall into depression and start drinking again. I wonder if I could have been more help had I not always been trying to do everything in my own strength a few years ago.
Last edited:
I made a sandwich for one a little while ago and told about Jesus and about the Parish down the hill that could help him. I haven't seen him since. He was actually pleasant.
The ones I don't approach or help are the wild and roaring ones that appear dangerous.
Ah, yeah. I’ll tell you, from my experience, it’s the quieter ones who are sometimes more capable of snapping. And it’s usually related to going off their meds. I used to ask the police about some of them I was a little leary of. Those ones they would tell me weren’t a problem at all. It was usually the ones that DIDNT make me nervous that they were always watching. Two who I didn’t have any nervousness about were eventually the worst I saw. One sliced up his girlfriend with a machete in the parking lot in front of my shop (meds related psychosis - she survived) and the other beat a man into a coma in the woods behind my shop. But when you’re around the homeless long enough, you learn to read them better. You know it’s meds related when their behavior starts to change from what you’ve known. But that one guy, it wasn’t meds related, he was just evil even though he seemed kind of charming at first.
Anyway, once again, sorry if I was too rough. You should team up with others at a church that has a homeless ministry. That way you won’t be going alone into places you don’t understand yet. You’ll have at least one or two strong guys with you who have learned about it through trial and error. The absurdity of that just struck me, being as I’m an old lady who sometimes goes into the woods alone…
Last edited:
But I don’t do it stupidly or blindly, I promise.
In fact, most of the time, I’m invited and led back by someone homeless I’ve come to know well.
and mostly I just stand in front of the woods and yell I have food until they come out. And it’s usually in a parking lot because they like encampments near stores, which makes sense if you don’t have a car.
In fact, most of the time, I’m invited and led back by someone homeless I’ve come to know well.
and mostly I just stand in front of the woods and yell I have food until they come out. And it’s usually in a parking lot because they like encampments near stores, which makes sense if you don’t have a car.
Last edited:
And you know Devin, there’s other things you can do, it’s not just delivery. Someone needs to keep bags or boxes packed, keep an inventory, clean the pantry, keep a list of names and locations and phone numbers (a surprising amount of the homeless have prepaid cell phones, which are on again, off again depending on their money situation any given week). Even just that list is a lot of work and you’re always adding and amending it as you meet and talk with new people about where they stay and how many are there so you can have an idea about how many bags to bring.
They also probably could use help at some of the Safe Nights shelters over the winter. It’s always a relief when you can help someone into one of them and not have to worry they’ll die of hypothermia. It’s heartbreaking too though, because they have strict rules and you have to be in by a certain time, can’t exit or you won’t be let back in, etc., and some can’t do it because they can’t get through a whole night without a drink.
Or if you already have a church and they don’t have a homeless ministry, you could get a few people together and start one.
Pray about it. It’s obviously a group of people you have a heart for.
They also probably could use help at some of the Safe Nights shelters over the winter. It’s always a relief when you can help someone into one of them and not have to worry they’ll die of hypothermia. It’s heartbreaking too though, because they have strict rules and you have to be in by a certain time, can’t exit or you won’t be let back in, etc., and some can’t do it because they can’t get through a whole night without a drink.
Or if you already have a church and they don’t have a homeless ministry, you could get a few people together and start one.
Pray about it. It’s obviously a group of people you have a heart for.
Well see, now you know to ask where they stay next time, so you can ask if anyone ever delivers bags and supplies to them there, and if not, you can get them on some ministries list once you know where they are.
that is true i agree with everything said here, we should have compassion like Jesus did & help beggars & the homeless whenever possible, that's true we should give them food & water instead of cash, & yes i think we should have discernment about what nonprofits we should give to
Pathfinder7
Well-Known Member
We (the ministry I was involved) helped..
- the soup kitchen & soup run..years ago.
@devin553344 I thought about something else that might help you find them too. When you see someone sitting in a cafeteria within a store or a fast food place with a coffee or a drink because they have found an electrical outlet and are charging their phone, they are, many times, homeless. It’s their clothing that sometimes can make you distinguish, in combination with only a drink. And if you sit somewhere near them, you can start a conversation, like…phone ran out of juice, huh? And it’s not only that, but you will often find a different person in the same exact spot on another day, doing the same thing. It will strike you as odd, because most people don’t leave their house in the morning hauling their charger around with them.
I’m not saying it’s positive theyre homeless 100% of the time, but…at least 98% of the time, they are. People sit and eat and are glued to their phone, not seeing it unless they smell bad or look filthy, but if not, they go unnoticed. And they kind of want to go unnoticed so they can just sit and charge their phone and not be run off.
Sometimes their clothing is clean and pretty presentable and they have gone to the bathroom and washed up some and their clothing shows that they haven’t been homeless for as long of a time as some others, so you sort of become a detective picking up clues and stringing them all together.
When they see you are kind and they ask if you have fifty cents or a dollar, then you definitely know. And you can say, sure I do, but I’d be glad to go get you a burger if you want one. And by the time you’ve left, you will know where their encampment is, when you can typically find them there, how many tents there are, and you will have their name and number so you can let them know the day and time you will be around with some supplies for everyone.
I’m not saying it’s positive theyre homeless 100% of the time, but…at least 98% of the time, they are. People sit and eat and are glued to their phone, not seeing it unless they smell bad or look filthy, but if not, they go unnoticed. And they kind of want to go unnoticed so they can just sit and charge their phone and not be run off.
Sometimes their clothing is clean and pretty presentable and they have gone to the bathroom and washed up some and their clothing shows that they haven’t been homeless for as long of a time as some others, so you sort of become a detective picking up clues and stringing them all together.
When they see you are kind and they ask if you have fifty cents or a dollar, then you definitely know. And you can say, sure I do, but I’d be glad to go get you a burger if you want one. And by the time you’ve left, you will know where their encampment is, when you can typically find them there, how many tents there are, and you will have their name and number so you can let them know the day and time you will be around with some supplies for everyone.
Last edited:
And you know, it might not be this way everywhere, but…one of the things I’ve found lacking in what churches will put together is wet wipes or diaper wipes which, as you can imagine, is a useful thing to have if you live in a tent. And you can find them in a dollar store to add to the bags or boxes a church gives you. In fact, you can have your separate box of supplies to supplement, if needed, and ask each person you give a bag to, now do you need a can opener or…do you need a razor, toothpaste, etc. A lot of them will say, no thanks I have a can opener or I have wet wipes. That way, 10 can openers aren’t put in every bag to just be wasted.
And sometimes, I feel like there should be some treats in a bag but there often aren’t. A bag of chips or nuts or a candy bar. So when you see a really good sale somewhere and can afford it, pick them up if you can. Homeless people like non nourishing junk treats too!
Oh, and a good question to ask is if there are any children who live at the camp or visit anyone in the camp sometimes because you’d be surprised that there sometimes are. And hopefully, you remembered to ask if there are any females in the encampment too.
Okay, I’ll shut up now devin.
And sometimes, I feel like there should be some treats in a bag but there often aren’t. A bag of chips or nuts or a candy bar. So when you see a really good sale somewhere and can afford it, pick them up if you can. Homeless people like non nourishing junk treats too!
Oh, and a good question to ask is if there are any children who live at the camp or visit anyone in the camp sometimes because you’d be surprised that there sometimes are. And hopefully, you remembered to ask if there are any females in the encampment too.
Okay, I’ll shut up now devin.
Last edited:
Similar threads
