In our lives we will be given many different opportunities.
These opportunities are given to us in order to help develope and change into the person that God has created us to be. These opportunities will come in many different shapes and forms. Some of them will bring us joy many will bring us happiness and some will even bring us heartache. I have recently been given an opportunity that has brought all three. What I am learning even as I type this is that you can actually feel joy and sorrow at the same time.
Today at 1:30pm I heard news that one of my friends (who was also a client where I work) was murdered. His name was Don, he lived on the streets of New Westminster/Surrey here in British Columbia. Don had gotten himself into trouble many times over the past few years and always managed to get by. He had spent 16 years in prison. I never did ask why. Mostly because it didn't matter to me. But this last time was indeed...his last time. You see for one reason or another Don decided to steal from some very very bad people. The kind of people that when you steal from them they will kill you or whomever you are close to. But someone will pay and this time it was Don.
I am not condoning the fact that Don was indeed a criminal himself. However it still doesn't make it any easier when someone you care for and have grown to know has been brutally murdered. You see Don was an addict his choice of poison was pills. That's where the people who murdered him messed up. You see they tried to make his death look like a suicide...but Don was a seasoned addict and did not shoot up. However that's how they left him with the rig around his arm and the needle still hanging in it. There is so much more to this story then I can go into detail about or even want to. However instead of focussing on all the evil that has taken place I am going to talk about Don my friend.
I spent many hours talking/praying with and for Don. I even got to watch him go off to Rehab once. He told me I was his inspiration and I remember he and I standing there and crying together. God placed Don on my heart as a real burden and I spent hours praying for him to make it through rehab only to have him walk through the doors at the mission a few weeks later but I didn't care I welcomed him back and we had a coffee together and I did my best to encourage him to keep trying.
It did not take long for him to fall into old patterns, but I kept on praying for him and loving him. Beacause I knew that God loved him and that he was brought into my life for a special purpose.
I always looked forward to seeing Don and giving him a hug goodmorning and talking with him. He was always kind to me and had a real speacial place in my heart.
The last words Don spoke to me where about Jesus. He told me that he wanted to get a Tattoo with Jesus' name over his heart. I joked with him saying "Don, that's great! But accepting him into your heart is an even better idea." He just looked at me smiled and said "I know." I could sit an dwell on the fact that my friend was murdered by members of the Hells Angels. Or I could glorify God by sharing with you all of the wonderful things God has shown me through this. By the way I just found out about Don's murder two hours ago so this is me processing the whole thing.
God has shown me that it is better to take chances with your heart then to just let it go to waste. I believe that I was able to show Gods grace, love, compassion and kindness to Don. There were days when not one other person wanted to even sit with him. But God chose me to breakthrough to him in those moments when he was shut off to the rest of the world. He shared his hopes and dreams with me and I sat and listened and felt to honoured that he did so. We shared some laughs and some tears. God had chose me to work with Don when others had given up on him. I will admit at first I wasn't sure I know what I was doing and then I was remeinded that being me was enough. Cause that's all it took. Just being a friend to a man who has had a lifetime of torment and turmoil. God also allowed me to open up my heart to another human being who taught me many things as well. He taught me patience, obedience and how to sit comfortably in silence with another human being. There were also many times when Don and I would not even speak a word to each other I would just sit accross from him and have a coffee. There were times when he would be coming down from a binge and I would just simply sit beside him and pray over him while rubbing his back. Don taught me how to truly and unconditionally love another human being.
I am going to d my best to put aside the evil that has been done and focus on the really great things that came from my relationship with my friend Don...a friendship that God hand picked himself. God works for the good of all those who love him... and I love God with every fiber of my being and I believe that Don loved him too. Justice will be done of that I am confidant.
God Bless you all and I encourage you to make good choices in your life.
xox andrea

I just finished reading a few posts on my own blog and realized...I REALLY LOVE GOD PEOPLE!!!
I just finished an email to a friend. We have been in contact with each other over the past year and God has really placed him as a burden upon my heart. (for those of you who don't understand what that means its simply this... at times during my day or even in the middle of the night I will wake up and feel the need or desire to pray for my friend) he is constantly on my mind these days. So I asked what it is that God feels I should should be praying for. I soon found out. I felt that I should sit down and write him an email so I did just that. But I was still a little confused as to what I should say in that email. Then it came to me I need to tell him about God! Plain and simple. And then I did what any good Christian would do...I PANICKED!!! Then I went into prayer and prayed that God reveal to me what the heck I should say and how to say it without sounding like a pushy Christian bible thumping freak!!!! He did and once I calmed down I sat down at the computer and began my 2 hour journey of writing the "email". I wont go into detail about what it said...cause its kind of between me, him and God...and my pastor who I had read it before I sent it to him cause I needed a little encouragement. OH WHAT LIKE YOU WOULD'NT!!! WHATEVER!!!
I discovered two really important things while writing this email. First of all I hope that in your lives each and everyone of you has to write this sort of letter. Its probably the hardest thing I have done in a looooong time. I needed to write it in a way that was not at all pushy or offensive and yet it had to be bold enough to get my point accross. What point is that pretell??? That God is real and that he loves us even in our most unloveable and undesireable times. No matter how hard times get we are NOT alone. God left a huge gap in our hearts that can only be filled by him and that being in bondage is not normal. My friend lost his wife to cancer last Christmas and has fallen into some of his old patterns and although he "thinks" he is coping well and dealing with his issues he is not. And its simply because he does not know Jesus therefore he is trying to do this on his own or with the help of other Non-Christians which is great in one way cause he is reaching out but God is the only one who can take away our pain and suffering. He is the one and true healer. Who not only works on healing the surface stuff but all that junk that is lingering deep down below. No Jesus... No chance at healing completely. I actually just saw a bumper sticker that said this> No Jesus... No Heaven...Know Jesus... Know Heaven.
I was also reminded that I really had nothing to be scared of since it was God who had called upon me to write this email anyways. I love knowing that he is here with me at all times. Walking me through my crazyness :) and believe me there is a lot of it at times hee hee.
The second thing I feel I learned is that I want to take more opportunities to step out in the boldness of God. It really put me to the test! Did I really believe all that is written in the bible? Do I really trust God and all that he has done for me? Do I really believe that he is calling all of us to know his love and share in his grace and compassion for us? Am I the kind of Christian I keep saying that I am? To put all of your minds at ease the answers to all of these are YES!!! How all of this came about is this...I was at work today thinking about the past year and how it has just flown by. And then I began to think about my AA/NA birthday which is today DECEMBER 31st 12am. I have been clean and sober for 11 years tonight. Then I was sharing with one of my clients that I could not have done this on my own. I am here today because God had mercy on me and showed me the grace and compassion that only he is able to do. I believe that God saved my life first and formost because he loves me deeply. But also so that I could share my journey with others and help them to see the love he also has for them. My life this precious precious gift must not be wasted. Not any of it. So if God is calling me to place my comfort zone aside and walk on the un-paved path the one that is messy, dirty and hard to walk along then that is exactly what I am going to do.
I have no idea how my relationship with my friend will turn out but I do know this...that God is not a God who would have me jeopordize my relationship with this friend for nothing. God knows the desires of my heart because he has placed them there. And my deepest desire is that all who do not know God come to know him and love him as deeply and passionatly as I do. I have never felt anything this powerful in my life it is wonderful and overwhelming all at the same time and it would truly be a shame to want to keep it to myself.
I am humbled by the opportunity to speak the truth about God into my friends life...a little scared too I ain't gonna lie. But if I didn't do it who would have?

May Gods blessings be evident in and throughout your lives.
God Bless all of those I know and love and all of those I have yet to meet and love.
In his most precious and beautiful name Amen.

xox andrea