A Day to Remember

It was December 13, 2007. The first major snowstorm hit the Springfield, MA area early in the afternoon. By 2:00 we already had 6 inches of snow and it was snowing hard. The last minute decision was made to open the Overflow Shelter in Springfield, tonight.

At 1:00 I was driving through the snow to pick up a man, Rick, who had agreed to go into detox 3 days earlier. He called to tell me, that he had left detox and he needed a ride, and of course, he was already drunk. "To where" I asked him? "You won't go into the shelter, you just left a warm bed and 3 square meals to brave a snowstorm and get a drink, where can I take you?" "Ok" he answered from the other end of the line," I'll go to the shelter".
It was just 4 days earlier that Rick and I met on the street very late at night, he was drunk and sleeping on stone steps. "Let me get you to a shelter", I begged. "No, I will be fine, don't like the shelter and so I'd rather take my chances of dying in the cold." "That's my plan, I'll die in the cold"
When we agreed to open the shelter with volunteers we also agreed that it would be a dry shelter. In other words if you were drunk or high you could not get in. But I had one condition to opening the shelter this night, I wanted Rick in my shelter. The Director agreed to let me break the rules for this one night and so Rick spent the night. The second night Rick showed up to the shelter again but of course he was drunk again and so I had to turn him away. It broke my heart and so after making my decision I was gripped with guilt and went searching for him, no luck, it is amazing how the homeless can become invisible.
Night 3, Rick showed up again, but this night he was sober, completely sober, praise God. That was the first night of the rest of his life.
Rick has never returned to drinking. He has returned to the streets, but only to minister to others. He has a powerful testimony of how God can change everything. "That shelter saved my life" he proudly proclaims, "the Holy Spirit told me everything was going to be OK and my life changed for ever."
Today Rick is restored, he lives in a two bedroom apartment, has a freezer full of food and has been reunited with his family. Now Rick dedicates his life to helping others find Jesus Christ, the only way out. He is the way, the truth and the life.
Rick has become my good friend and I am so proud of him.
Everytime I am with Rick I think of the song lyrics: " Look what the Lord has done. He changed my body, he changed my mind, he saved me just in time."

This is a day to remember!