Hello everyone, we hope you and yours are doing well.
We apologize for the delay since our last update. While our heart and our hope is to be able to do ministry full-time, for the time being, we still have to work jobs to pay bills. Melissa‘s hours have increased at her job for the holiday season and I have picked up a part-time job to make a little extra money.
The Tuesday afternoon outreaches in SE Roanoke have definitely started slowing down as the weather gets colder. While today was by far the coldest day we’ve had, somewhere between 28 and 30°with a fair amount of wind, last week was probably the slowest week we’ve had since starting this in the beginning of March with only a couple of dozen people coming through.
On the colder days we serve soup instead of pizza or hotdogs just to try to warm them up a little bit.
I will be completely honest, being out there for just a few hours today I was cold, I don’t know how somebody can live out there like that. The grip that addiction has on people to force them into the living conditions in which they live in is just immense. Some of them were wearing less clothing than me and they live out there in this 24/7.
But unfortunately, there’s nothing that we can do to break those chains of addiction. Only Jesus can break the chains and even with that people have to choose to let Him do so. They have to want something different. Whatever the reason that they’ve turned to these addictions, it must be heartbreaking. They have become empty shells of the beautiful creations that God made them to be. Many of them, when you look in their eyes, are just blank and empty. No life, no hope, no joy, no peace, no rest. Just emptiness. And you can tell them until you are blue in the face that there’s a better way, a much better way, but until they’re ready to hear, there’s no sense pushing it.
My team is an amazing encouragement to me, to see them show up week after week no matter what the weather conditions are, to want to be out there serving these people, getting their hearts broken week after week seeing the pain that these people live in. And never letting it take their joy. never letting it take the smiles off their face.ms, I am very thankful for them. God has gifted us with people to come along beside us and we are so thankful to Him for that.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to minister to two men from this outreach while they are in jail. I am able to do this via weekly video visitations. Both of which are just amazed that someone that barely knows them cares enough to make time for them. I tell them that it’s because of how much Jesus cares for me and them. I have seen a little fruit with one and much more with the other. So pray for them as well and that God will give me the words, wisdom and boldness to speak truth into their lives.
We will continue to go out every Tuesday, rain, shine, snow or cold, until God says otherwise.
Thank you again for all your prayers and financial support. It is very much appreciated.
Much love,
Derek, Melissa and Alex
Buchanans in the Wild
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