Just another lazy Saturday

Yesterday morning I was planning to make breakfast with Pee-Wee and Jordan but they stood me up, so I decided that I would make lunch with a few of the older kids that afternoon. As I came back from the grocery store, I heard the famous line, "Ms. Colleen's Home!" and there they were to help me carry in my groceries, as we stood in the kitchen and they had samples of fresh baked croissants we had gotten earlier at the Farmers Market with raspberry jam on them, and ponder what they wanted for lunch, I realized I had forgotten to pick up bread (we were going to have grilled cheese!), so I told them we could go out to lunch. I am so happy that we did that because I got to work with them on ordering from a menu properly, using manners and eating in a restaurant AND one of my homeless friends was around so we got to buy lunch for him too.

It was so fun to watch them each pick what they wanted from the menu politely order it, get their drinks and sit quietly for their food, even pray before eating. We talked about eating slowly, talking quietly amongst ourselves at the table, to clean up before we leave and to be polite to the workers. It melted my heart to watch these kids do all of these things, what made me even more proud and happy was the way they used please and thank you!

We spent the rest of the afternoon together, we went to my old house and picked some things up, we came back and they gorged themselves on fresh strawberries and peaches and then we snuggled up in the prayer room and read books.

Yesterday my house became exactly what I want it too, I had four kids in and out all day, I had a young single mom searching for jobs using my laptop and internet, engaging me in the "problems" of her life, asking me for help with her applications and then my friends spent the evening here, it was the epitome of perfect in my life.

The highlight of my day yesterday, this older African American man walked up to me and he said, "Ms. Colleen we need more of you in this city," I looked at him like he was crazy and he said,"I heard the kids saying your name, and watching you work so lovingly and gently with them, made me think we need more of you, here's my card let me know if I can ever do anything for you." As I was leaving he said, please email I am serious, I would love to know more about what your doing in Baltimore. I wanted to hug this stranger he wasn't complimenting me he was complimenting my kids!

I am so excited about the upcoming week and things God has planned for me, dinner with some neighbors, a new missions team to work with, taking the boys to the library, dinner with a couple of the teen-young adult girls, and possibly a cooking lesson from Ms. Ida!

Prayer this morning: God will continue to control every footstep of this journey!