Author: Marianne Van Valkenburgh

Publisher: First Edition Design Pub.

Published: 2014-03-04

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13: 1622875575

Jesus instructed his disciples: "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts, take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or staff ..." Mathew 10:9, 10. I was homeless and I had nothing. One by one I lost my bags. I ran out of money, and my shoes had holes in them. I learned that I could survive with very little and people would give and help me. I had not been very good at receiving before. It taught me how to receive, yet also, how to give, as I tried to help the drunks and to share what I had with others. I went to my Bible Study and the subject of homelessness came up. One person said he never gave to the homeless people because he thought they were all a scam. The preacher responded "'As you do to the least of these, so you do to me". I shared with the group that I had been homeless. And it was difficult for me to ask. I never had been one to ask for what I needed. I gradually learned that I had to ask to survive. I asked, one day, an obviously poor woman for bus fare. As she gave me 60 cents, we talked and I was able to tell her where she could get free clothes for her kids. I only asked those people I felt guided to ask. And I believe they were blessed by giving. One woman came back, the day after she met me, and said God had told her that if she gave me money she would be healed. There are all kinds of blessings for the giver as well as the receiver. This confrontation in Bible Study made me think there was a need for me to write a book to share the real story of homelessness. While I was homeless I thought it was God's will and I was supposed to experience this to grow stronger, and I was supposed to write a book about it. But the time never was right to write, till now.