National Homeless Youth Outreach January 2- 11, 2009
General Info Link

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Ocala-09 Journal:

we're departing on 1/1 (van of 8 and Dream the wonder dog), and a few are flying in 1/2. We hope to give updates (not sure how much access we'll have in the woods) and keep them posted on this page. Please check in and join us in praying for this week.

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Prayer... please join us

We will be hosting a camp site that includes a kitchen, prayer tent, and creative interaction...

Please pray for:
1) the exact site for the kitchen we set up
2) divine appointments from the very first day
3 ) protection, safety, spiritually and physically...
4 ) that our team stay unified
5 ) for powerful worship and prayer times
6 ) for individuals see the real love of Jesus in us
7 ) against spiritual attack as the rainbow will have many in alternative religion, heavy drugs, and anti Christians
8 ) homeless youth that would break free from their pasts,
9 ) Prayer tent: powerful prayer times as well as inviting to seekers
10) Prodigals and lambs: we oftern meet many who were once connected with a church in the past and made bad choices and took a prodigal journey which they are in the middle of.
11) Practicals: food (feeding a few hundred meals each day), camp site, set up, health of team
12) Pray for home front: family, and Source crew back home, (jessica peter's wife is 6 months pregnant and will be home alone with 3 kids)

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Itenerary

1/1- 6am Van leaves for FL (overnight in Nashville)
1/2/9 - arive in Gainesville, FL (flights are going to Tampa a few will be driving),
1/3: prep and prayer day
1/4: morning or early afternoon go into holding camps in ocala
1/4-1/10 host kitchen, 24 hour prayer tent, and camp
-- - 1/8 chicken BBQ in woods
1/10 come out of woods
1/10: processing/recovery day/
-- - Evening celebration together
1/11: Church services
1/12 source staff day
1/13 return home (home by 1/14)

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1/1 : 8am - peter

- Happy New Year -

We packed and loaded the Van at 6am, had a great time of prayer, and sent the Van off by 7am. Pray for traveling graces, good weather, vehicle, and our hearts are prepped in the next 36 hours.

	Here's the crew Ben, Theresa, Lydia, Jossa, Kyle, Sam Peter, Tim, Jeremy (Dream), Dana, Tanner Jen (meeting us there after Christmas at home in Illinois)
	Jeremy has a Dream (Dream the wonder dog)
	Van is packed.. departed Mpls 1/1 7am... overnight pit stop an Anchor Fellowship, Nashville, Then on to Ocala... Hope to be in Ocala FL by 6pm, fri 1/2.

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Jan 2 - jeremy

Hey this is Jeremy, hope you are doing well, Peter asked me to write an update you could post to our website so this is what I have:

I believe God has a lot in store for this week, we havent even entered the woods yet and we all ready have seen obvious movements of His Spirit. The van ride was long... but also a great time of bonding and fellowship. Part of our mission from the beginning has been to deliver a dog named Dream. She belongs to a homeless traveler friend. Back in November he left for Florida but was unable to take his dog with so the Kramer's volunteered to watch "Dream" with plans to return her to her owner during our Ocala trip.

There were some obvious concerns and apprehensions about taking a relatively unknown dog on a two day, 25 hour van ride but in the end it was decided that the sacrifices of convenience and comfort and the unknown risks and variables were worth it in order to serve our friend in this way. Well we made it all the way to Florida with out any of the major worries of dog travel coming to fruition. Amongst the hairy laps and wet ears (she liked to lick Sam when he was sleeping.) we learned some powerful parallels about carrying a "Dream."

We are learning that sharing a dream is a combined effort. I am personally learning how to hold loosely to a dream to nurture it and coax it but not to claim ownership. Dreams are gifts. While we are in the woods we hope to learn and share the dreams of others. We want to be an encouragement and ultimately introduce them to the Father of dreams.

 

ocala journal entry... Jan 3:

 

Everyone got in without a hitch on friday Jan 2nd... We have been incredibly blessed with the hospitality of Tom and Anita Lenas (Harmony's parents), and Eric and Harmony Bunt. As we gathered for a day of prep and prayer on Sat. the 3rd. ERic and Harmony, and another couple Dustin and Andrea have been interested in 24/7 boilerrooms (all four of them are planning on moving to madison next year to be part of the "transit" 24/7 training), along with the church fellowship they are apart of the Gainsville FL, Vineyard. a month ago they hosted their first 24/7 week as well.It's been encouraging to be here and partner with them, as we are encouraging them in their journey with 24/7.After a morning prayer time at the Vineyard, we sent a car load to scout out the potential sites to set up our campsite. Each year the gathering is hosted in the Ocala forest, but Ocala is very big so we are never sure exactly where individuals will gather. The last couple years there has also been efforts from the authorities to discourage the homeless and travelers from gathering as they have limited the number of "free sites." This potentially will scatter the individuals coming to this gathering, and coule make it harder to have sizable numbers in one area while we are here. We went into the areas that we were at in 2005 and 2007 where we had great opportunities and plenty were gathered. We basically only found one camp site of 3 individuals.

Tomorrow we will be setting up our camp. We will do some more scouting in the morning. but if we cannot find many we will pick a site near where we were in 2007 and continue to pray and continue to scout areas and see what unfolds in the days that follow.This may be a year that we end up pulling up camp and camping at several different sites.

Our team remains encouraged, We realized that God may have something very different than what we expected. Our heart is to connect with what God is doing. and this might be a year of leaving the 99 and finding the 1, like the good shepherd. We realize that sometimes God has plans for just a few and more significant ministry can happen with just a few than feeding 100's.

Also realize that this may be a big intercession year, and God's plan may be for us to do significant prayer in the woods for the homeless and travelers. We are planning on hosting a 24/7 prayer tent during our time as well. I also think it is significant to build this relationship with the Gainsville vineyard, and make deposits and encourage them as beyond boilerrooms they are very interested in doing some similar creative ministry that source has done for years. They have asked us to share for the whole service on the 11th. Themes we felt lead to pray for have been....Forgiveness, dreams, restoration please continue to pray for our team... it's a great team and every is doing great. has great attitudes and is really jelling as well.-

pray for dana as she burnt her hand in hot water this evening - pray as we go into the woods tomorrow and begin to set up the kitchen and 24/7 ten t- pray God leads us to the location where He wants us - our hope is to be at the cross roads where we would come in contact with many homeelss and travelers - I believe it wiil be a week that each team member will powerfully receive as well as serve and give this week

Jan 4th..

Peter today is sunday, our 2nd day here. After our scouting trip on saturday found only three travelers, we divided into two groups. We sent ben, theresa, sam, and tanner with the car eric & harmony borrowed us into the woods for more scouting. the rest of us attend the gainsville vineyard morning sunday service. Again it was great to be in the fellowship and more and more am feeling a big part of this trip was to connect with several on the gainsville vineyard....

We also connected with Germ and Val and gave them dream (there dog that was in Mpls that we transported to FL). germ we have none for over 10 years and val we just met this fall. they were with us for 4 weeks in October, before they hitch hiked down to FL. VAl is 3 months pregnant and from Canada. at the moment she is planning to I got a call from erin clark, (syliva and erin were part of our team in 2005 and 2007 when we were at Ocala).

eric directed me to call mark smith who has a church called "church in the forest" that is right outside Ocala Naitonal forest. "if anyone knows where the rainbow travelers are it would be mark," is what erin told me. We got ahold of mark by 2 in the afternoon, and ended up at his home and church shortly afterward. He knows where the holding camp is, our scouting team had found it as well.

Today is the last day of hunting season, so the woods trails are full of pick up trucks and hunters. It was late in the day, so we decided it would be best to camp at the "church in the forest" and go into the holding camp (about 30 minutes away) first thing tomorrow (monday morning). Mark smith and his wife have a heart for the outcast. they followed the carnival around for many years being a carny chaplin. They settled in Ocala 4 years ago and have been a contant presence here for the rainbow gatherings. We had a great time of worship and connection as we asked mark and a old chirstian hippie friend Paul to share with us. It was a great boost in the arm for all of us. We will be going in the holding camps in the morning and have a good idea where our site will be.

- Pray for good first impressions - pray for connection and favor with the "alpha wolves" (the natural leaders) - Pray for our set up and divine appointments - Pray that we are discerning in open to being used is ways we have not anticipated - Pray for jessica (her birthday today) and the kids - Pray for Holly, (one of the source staff, that is at a trial in Hawaii, where she needs to testify against someone who attacked her in the past

 

Jan 5th:

Prayer Update: Got into woods & set up camp by a small group of travelers. We have already connected with quite a few people. Pray for: Kenneth, Red Dred, Juniper, Annie, Arnie, and Ty.

Pray also for direction as this year seems harder as people are more scattered. We are beginning 24-7 prayer tonight.

 

Jan 5th – peter

Mark & Paul went with us to guide us into the holding camps. We found a location and when entering were greeted by what weemed to be a welcoming party.

People were very warm as we introduced ourselves, and eager to ask if they could help unload and help set up.

We spent the morning and afternoon setting up the kitchen, uppacking and organizing food, setting up sleeping tents, collecting fire wood, and digging the latrene (or the “shitter” as it’s called in the woods).

As we went out to get a lay of the land and visit camp sites we found people gathered at a site that had a young mother, Annie, and 1 year old infant, Dahla. We introduced ourselves and a young women names “red dred” who was very warm and animated, jokingly didn’t believe that Josse and Lydia were from Holland. (Josse and Lydia came from Holland to live with some friends of ours the Kyles and help with Source). So Lydia sang a worship song in dutch and we sang the English version.

That evening we served our first meal. Many seemed grateful. After we hosted our Evening Prayers around the camp fire and several new friends stayed to listen.

Red Dred

Stoney

Kenneth Runnawy Soul

Arty

Danny

Long Tom (who new Ben, one of our team, from new Hampshire several years ago)

Juniper

Adam

Clever strings

Spider

Annie

Tumbleweed

Gerald

Tryp

Missing hippy

Jersey

Luca

Matter

Standard

Sherman

Red dred and Stoney

As we were starting evening prayers “red dred” stated that she wasn’t going to pray but she would listen as she was a “recovering catholic.” After the prayers we drummed and played guitar around the camp fire. Red dred is a spoken word performance artist, and she shared plenty of her rhymes to the drum beats. There was a lot of cheering and laughter.

The next morning on, Jan 6th, she came with stoney after breakfast and said she was leaving and wanted to say goodbye. We were all sad as she was the person we had connected with the most the first night, and even though it was less than 24 hours since we arrived we had built a lot of relationship with her.

We asked if we could bless them before they left and pray for them. They said sure. We gathered around them and laid hands on them and prayed for them, shared encouraging words for God’s love for them, shared scripture verses of how God desired for them to be light.

Stoney was the individual that had the “Nic at Night” duties. Which ment he carried around a pouch of tabacoo and then when ever someone wanted a cigerette they would leterally yell “Nic at Night” and then he would come find them. We prayed that God would nurture Stoney to be a “light in the night”.

For Red Dred we told her we saw God give her a mama’s heart. And thanked her as she hugged us before we hugged her when we first came in. We prayed for both of them that they would understand the truth of Jesus, and that Truth would set them free and empower them to help others out of the oppression. We prayed that they would not let bad religious experiences distort who Jesus is and Jesus would bring conviction and revelation.

It was a powerful prayer time. One I had hoped to happen on one of the last days, but God had ochrestrated it to happen on the first morning. This trip has many differences than how trips have operated in the past, we are dependent on God and the Holy Spirit to lead this, for divine appointments, we always only want to be doing what we see God doing, and this type of trip really forces you to be dependent on that.

Kenneth

Several individuals take on big brother roles. Earlier in the day, Kenneth had determined that we looked a little green and he had accessed we were a christian group right off (which is quite ok as we’re not here to try to completely fit in, but to reflect Jesus). Kenneth seems to be an Alpha Wolf (a natural leader) that we’ve been praying for. As we were setting up he pulled out a “water proof” Bible and showed me some verses from Deuteronomy that gave instruction to the Israelites to not have their latrene to close to the food preperation areas. Kenneth seems to have a warmth and respect towards us. He keeps his distance in not hangin out for long, but seems to be motivated to help us and make small deposits. Jeremy and I had a long conversations about his journey from Michigan, to trying to work jobs and pay the rent, to finally deciding to come to florida and live out in the woods out of frustratation of working for the man and nothing to show for it.

Kenneth was present for our first evening prayers and read some scripture I gave him. He seems to be popping in here and there. I was sitting at the camp site and heard a loud noise. I sounded like giant foot steps in the woods, separated by sevel seconds and it was getting closer and closer. Kenneth had found a 12 foot log in the woods, to big for one person to carry, so he was bring it do up by lifting it up and letting it drop – end over end. He felt we didn’thave enough seating around our fire so he brought this to help.

There are others that we can already see feel an attraction to our camp. I believe it’s a thirst and hunger for Jesus, for love, for Christian community. Many feel shame and guilt, and may feel unworthy, so part of them feel a little embarrassed about hanging around. But their desire for belonging, hope, and acceptance and to feel worthwhile is overriding that and drawing them closer

Juniper

Young kid, 17, made his way to Ocala via grew up in LA, and then in Idaho. Last summer he attended the Rainbow Gathering in Wyoming and has been on the road ever sense. He seems to have a real soft spirit, seems to fit the role of a boy looking for a family. Someone who would respond to He found that in the rainbows and travelers. Our prayer is that he finds true family in the body of Christ.

Jersey

WOW… doesn’t even begin to sum it up. At first appearance Jersey is a chroncilly homeless women. We’ve only seen her drunk, about 40 years old, bad teeth. She was part of the group that was fighting and being loud during the night. I believe that I heard her yell for a beer around 7am on Tuesday morning. She ended up around our fire during Tuesday afternoon. She was angry, cussing, being offensive, and ridiculing Christians. Also she would talk over you so it was hard to get a word in edge wise… it was a combination of hurt, intoxication, and spiritual attack. I started to pray quitly in Jesus name and within minutes she found an excuse to leave camp and look for something.

We prayed against any demons that wanted to hurt anyone and come against Jesus.

It was a one of those times of seeking God for direction. Should we tell her she is being disrespectful and ask her to leave our camp… or should we be humble and love her, as we realize no other camp wants her around and have our camp receive her?

She returned several times, our friends erin and Sylvia clark stopped in (they were the coulpd that hosted our kitchen in 2005and 2007), there were only able to stay for a couple hours and erin was sharing with our group before he left. Jersey interrupted a few times, but erin was able to get rhough it (he’s a rainbow veteran)

Jersey was also was present for our evening meal and evening prayers. I had anticipated her making disturbances during our evening prayers and worship. I was amazed when all she did was listen.

We having a prayer vigil while we are here, and scheduling prayer around the clock in the prayer tent. I was taking the 5am-7am shift. At about 5;15 I was set to really get into prayer, when I heard a voice in the dark, “can I come in by your fire.” It was jersey. My flesh was irritate as I really was looking forward to some time in prayer and in the word, Jersey sat down and we had an amazing conversation. She had given her life to God at a young age. I talked about how the world can take us off focus from the reality of who God says we are. That we are children of God, saints, salt, light, ambassadors, a new creation, co-heirs with Christ… She seemed sober this morning and little embarrassed of what she remembered the day before.

It was quite a turn around, and I was amazed at the power and love of God. There was so little in me that had love or grace for Jersey the night before. There was more of me that wanted to ask her to leave and not distract what we were doing, when in actuality I believe that God has a heart for Jersey and what he wanted to do was love her. I’m glad we didn’t react to her first behavior. Pray for Jersey as I still anticipate some ackward and uncomfortable moments. But now that we have built some relationship with her, there is much more potential to be able to love on her.

 

Jan 6:

Last night was our first meal here. Several guests stayed for evening prayers. After that we had a great time of worship and fun by the fire. A young woman named Red Dred shared some spoken word with us. This morning she came with Stoner as they were leaving. We had an amazing time of prayer for them. We all gathered, laid hands on them and shared some scriptures.