9 months

Samuel wants to play
Samuel with his friend Elisha. She is 6 1/2 months old. Cale and Samuel

Samuel is crawling really fast now and does really well holding onto things while he walks. If I turn over a hamper, he will push it in front of him while he walks! He says mama and dada on a regular basis and gets a reaction from us every time. He gets really excited when Cody brings out the guitar. If Cody stands up to play, Samuel will try to climb his legs to get to it! He also enjoys having play time with babies and children. When I take Samuel for a walk in his stroller by the park, he gets excited and wants to get out and play with the kids. I started watching Cale, who is 3 mos. old a couple days a week and Samuel enjoys the company.

On Saturday night we went to the city to feed the homeless. This was the first time I had done this and it was a life changing experience. We went with some friends who live in Kansas City. We made breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, potatoes, green bell pepper, and onion. We also brought corn on the cob, apples, donuts and soda. The Lord provided all the food for us. We didn't have to pay for any of it. We prayed before we went and asked the Lord to direct us to where we should go and who we should talk to. The first person Julian and Cody talked with while the rest of us stayed in the van and prayed. Bobby was his name and he was a veteran. He was a Christian and they got to pray with him, give some food and give him a Bible. We pulled over at a bus stop and Julian talked with two older men. One took the food that was offered to him, but the other man refused. Julian asked the other man if he could leave some for him to have later and the man said no. Julian asked if he could give them a Bible. The first man said the had one and the second man said, "I want one of those!" He had lost his Bible and was grateful to receive a new one. He wasn't hungry for food, he was hungry for the Word of God! At another spot we saw someone sleeping on a bench covered with newspaper. Julian got out to leave some food with a Bible beside the bench and realized it was a man and woman, nicely dressed. The man had a little bit of facial hair like he might have not shaved for a day or so. Julian thought they may have just lost their business and that's why they were on the streets. We got to minister to many others that night. It was awesome to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I feel like I have been missing out on a big part of Biblical Christianity. Feeding the poor and pointing them towards Jesus is something necessary in every Christians life. Even if you don't feel "called" to be an evangelist, the Lord can use you to give someone a hug, a word of encouragement, a piece of bread or a cup of water. We know from the scriptures that Jesus ministered in the temple to believers, to tax collectors, prostitutes and the poor. He wasn't afraid to get on their level and hang out with them. He loved them. The Lord shares a lot about his thoughts towards the poor in His Word.

"He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy." Prv. 14:31 NKJV

"He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker..." Prv. 17:5

"He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given." Prv. 19:17

"He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor." Prv. 22:9

"Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them." Prv. 22:22-23

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'" Isaiah 58:6-9

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor..." Isaiah 61:1

"When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your
relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lamed, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Lk. 14:12:14