09/29/2026
Some stories aren’t ours to tell in detail.
There are names I won’t share and circumstances that belong to someone else. But I can tell you what happened on outreach last night.
We were at our final stop of the evening. Food had been served, most of our friends had moved on, and we were getting ready to wrap up when one of our outreach volunteers started talking with a gentleman nearby.
After a while, I was called over.
He was ready.
Ready to ask for help. Ready to try something different. Ready to take a step toward recovery.
And suddenly, nothing else mattered.
We started making calls. The first number didn’t answer. We tried another contact. And another. We waited.
By then, everyone else had left. Outreach was over.
But we weren’t leaving.
Because when someone says, “I’m ready,” you don’t drive away if there’s something you can do.
Eventually, the message came back:
Bring him.
So we loaded his belongings into the vehicle, made room, and drove him to a place where help was waiting.
On the way there, he shared pieces of his story. I won’t share those pieces—they’re his. But I will tell you that I reminded him of something I hope he remembers today:
His life has purpose. His story isn’t finished.
When we arrived, members of our outreach team walked inside with him.
And I sat outside and cried.
I don’t know what today will bring. I don’t know whether he’ll stay. Recovery belongs to the person walking through it, and sometimes it takes more than one try.
But I know this:
Last night, someone said he was ready.
And people were there to hear him.
If today isn’t the day, we’ll still be here tomorrow. And if he asks us to walk beside him again, we will.
People matter. So we show up.
And today, we’re asking you to pray for this friend.
Pray that this one sticks. Pray that he stays long enough to see what life on the other side can look like. Pray that he receives everything being offered to him—the help, the support, the hope, the second chances—and that when it gets hard, he chooses to stay and take one more step.
We don’t know what the rest of his story will be.
But last night, he took a step.
Now we pray for the next one. ❤️
