Brockton - June 2, 2024

It was a beautiful day in Brockton as we served 122 meals of Deb’s Dilemma. (It’s another smorgasbord invention of the cooking team and the pans were simply marked “?”, so I gave it a name.) It was another sunscreen day as the skies were incredibly blue and the temperatures were in the mid 70s. (What, no rain while serving on the streets? It cannot be!) We had a small team of 6, and then 5, which made it quite busy but we laughed with our friends so much! There were also many (too many?) moments of shared heartbreak, whether because people were clearly battling with mental illness and addiction, or because they shared with us the desperation that is life on the streets.

Here are this week’s prayers from the streets:

- Colangi was happy to see us but had to rush off to work. He said, ‘no prayers” but he knows we’ll be praying for him anyway.

- Alejandro can’t afford driving lessons, but he needs a car and license to get the job he’s been working toward. He passed the written test but failed the driving test. He only gets a few more tries.

- Irene was excited to share that she has lost another 2 lbs! She’s praying that she can keep improving her health through weight loss.

- Donna H is praying that she gets into an apartment in Providence, RI. (She wants to get out of Brockton.)

- Donna E is praying that she be able to forgive those who have been unkind (or mean) to her and that she can forgive herself for her shortcomings and failures.

- Jen is the cousin of our friend Eric, who was murdered two years ago. She is praying that the trial finally start and that justice is served, as well as a sense of closure and peace of mind for Eric’s family.

- (GQ) John rode his bike all the way from Fall River. It was great to see him after several months and we’re praying he remain safe.

- Mike is praying for continued recovery from alcoholism and that his treatment using Vivitrol would be effective. He is also excited to be pursuing peer leader training.

- Chris is praying to be stronger each day and near good people.

- Ashley is still on the streets and still struggling with addictions.

- Kevin was happy to see us and assures us his Mom is doing well.

- Yves is missing his 13 year-old son whom he hasn’t seen in 10 months.He is praying for open lines of communication and forgiveness within the family as he struggles to overcome his addictions and homelessness. We talked a lot about how he needs to view his son as his his bigger “yes” when temptation comes close.

- Renee has a bad knee that needs surgery and to overcome selfishness. She is proud of her son who recently graduated high school.

- Amanda wants help from God to stop making bad decisions.

There were many moments of extended conversation and prayer today, and we are so thankful that God has entrusted this ministry to us. We thank you all for supporting LYNN Ministries! God’s grace, and your prayers, are helping to change lives in Brockton and Attleboro. Please keep your prayers coming.