A guest post by Chad, reposted from infiniteexchange

This past Sunday, Suzanne and I visited our friends who gather at Moore Square. It was like most days, quite depressing to see so many people out on the streets. It is especially to sad to drive down in my nice warm truck and then have only five pairs of boots to give out each month. So many people are in need of shoes to keep their feet warm.

There was a bit of hope in an exchange this week.

I had delivered a pair of boots to Jonathan, who was a size 8.5. Right as I was given them to him, another man approached with shoes that were literally falling apart. I quickly asked Jonathan if the other man could have his old shoes. He quickly and without hesitation said, “Yes.” It was great to see the needs of two men met that day in a single moment.

I am always encouraged by the love that the people we share with at Moore Square show each other. Yes, like any community there are times that they fight and bicker, but there is so much love there. He gladly gave his old shoes away, I just don’t think that happens every day where I live in Suburbia. Maybe it doesn’t happen because we don’t need “shoes”, but I would rather it happens because we are afraid to admit our shortcomings to each other.

If you would like to donate to help with warm shoes for men and women of the Raleigh area, please contact me at chadkmiller @ gmail.com or donate to Love Wins here.

This should be a normal post about July 4th, with me hanging out with other people who look just like, have the same jobs, attend the same church, and believe generally the same things. Or maybe this should be a post about the gigantic fireworks I shot off at my home state (Kansas). The 4th of July has meant a lot of things to me over my life, but this 4th, something was drastically different because I spent about three hours with a lot of friends I met through Love Wins.

Three hours with people who did  not look like me, who don’t have homes like mine, who don’t have jobs like mine, and who don’t believe the same way I do. I spent three hours with people who care about me not because of material things, but because I am their friend and the feeling is mutual.

Love Wins sponsored a community cookout and the poor spent time together. Some of us were poor in spirit, some poor in money, some poor in friends, but we all gathered to celebrate the freedom we have as citizens of our country. There weren’t any prayers prayed, there weren’t any invitations given, we just showed up to love and be loved. I guess like we like to say, Love Wins.

Note from Hugh: This is the first of several posts that will talk about what happened on the 4th of July in Moore Square. Pictures are coming soon.

I get asked a lot what is like for people who are homeless. It is difficult to describe what it is to be “homeless”.

Recently I watched a movie that displays it really well. The movie is Where God Left His Shoes (http://www.wglhs.com/). It shows what happens people are kicked out of housing and the daily struggles they face. I challenge you to watch it and see what it makes you think of. It is the best movie that involves a homeless family that I have ever seen, and is, in my experience, very true to life.

[Hugh's Note: While I have not yet seen the movie Chad mentions, I would also recomend The Soloist as a movie with a realistic depiction of the pain of homelessness and the triumph that can come through relationships.]

Fifty-two hours is not that much time to most people. If you think about it, it comes down to two full days and four hours. What might happen if you could take one hour of your week, each week for a year?

You may be wondering what you can get back from a fifty-two hour commitment. Here is what I have gotten from mine.

• I have about thirty new friends to check in with each week.
• I laugh a little more.
• My faith makes more sense.
• I have a higher purpose than before.
• I have another network of support and accountability.
• I make a difference.

Fifty Two Hours – Could you make that commitment? Would you dare to try it?

[Note from Hugh: Chad is refering to the hour a week he spends with us in Moore Square, where he passes out boots and shoes to folks who need them.]

Over a year ago I was sitting in my living room, talking to Greg and Donna, folks who would later become co-conspirators in Love Wins. Donna was telling me and my wife, Suzanne about her brother, who had once been homeless. She mentioned to us how his biggest need had been shoes and socks. After thinking about that for a while, we decided to start purchasing work boots for the men and women who need them.

Suzanne and I, together with the help of the friends of Love Wins, have been able to buy almost 100 pair of shoes since starting this in January, 2008. In that time, we have seen some incredible reactions from people when they get their new shoes. Here are just a few stories from those ninety.

One man nearly wept as he realized he could get work at a local construction project.

One woman was able to throw away the torn-up shoes she had on and go back to working as a waitress.

We take orders for shoes in advance. One man thanked me three times, not seeming to believe that someone would deliver on a promise to him.  I feel we restored a little hope in his heart to trust people again.

One man quickly sat down in the dirt and put the new shoes on, throwing away the worn out, hole riddled pair he had been wearing.

When we bring down new shoes, it is a gift to see how excited each of them get. I love being a part of that. It has allowed me to find a way into their difficult lives and let them know that I care about them. It only takes about an hour a week to do this, but it impacts and forms my whole week. For them it is shoes and a chance to go to work and for me it is a key into getting to know them and letting them know that we love them.

Note from Hugh: It costs us about $30 to buy one pair of steel toe work boots. If you would like to buy a pair for someone, you can donate $30 via PayPal (you don’t have to have a PayPal account) by going to our donate page. Thanks!

Note: Guest post by Chad Miller

Almost year ago Suzanne and I began visiting people in downtown Raleigh. We never knew all that God would do through our lives. We have made a lot of new friends and met some people who really need substantial help. I always had a struggle of being a bit of a pew rider, never wanting to get outside my comfort zone. Sure, I visited people in hospitals, counseled people and was an activist, but it never required so much of me as the pain of seeing people who are continually in physical needs. After I would visit people before, I could go back to my suburban home and know the people I was with were going back into a similar situation.

When you spend time with people who have less, you realize that community and friendship is all they have. I guess it helped me realize that community and friendship matter much more than economic status or stuff.

I am definitely not a person who will condemn anyone for being wealthy. Yet, I want to challenge people to know some people outside of their own so-called class. I think it helps you to become less selfish and materialistic.

So now, a year later, I have a lot of friends who would still love me, no matter what. I am part of a ragamuffin family , and I love it.

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Chad lives in Apex, NC with his incredible wife, Suzanne. Chad and Suzanne have been involved with the homeless of Raleigh since January of 2007. They currently are working as schoolteachers in the community, trying to bring awareness of people less fortunate to other people. Suzanne is also an aspiring writer. Chad is on staff at Connections Church in Raleigh, NC as a Children’s Pastor. They both work in unison to bring dignity and grace to all types of people they meet with.

Note: This is a guest post by Chad Miller.

It all started as my wife Suzanne and I began to think about what it meant to live a more “missional” or Christ-like life. We saw the shortcomings of our lives when it came to reaching out to those needing some sort of financial need. Sure, we realize there are all types of poverty, but as we came from the middle class, we were drawn to working with the financially poor.

We decided to begin helping our local church feed the homeless one Saturday a month. We struggled with standing behind the table and not entering the world beyond the feeding line. Quickly we began going out and talking to the people who gathered to eat the food. We had no idea what to say. Honestly, I was scared as hell, so I found a couple of people I thought would be able to teach me about how to talk to these people.

I met Wilbur, who had previously homeless for 7 years. He is a great Christian, who has now found a residence locally. He told me about a lot of the people having a disability, addictions, and in need of a Savior. Wilbur used to sit down in Moore Square every day, and hope to get to speak to someone about Christ. Wilbur now speaks for churches about the issue of being homeless in Raleigh area churches. He understands addictions and feels the pain of abusing his family. He taught me a lot over the next 6-7 months. He is a friend and someone I count on for help understanding the needs of the homeless or poor.

After we visited for about 6 months with our church, we decided to begin attending weekly with another local ministry that fed every Sunday at noon. This was a different group of volunteers, some who have served 14 years for almost every week. It was a different approach. As we entered, we realized how much people in our downtown just wanted to be listened to and be treated as a human being.

As Suzanne and I progressed through the week by week we realized that their needs were often much larger than what we could provide for on Sunday. We were really glad to see Hugh come along as more of an everyday contact person for these people.

Whenever I leave on a given Sunday, I feel a little more connected to the Jesus I sat in Sunday school and listened to. Every Sunday I hear their stories of pain, happiness, and I journey with them. We provide tangible items as well, but I think the most important thing to them is that we are their friends and we listen. Regardless of our income or housing status, we all long to have true friends.

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Chad lives in Apex, NC with his incredible wife, Suzanne. Chad and Suzanne have been involved with the homeless of Raleigh since January of 2007. They currently are working as schoolteachers in the community, trying to bring awareness of people less fortunate to other people. Suzanne is also an aspiring writer. Chad is on staff at Connections Church in Raleigh, NC as a Children’s Pastor. They both work in unison to bring dignity and grace to all types of people they meet with.