Snapshots of the Birmingham Dream Center

Snapshots of Dream Center Life in Birmingham

My mind is always taking pictures. I love to snap shot thedetails I notice surrounding me and frame the colors, the smells, peoples’names, their shoes, smiles, laughs, anything and everything that composes what we call “life”.

At the 1st Saturday outreach last weekend therewere plenty of beautiful moments for my mind to take captive.

First there was Mr Kenny, a homeless man whose beard wasmuch fuller than the last time I had seen him. He told me he had just gotten outof jail due to some fines he hadn’t paid. To me, that didn’t matter. I was just happy to welcome him home and he was happy to get back to serving in the place that he loves. He always reminds me that this church is the first one that hasever truly welcomed him with open arms.

Next, there was Andre. A big, tall chocolate man that toldme “Young lady, if a man ever tries to hurt you, you tell me! No man gonnamistreat a lady.” I had never met Andre,but in his own quirky and passionate way he showed me love.

Too bad he hadn’t come an hour earlier when I was gettinghit on by the drunk man with a lazy eye or when I was being proposed to by thehomeless man who told me he was trying to divorce his wife. Haha. A day in the life, you know.

Later I met three young kiddos that came to serve, helping us create snack bags for people that we will serve this week. Tony was the youngest. He had a precious little stutter and told me he likes to “rollerthhh-kate”.

Also while making snack bags, I met a team of fifteen people who left their homes in Auburn at 4am to be able to serve with us and to learnmore about how to start their own outreach team in their community in the near future!

At lunchtime, some of our students came to hang out with me.They noticed a young pregnant lady and whispered to me that she is a prostitute,and that they had often seen her get picked up by men on the side of the road. I gently urged them to talk with her and to show her how much she is loved. And they did.

At the end of the day, I watched out the window as avolunteer gave free hair cuts on our front lawn. As I peered out, I saw a thirteen-year-old girl dressed in hot pink, walking up to the front door withthe biggest smile on her face. The first thing she said to me was “I like your nose ring.” She went on to tell me that she loves piercings and that her dreamis to go into cosmetology, doing piercings, tattoos, and makeup.

This all made sense after I heard her story. Thirteen yearsold and this child has already walked through challenges no one should everface. At the age of eleven she was raped. Scared to open up to anyone aboutwhat had happened, she turned to drugs and eventually cutting. She moved away from home and got into “trouble” she told me.

After two years of all this running, Charisma came home. She was finally able to get the help she needed and has been found by Jesus. Shetold me about a little church that her uncle takes her to each week. “It’s a yellow house that we meet in. We call it a church full of misfits.” She beamed telling me about how her life has changed.

She knows that her journey up to this point is going to helpher change the lives of many young girls, reminding them of their beauty andthe hope that they can find in Jesus.

At the end of our conversation, Charisma invited me to cometo her “misfit” church. Honestly, I was a little surprised. I’m usually the one doing the inviting. But she was BESIDE HERSELF with joy. She said “I made a goal for myself to invite as many people to church as I could. You are thefirst one!!! I invited someone to church!!!!”

It’s moments like that that make life full. When Jesus callsus to live life to the fullest, I think He intends for us to take it all in! Listen to what people say. Hear them! Feel their hearts. Ask them their dreams. Catch the sparks in their eye. Return their smiles. Dance to the rhythm oftheir souls pulse. Just feel it! God’s love is so ALIVE! It bounces off the walls and echoes for days.

Just take a minute to frame the beautiful art God places inyour life every day.