Learning Curve

I met with some folks today at Southside Community Center after learning that there is not a shelter for men in San Marcos. Southside runs a shelter for families and a thrift store. They serve dinner each night to any and all who show up but don't have the facilities to house everyone, so the men have to head back out for the night. There's nowhere for them to go except the park bench and the overpass bridge. In short, there is a great need for something like Perry's Place in San Marcos.

After my meeting this afternoon, I realized what a huge thing we've stepped into. And how much we have to learn about before Perry's Place can be a success. God has really accelerated us in this thing, so we're going to grab tight and hang on for what's sure to be a wild ride.

One thing I've learned in this classroom called life is that the best training is had on the job. So, rather than be discouraged, I'm going to jump in head first by volunteering at Southside, attending their weekly church service called Railroad Ministry (Thursday nights), and getting to know people already in the "business." Stay tuned for updates as I progress on this learning curve.

For more information on Southside Community Center, visit their webpage.

Doesn't Have to be a Motel

I recently became aware of a building that currently sits empty in San Marcos that would make a great place for Perry: an old nursing home. Hmm... All kinds of ideas here!

3 New Ideas

This week, I've had three new ideas regarding Perry's Place:

1. Transportation: Sometimes people just need a ride to ____. And heck, I'm a bus driver. This one's as easy as opening my car door and saying, "Where to?"
   
2. Prayer Board: Some sort of map with photos of people we've met that we can pray over as we walk past. I was thinking of something for our church but why not our home? Or this website? Originally, I thought of one of those old Sunday school felt boards, but I can use HTML for much less!
3. Under-A-Bridge Chili Cook-Off: Made chili for the family last night and was thinking what a great meal it is for a cold night. Why not have an annual event where several cooks bring their recipes to share with the city's less fortunate? We could even have a panel of judges made up of homeless men and women. I think it would be fun as well as a way to give back to the community.
   

Network?

After Emma and Drew boarded my bus, God gave me the idea to make contacts with people, churches, and other shelters all over the country to develop a network of places people can go for food and lodging on a moment's notice. Thinking of an email address or 800 number that people can use to contact a central "dispatcher" who can hook them up with someone near their location. I'll have to give this more thought before implementation.

The Big Idea

I've talked to some people about this, but I thought it time to put something in writing for the world to see.

Perry's Place is named for a man we helped just over a year ago. We took him to our house for a few hours and let him shower, shave, and eat a hot meal. Marissa and I prayed with him and loaded him up with some books before we took him back to where we found him.

Over the next several months, we talked about opening a shelter of sorts. We want to be able to provide beds, meals, and support for people trying to get back on their feet. The idea has evolved since then to include a ministry-owned motel as a base of operations with rooms for long-term guests and meeting rooms for worship services and workshops.

We've started with a "Perpetual Clothing and Materials Drive" and filling our trunks with Care Kits (bags of toiletries and necessities) as stuff comes in. We will continue to grow this ministry as God leads. Keep checking here for further updates.

Launch!

Perry's Place officially launched on this date with an announcement at tPof and the start of a "perpetual clothing and materials drive." More vision to come as God leads...