What will I tell Micah in November?

Micah's golf pose, at his first golf lesson with his Daddy this week.

A very common question I get is “what will you tell Micah when Leon is gone?” I haven’t really been too worried about that because, Micah is only 2 and I’m thinking won’t remember too much from this time. Sure, he will ask where Daddy is, but when I tell him “Daddy is working”, or “Daddy’s not here right now,” I am assuming that Micah will just go on with his everyday life until Leon comes back in December. 

That assumption all changed for me a couple days ago when Leon took Micah to the driving range for the first golf experience. Micah said all morning, “I play golf with Daddy!” He was so excited, and could not wait to have some boy time with his dad. Leon took him to the driving range, and out of a bucket of 100 balls, Leon probably hit 5 of them. The entire time, Micah wanted to hit the golf balls, so Leon took 2 hours out of his day, and helped his son learn to hit a golf ball with the mini golf clubs we borrowed from the Thomsons. 

                                       

It was then that I realized that there will be a huge hole in our family during the month of November. Not only will my husband, my partner in crime, my rock and my love, be missing....but Micah’s daddy, his wrestling partner, his ball-player, and his teacher will be missing as well. While I am missing the love of my life, Micah will be missing his hero. 

So how do I explain that to my 2 year old?

Maybe he will not remember this time in our lives. And maybe (well, hopefully!) he will be spared from major psychological ramifications from this one month. But he will most definitely feel the impact of this month, subconsciously. He will miss his rough-housing partner. He will miss being thrown in the air and caught with strong arms. He will miss his sports buddy, who always has the energy to play ball. He (and I) will miss the discipline and structure that Daddy offers. 

So whatever explanation I give Micah, I will know underneath it all that the hole that Leon’s absence creates is beyond anything I could make up for. I know that single-parent households exist all over, every day, and that they actually function well. But for us, that is not the reality, and that is not something that is right for us at this point, so the hole will be huge. And the impact will be great. 

Malachi 4:6 says “And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” 

I choose to think that because God never causes destruction, and because I believe He has called Leon to do this great thing, that He will restore everything that suffers in the midst of it all. If Micah does make any long-term memories during this next month, I know that God will restore everything, and that Leon’s heart of selflessness will live on, even to inspire Micah to follow the heart of God when he gets older. And that’s my prayer for Micah. 

One of Micah’s many lessons during his golf outing with Dad. 

A lesson from church, of all places!

I think it all hit me today.

Yes, we have been preparing for November for a couple months now. And yes, I have been aware that Leon has wanted to do this for the past 4 years. And yes, we have been getting an outpouring of support from our friends, family, and even people we don’t know. But am I ready? Not so much!

In church this morning, I did my last worship set with Leon next to me. In the month of November, I go it alone. And though I have led worship for years, and am doing all songs I know like the back of my hand, I realized that not having him beside me is going to be one of the hardest things I will have to do while he’s gone. I realized that as I sang Revelation Song in front of our entire second service, and almost lost it. 

I did, somehow, maintain my composure during worship, but then our pastor started speaking about prayer. About the kind of prayer that really means something. And the kind of people who pray and it’s like they are actually speaking directly to God. He said that it can feel at times like some people have a “pipeline to God,” and they have God’s direct cell phone number, while some of us feel like we have to go through a phone tree and wait on hold for an eternity. As I listened to his message, I couldn’t help but think of my husband. He is one of those people who have a direct pipeline so-to-speak. He prays, and God truly speaks to him. 

I don’t know how he does it, and I don’t know how to get what he has (well, I guess praying more would be a start!). But to watch the true faith that Leon has, and the way he lives that faith out, is one of the most inspiring things I have ever encountered. God gives Leon premonitions. God helps Leon discern people’s character with a supernatural accuracy. God speaks, directs, changes decisions, and gives him an ability to see things clearly, where other people just see fog. And when Leon prays, things happen. When he speaks to God, clarity results, and lives are changed. 

So as I listened to the message, and I heard basically a profile of my husband’s faith, I lost it. I teared up and had to get a hold of myself, because the reality is, I don’t have that faith. I wish I did. I try to have faith. But I have no doubt that Leon hears from God. And on something like what he is about to do, I may not see it clearly, and I may not understand it, and I may never do something like this myself, but I know Leon hears the voice of God, and I know God will do something incredible. I am just going to have to trust. And pray. 

In the Bible, God tells Jacob to go back to his homeland and He will bless him. And then Jacob wrestles with God and God gives him a blessing. Leon has said that this homeless journey is just that for him. God has taken a child, who grew up in a chaotic and toxic household growing up, a household where there was no mention of God’s role in their lives, and gave this child an ability to pray. Real prayers. Prayers for his safety and survival. Prayers for his brothers and sister’s survival. Prayers for his mother’s safety. And God blessed that child years later with a family, a job, and a home in the comfortable suburbs. And now, that child is getting comfortable. Complacent. Ready to experience some true faith again. And that is exactly what Leon is doing. He is returning to his homeland. He is returning to the uncertainty that first brought him to God, and he is ready to see, yet again, what he’s made of. 

Do I think this is stupid? Absolutely! Do I fear for Leon’s safety? Most definitely! Do I trust God will do something incredible in Leon, and in me? Without question!

Our first teal wristband giveaway!

Our new friend, Kathryn, who recognized Leon, Micah and 

me (and the Thomsons) at Cristina's tonight!

If you have been following Twitter or Facebook, you probably already know this, but I thought it blog-worthy to also mention that we had our first “Leon sighting” last night! We decided, since it was Friday night, that we needed a margarita, and a dinner out, and the Thomsons decided to join us at Cristina’s in Southlake. It was, of course, crowded, the waiters were dressed in their Halloween costumes, and they had someone doing balloon animals and face painting for the kids....so there was, needless to say, a lot of activity! 

But despite our sensory overload, we saw a smiling little face from across the room, looking at us as if she knew us. We weren’t really thinking too much about it, but Leon later mentioned that he thought she had seen someone she knew behind us...that’s the sort of look she was giving him. 

We just kept going with our table seating, and then finally, she came over to our table. She said “You’re Leon, aren’t you?” ....we tentatively said “yes,” as our minds went back through our rolodex of faces and people we should know, hoping that we hadn’t met before and just didn’t remember. She then let us know that she read about Leon in the news, and has been following the website and blog, and thought she recognized us. She said Leon looked pretty familiar, but then when she saw Micah, she knew it had to be us! She told me she was praying for Leon, and for Micah and me as we embark on this journey without Leon, and that she will be following us as we move forward. 

We were beyond excited! Our first person to spot Leon out of the crowd, and actually come up and say hi! She even recognized the Thomsons too from our blog postings about them, which was really cool. 

Not only is it neat to hear that this story is reaching people that we don’t even know, and we felt a little celebrity-esque for the first time in our lives, but the most amazing feeling in the world is to hear from random strangers, who see what Leon is doing, and let us know that they are praying for us, even before they know us! Even today, I am beyond-thrilled and overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of perfect strangers, who are committed to praying for us and encouraging us every step of the way. I am sure we will need it as November goes on! 

Anyone can purchase a black wristband if they have an extra $1 (email me if you need one!), but the teal ones are very rare and elusive....you must find Leon to receive one of those. And as of last night, our very first teal wristband has been given away to our new friend Kathryn, and we cannot think of a more deserving person! 

So thank you, Kathryn, for coming up to talk to us, and for your kindness and prayers! You have no idea how much you touched our hearts last night, and how thankful we are for people like you who will be kind enough to pray and encourage, even without knowing us (until now!) We cannot wait to give away more teal wristbands to people like you! 

What does Southlake care about homelessness?

This morning's edition of the Southlake Times with Leon's article on the cover!

We have heard several times that Southlake doesn’t care about homelessness, and that the community of Southlake and the surrounding areas will not care about what Leon is doing in November. Well, to that, we have said “You obviously don’t know the community of Southlake,” and today proved that those people truly do not know Southlake whatsoever! 

A couple of cool things happened this week...one being yesterday, when someone from the Southlake Times got in touch with Leon, asking him a few questions about what he is doing in November. Then when we saw last night, that she had written an article about Leon and put it on the Southlake Times website. We thought to ourselves, “well, that’s cool...they wanted to write a little article about Leon...” Little did we know that we would wake up to see Leon’s face, along with the article on the front page of the Southlake Times this morning! It was all very shocking and overwhelming. I mean, I have never had an article written about me before, so I thought it was cool to see Leon in the paper today. And after that article came out, the story has hit all kinds of different avenues, such as Pegasus News, Yahoo Local, and more! You can even Google “Southlake man goes homeless” and see what all pops up!

The second cool thing is that we hit a milestone just a few hours ago when the Have You Seen Leon Facebook page hit over 200 likes! And the majority of the likes we got today, are from people I don’t even know. My thought is that maybe some people who saw the article are starting to find us online and on Facebook, and I have to think, yet again, that Southlake and the DFW communities really do care about what Leon is doing, and they want to support him. Which for me, means more than anyone can possibly imagine! 

So that brings us back to the beginning....what does Southlake care about homelessness? I think that Southlake is much more than a first-class school system, or a wealthy area, or a football team. I am suggesting that the community of Southlake actually does care about people other than themselves. And I am suggesting that Southlake WILL get behind what Leon is doing, support, encourage, and cheer him on in his endeavor. Southlake already is. And I am going to make it my mission to reach as many people as possible with this story because it is Leon’s heart that if people do hear what he is doing, that they will be inspired to do something selfless for the month of November while he is on the street.

Don’t get me wrong, Leon’s motivation for this 30 days is simply to learn about a different way of life. But I am making my new mission to rally the community of Southlake and other nearby communities behind Leon, and show the cynics that we really can follow Leon’s lead, and live more selflessly for this holiday season. So let’s all keep spreading the word, wear a tee shirt or wristband for the month of November, and do something that we wouldn’t normally do to live more generously in November. And share your stories on Facebook so we can all motivate each other to keep this movement going. 

Stories of homelessness.

It really is amazing how God is working even now, before Leon leaves for the streets of Dallas. One of the most touching and unexpected things we have heard people say again and again when Leon shares his heart for why he wants to go homeless in November is, “you know, I was homeless once...”

Wow! 

It never ceases to floor us when we hear people we know tell us that at one point in their lives, they themselves were homeless. Their stories of struggle bring them (and us) to tears, and once again, we are reminded that this is not an issue that is far-removed from the safe, happy suburbia we currently find ourselves.

These people are just like us. They live in Southlake. They live in Keller. They live in Roanoke, or Trophy Club, and the surrounding areas, just like us. And yet, they have been through a life-shattering situation that left them on the streets with nowhere to go. And it changed them. 

It’s amazing how often we hear “What will Southlake and Keller care about a mission like Leon’s?” And not only do we think that is completely ridiculous on so many different levels, but now we see the extent of just how insane that generalization is. Because the truth is, even right among us, there are stories of great tragedy, struggle, extreme hopelessness, epic life battles, the triumph that comes in the end, and (arguably most importantly) the character that this situation of homelessness builds in each individual that must endure it. 

Our hope is that everyone who sees what Leon is doing, will find their inner strength to keep moving forward and never lose hope. Therefore, if you have a story of struggle (it can be about homelessness or something else), and if you are brave enough, feel free to post it to Facebook.com/haveyouseenleon. Together, we can encourage everyone with the stories of our struggle and how we overcame them. 

Encouragement from a haircut.

Today, Leon left to get a haircut (and don’t ask me why the man who is growing out his beard for a month to go on the streets, is getting a haircut!) while Micah and I caught a nap. I woke up...3 hours later...only to find Leon still missing. I wasn’t too worried because I thought he was just running some other errands, but that was not the case. He came back with a slightly shorter haircut than he originally wanted, and a long (but worth-reading) story to tell...

One quick note about Leon’s personality: he is an artist...he can sculpt, paint, weld, draw, and do anything artistic you can think of...including razor cut hair! He can do it all. So of course, when it comes to his own haircut (which is never straightforward, but is a faux-hawk or something that requires some major texturing), he is quite particular. He has been known to tell hair dressers to put down the scissors and pick up the razor, and how to razor his hair, or how far to fade it, etc. Basically, a hairdresser’s worst nightmare client! But for some unknown reason, the man refuses to go anywhere besides sportsclips, or somewhere that costs about $4.95 for a haircut. I cannot figure this out about him, but it is one of his many inconsistencies that makes him Leon. 

So much to my surprise, instead of going to a cheapie place like he usually does, he went to one of those places where hair dressers rent out their own little spaces inside a gallery of salons-type place. He spoke to several people up front, explained his haircut, what he wanted, and that he was very particular (not unusual for Leon to do when he goes into a new salon). One girl jumped up and said “I know how to cut hair like that!” So he followed her to the chair, and began the 20 minute explanation of how he wanted it to look, how he wanted her to cut it, what utensils he wanted her to use, etc. She, in all confidence, told him she could do it, so he then began to play Tiger Woods Golf on his iPhone. About 5 minutes later, he looked into the mirror to see that she has shaved the sides of his hair on a 1 all the way up to the top.....think army buzz cut-looking, and needless to say, not at all what Leon was wanting. 

He gasped when he saw it and in his, shall we say, direct way of speaking his mind, asked her “what are you doing?!!!!” Her face flushed and she got very embarrassed, and tried to explain herself. He cut her off, asking, “how exactly do you plan on fading that in with the length of my hair on top?”...she grabbed the scissors and started to cut, but then admitted she didn’t know how she would fade it. 

I think a few more words were exchanged, something to the effect of, 
Leon:     Why did you tell me you could cut my hair, when you clearly couldn’t?!
Girl:       I’m not sure, I thought I could.
Leon:     What part of my explanation made you think you should use a 1 all the way to the top?
Girl:       I don’t know, sometimes people just come in and they really don’t know what they want. 

And after that, Leon just got up. Took the smock off, hair all over his neck and shirt, put his hat on, and walked straight out. On his way out the door, a few more people said they could fix it, but he had his mind made up to leave...so he left!

[Ok so I overstate a little...he actually wasn’t rude to her, but actually did walk out mid-cut.]

He remembered an Aveda salon in Southlake Town Square that I have been to get my hair done, and immediately drove there to see if they could help on such short notice. They unfortunately did not have anyone working at that time, but mentioned a spa upstairs that they thought might cut hair...Leon almost went home, thinking it was hopeless, and that a spa would never have hair dressers there. But he was so desperate that he just decided to try it out. He walked up the stairs to Spa on the Square, hat still on his head, and asked if anyone cut hair. 

As he asked that, he was already turning to walk out, but they said, “yes, we cut hair!” He reluctantly took his hat off, and all the stylists standing around gasped when they saw what was under the hat! It was completely shaved on the sides, but the length of the top was untouched, and his thick hair mushroomed out like a crazy fro, just with shaved sides. They immediately called their star stylist out of the back to come take a look and see if he could do anything with the ‘do they saw before them. He said he could, and he began to tell Leon how he would do it, and as it turns out, he speaks Leon’s language when it comes to hair. So Leon felt comfortable with the guy, and sat down in his chair. 

The stylist cut and razored and textured as best he could, until he got the final product, which, given the circumstances, was pretty darn good. And as Leon was leaving, he happened to start speaking to the owner of the Spa. He told her about what he is doing in November, shared his heart with her, why he was doing it, and that he wasn’t going to see his family during this time. Her eyes widened, she listened intently, and started speaking to him in spiritual terms herself, and said she was moved by what he was doing. So much so in fact, that she immediately pulled out a business card to give to him, and on it, she wrote “free haircut” for when he gets back from the streets. On top of that, she also wrote down for Leon and me to come in when he gets back for a couple’s massage, with the only stipulation that he bathe before he comes in! :)

So thank you, Spa on the Square, for the amazing outpouring of encouragement, the haircut fix, and of course for the generous gift for us for when Leon complete’s his mission! We are overwhelmed! 

Oh, and here is the haircut that was crap, and turned nice again (from the man who never takes a serious picture)....

A very important anniversary.

Matt, Mary, Leon and me, at our nice anniversary dinner in their dining room.

One of the reasons that we decided to go ahead with this homeless challenge so soon is that our good friends, Matt and Mary Thomson, have invited us to move into their guest house temporarily. It came very suddenly, right when we had to be out of our apartment in September, and it was one of the confirmations that Leon should be homeless while I was able to stay with friends. Mary has been here since the beginning of the development of all this and is one of my closest and dearest friends. Therefore, staying with her while Leon is out on the streets, gives me a little bit of comfort knowing I won’t be alone.

Matt and Mary had been going to our church longer than we have, but for some reason, we were at the church for a whole year and never really knew them. Sure, we saw their 4 little children in matching clothes every Sunday, but we never really had a chance to get to know them. Until one day, they overslept, and instead of going to their usual 9:30am service at church, they came to the service where Leon and I lead worship.

The kids danced to the music and loved the service, so they ended up staying in the second service, and everyone started to get used to “that cute family on the front row with all the matching kids.” Slowly but surely, they started learning the songs we sing in second service, and eventually, Ryan, their oldest son, had watched Leon play guitar and sing enough, to start asking his mom for guitar lessons. Mary asked Leon if he could teach, and he gladly volunteered to teach Ryan, but would not allow any form of payment...instead, he asked for quality time. 

Little did we know, we were unleashing a monster with that request. Every Thursday, Leon would give Ryan guitar lessons and Mary and I (and all the other kids) would hang out and chat for an hour. That turned into dinners at their house on Thursdays, which turned into multi-night hangouts with our families. And fasting forward a year, here we are, living in their guest house. 

Very few people in my life have I had that cliche “feel like I have known you forever” feeling...my husband being one of those, and Mary being the other. So one little guitar lesson turned into a lifelong friendship, one for which I am eternally grateful and of which I am completely undeserving.

So October 14 was Ryan’s first guitar lesson in 2011, and October 14 was the first anniversary of the “ThoReyes” family, and we had a nice dinner, complete with Steak, Salmon and Silver Oak to commemorate the occasion. We love you Thomson family...thank you for the incredible gift of your friendship!

Pneumonia woes.

The way Micah has slept for the past 4 days...in the arms of his mommy.

Over the past few days, our family has been having some difficulties, which have kept me from the blogging circuit. Micah has had a cough for a while, and it developed into something more around Wednesday. It sent me to CareNow late at night on Thursday, which was truly an act of desperation because you never really if those doctors actually know what they’re doing! Leon had worship band practice so I was there by myself, holding my lethargic child, singing worship songs to keep him calm, while doctors and nurses poked and prodded, trying to determine the problem.

One nurse came in, took his vitals, and after she timed his pulse, she immediately left the room and another nurse came in, telling me Nurse #1 wanted her to take his pulse too. [Alarming moment #1] Nurse #2 said that his heart rate was pretty high, and the first nurse wanted a second opinion. So when Nurse #2 confirmed Nurse #1’s analysis, they realized something was not right. Then once they took his temperature and it was 103, they immediately gave him 50% more of a dosage of Tylenol than I ever give him for fever. [Alarming moment #2].

To make a long story short, the doctor came in, examined him, thought it sounded bad, and ordered a chest x-ray. The x-ray confirmed pneumonia, and they immediately gave him a horrible, painful shot of a very powerful antibiotic, and then basically freaked me out with instructions for what to watch out for, and when to go immediately to the ER because he could crash and stop breathing.....etc.

So as I hear all this, I start freaking out, crying hysterically, all while trying to keep Micah calm. He requested I sing “Oh My Soul,” to him, which of course is Matt Redman’s Ten Thousand Reasons, and one of Micah’s favorite songs. So I sit, not able to carry on any normal conversation without sobbing, cuddling my sick baby, trying to sing a song that already reduces me to tears....it was not pretty. Humorous maybe, but not pretty. 

So after several sleepless nights, holding Micah in my arms, making sure he was breathing, watching every movie on the HBO movie rotation while he rests, force-feeding the little guy, and constantly refilling cups of Pedialyte, I think we are on the mend. We finally have some energy around our house, and are ready to get back to life as usual. So thanks for the patience....several blog posts on the horizon that you won’t want to miss!

How could he do this to his family?

As we are continuing our somewhat public journey through the preparation process of Leon’s homeless challenge, I am hearing a lot of the same question come up again and again from friends, family, and total strangers....”how could someone with a family do something like this?” 

Very valid question. It is one thing for a single guy with a heart to help people to go live on the dangerous streets of Dallas for a month...it is quite another for a responsible man, with a job, and a wife and son to do this. Crazy, right?

Well, yes, of course it is crazy! It is insane, dangerous, unpredictable, and unorthodox. And as the wife of a man who is doing this, I cannot get the craziness of the whole situation out of my head. Everyday I pray for my husband’s safety during the month of November. But more than that, I pray for his sanity, his beautiful heart to be protected, his morale to not be stifled, and his faith to be strengthened. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what this month will do to our family. How will I explain to Micah, our 2 year old son, that daddy still isn’t home? How will I get used to sleeping in our bed alone, every night? How will I get by without that last kiss and day debrief at the end of each day? 

These questions could plague me for my family, as I am sure they are plaguing many of you. And for that, I appreciate your concern, and would definitely welcome your prayers for us too during the month of November. However, as a wife, which I believe is my primary role in my family, how can I tell my husband not to do something he feels called to do, for fear that our family might suffer? The truth is, I have known that this month was coming for some time. Leon and I have known each other for almost 4 years now, and since the very beginning, this has been on Leon’s heart to do. It has been discussed, prayed about, shelved for a bit, revisited, and now the time has come, and we both feel it is right. 

One of Leon’s favorite stories, and more than that, a model that he lives his life by, is in the bible in Matthew 14, where there is a major storm around Jesus and his disciples while they are in a boat, and Jesus walks on water toward the disciples, telling them not to fear. He had one, particularly spirited disciple, Peter, who told Jesus that if that really was Jesus out there, to tell him to come out and walk on the water as well. Jesus promptly said “Come,” and Peter stepped out of the boat and actually started walking on the water toward Jesus. Now, there are a lot of different aspects of this story and there are a lot of different points that could be made, but to Leon, he looks at this story and sees a man who saw the Living God, and despite the scientific impossibility before him, stepped out of the boat. How many of us would have done that? Certainly not I. 

But Leon would. I am convinced that Leon would have been a Peter. He would have stepped out of the boat onto the rough, stormy water before him, and he would have walked toward his God. And today, facing this month of homelessness, I am convinced that that is what he is doing. And if I trust that Leon is hearing the voice of God, telling him to jump and do something crazy, and telling him that he will be taken care of, how can I not trust that God has a plan for Micah and me in the midst of it all? I, in the midst of plenty of negativity, will not be one of the voices telling him that he is dumb for stepping out of the boat. And I think we can all learn a little bit about childlike faith from someone willing to do something so drastic just to care for people unlike him. In the end, isn’t life always insane, dangerous, unpredictable and unorthodox?

The verdict...mixed, but worthy of champagne.

Going into a meeting where the fate of your family’s future is at stake is not an easy task. I, a part-time employed mother and wife, am not in a position to support my family right now, and the reality is, Leon’s job was on the line by deciding to follow his heart and become homeless. 

There are only a few people who have been with us from the beginning of this homeless concept, and who have been supporting and praying for our every move. And going, with dignity, into a meeting that was both nerve-racking, and yet somehow peaceful, was only made possible by God, and those in our lives who were either physically in the meeting to support us, or praying for us at the very time the meeting with our church’s session (the group of elders who make decisions on behalf of the church) was going on. 

The issues at hand: 1. Would Leon keep his job or lose it; 2. Would he be paid for his time away; 3. Would they let Leon keep his health benefits while he was gone, among other discussion points. 

So this afternoon, I got in the car with my good friend Mary, to head to our church’s session meeting today, leaving our kids with a babysitter, and in our short 2 mile drive to the church...in Southlake, Texas...we passed a family standing on the street-corner of White’s Chapel and Southlake Blvd...bundled up in the cold, with two babies, and a sign on cardboard (“Lost my job...something, something...need help”). 

Now, if you do not know anything about Southlake, Texas, I will tell you, this is not the sort of place that we see that particular sight everyday. In fact, Southlake is one of the wealthiest and most sought-after cities to live in America, and is therefore pretty much removed from homelessness and poverty. And yet, here we are, driving to church for this meeting. And we see this family. And we are immediately moved. 

To drive on past this family and do nothing for fear of being late to the meeting would be just the same as Leon feeling called to become homeless and not doing it for fear of what the church would say. And in that moment, Mary and I received more confirmation that God had a plan for Leon, and that He would be there in the meeting.

So we coasted into the meeting, one minute late, and began what felt like an eternity of questioning. Our session asked Leon an array of questions, but in the end, God was there, peace came through, and decisions were reached. I do not know the details of the vote, the pros and cons that were brought up, or the people who were for or against, but in the end, the session voted that Leon will have his job when he finishes this month of homelessness. 

Despite the challenges, questions, and confrontations, it seems as though we will not be job hunting on December 1! So thank you to everyone who prayed, supported, and stood with us during this strange time of uncertainty...now we can focus our minds and efforts on more important things. Like preparing for the month November, and all it may hold!

The task at hand...approval.

Today is a very important day in the Have You Seen Leon preparatory process. Today is the day that the elders of our church meet to discuss the logistics of the whole process, and what it means for the church where Leon works. Who will take over Leon’s various hats that he wears at the church (I, Lauren, am the proposition to fill in for youth and worship for November)? Will he get paid, or will this be unpaid? Will he still have insurance during this time? All important logistical questions that must be answered before we embark on this journey. 

There is a lot that could happen, and a lot of decisions need to be made, but this is the meeting that tells all, and we will update as we have more information. And we would also like to take this time to thank everyone again for all their support, prayers, and encouragement....you are what gives us the fuel to keep moving forward. We are going to do our best to stay as transparent as possible so that you will all be updated on our lives as we journey through this scary and uncertain time. 

So much more than homelessness.

So a common question I am getting is “why is Leon really doing this?” Many people think it is just to raise awareness about homelessness in America, or just to try and understand what it is like to be homeless. While those are two very great things, Leon assures me that this homeless challenge is not simplified down to just that.

Leon has stated over and over again that this challenge to be homeless for 30 days during the month of November, is about so much more than homelessness. I struggle to grasp that as much as the rest of the world, but I think I am starting to see the true heart behind Leon’s call to be homeless. 

After hearing Leon’s heart repeatedly as he shares his vision with the various audiences he presents to, I am reminded that this challenge is more about meeting people where they are. Whether someone is homeless, facing a divorce, dealing with the death of a loved one, suffering from a life-threatening illness, moving across the country, feeling suicidal, or much more...anyone who is facing a seemingly-impossible journey, needs someone to tell them where hope comes from. Someone to help them see the light in the midst of total darkness. Someone who can tell them they aren’t alone. Someone to say “I’ve been in your shoes.”

That is what this challenge is about...not just ministering to the homeless, though that is very valuable. But it transcends far beyond that, and reflects deeply the heart of Leon. He strives to understand people, and this is only a means to understanding people on all different physical, emotional, and spiritual levels, and it only shows how he lives life. 

So instead of thinking of him as a homeless advocate, this is a challenge to think of Leon as just a person, who strives to understand you...yes, you...right where you are. And whatever you might be struggling with, chances are, Leon has been through something similar, and knows the feelings deep within that motivate you to be angry, hurt, frustrated, upset, or depressed...and knows how to find that small amount of hope within yourself to move forward, and to come out triumphantly.  

Start spreading the news.

Leon, on the phone...the best picture I could get of him to chronicle the beard!

Today, the news goes public about Leon’s homeless challenge for November, and it seems to be sinking in that this is actually happening! Leon is getting his ducks in a row, I am working on the publicity of this whole thing, because selfishly, I am just wanting some MAJOR prayers for this endeavor. I am reminded of all the dangers of the streets of Dallas....muggings, murders, drugs, random acts of violence against homeless people, extreme weather, starvation, etc.......and I get more and more freaked out by what we are heading into. 

Leon has moved into “beard growing mode” (pictured above) so that by November, he looks pretty raggedy and homeless. So in spite of the prickly kisses I get on occasion, things are progressing quite nicely.

We told the Circuit Youth, Leon’s youth group tonight and they are completely pumped about this venture. They are already posting on Facebook about Leon’s homeless adventure, and “liking” the Facebook page (facebook.com/haveyouseenleon), and are ready to wear a Have You Seen Leon shirt every day during the month of November, and wearing the wristbands that we have ordered for the entire 30 days. I guess that means I am going to have to wear a Leon shirt everyday and my wristband too....ok, challenge accepted! They especially liked the “Where’s Waldo” aspect of this, where they can follow Twitter sightings of Leon and go to the streets of downtown Dallas and look for him. Hopefully I have found more people to help me keep tabs on Leon in November. They are taking flyers to their schools, telling their friends to come to youth, and are even excited about the fact that I might be leading youth for a month just because they see the vision. I am so inspired tonight because of them! 

I know these aren’t children that we are dealing with, but sometimes when we tell adults about what is going on, they just remind us of all the negatives of this challenge. On the contrary, the Circuit Youth have reminded me of the beauty of true faith, the kind Jesus wants us all to have....

In Matthew, Jesus says “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” 

And that is something that I constantly need to hear. This is something that is taking extreme faith, and now that it is going public, it is becoming all the more real. So to everyone out there, I encourage to live a life of true faith, and not over think everything. And to Circuit Youth, I thank you for reminding me of how God calls us to live....totally, completely, and unquestioningly in faith that He will do what He says He will do!

This crazy, insane homeless challenge thing.

For as long as I have known Leon, he has wanted to spend a month living as if he were homeless, on the streets of downtown Dallas. Why, one might ask...because he has a hear to help all kinds of different people on all kinds of levels of struggle they may be facing. Leon has lived an interesting life, one which I will share a little about in a future entry, and that life of struggle has given him an ability to quickly understand anything someone might be struggling with, and then help them get through their struggle triumphantly. Sure, he has lived in a shelter periodically, as a child in a struggling family. And sure, he is well-versed in living at a very low income level all through his adolescent life. But he has never actually been homeless, and therefore has much to learn from this challenge he has set before himself.

Many people have “gone homeless” for a day, a week, maybe longer, but very few have tried it for an entire month. Leon has chosen a month because that will hopefully be enough time for him to learn the ropes, fight the insanity that tends to set in after a few days living on the street, and it will also allow him enough time to learn how to ask for money, get an ID if you have no identification, get a job, secure a residence, keep yourself clean, save money, and much more. In that time, there will be plenty of people Leon will probably meet along the way, who are in need of direction and vision for their lives. Hopefully, along the way, Leon will be able to help them take a step forward. During this journey, there will also be a number of struggles that Leon will face, and he will have to use his resourcefulness to get past them and find solutions, and hopefully he will find a way to move past the struggles. And I am sure there will be so much more to this journey than we can even imagine at this point, that it will be exciting, and for me, scary, to keep up with his month of homelessness. 

So at the core of this, we have a man, whom I admire, revere, and love, who is giving up his family, his friends, his job, his house, his security, for 30 days so that he can better serve and understand all kinds of people. It is a mission project for him...a way to live a life of service, and a way to live a more selfless life. I think we can all learn a little something from Leon...not to be homeless or do something dramatic like this, but on how we can make our life more about what we can give than what we can get out of it. I look forward to sharing my continued thoughts as we walk through this journey together, and as we move into the final stages of preparation!