That truth is hard to deal with.Ĭ: Do you feel like the church as a whole is adequately involved with the homeless problem? Most will die alone, on the cold hard streets.

So many of the men and women who make up the chronic homeless population that Sam and I became friends with will never know the joy of such a return to friends and family. Thus, in coming home, returning to friends and family held the biggest joys.īut therein lies another difficult aspect: Sam and I got to leave the loneliness and isolation of the streets. Obviously it was hard not knowing where we were going to sleep, what we were going to eat, who we were going to come across, or what would happen, but at the same time, there grew such a hunger for friendship and deeper relationships. Michael Yankoski: Being away from my family, friends, my home church basically being away from the people I know and love was the most difficult aspect of being on the streets. Because Sam and I were often rejected by Christians because of what we looked like or smelled like, we learned of the need for the Church as a whole to grow in the area of “loving others.”Ĭ: What was the most difficult aspect of being on the streets for that long? That’s the whole idea of Unconditional Love. The Gospel of Christ doesn’t depend on who you are or what point in life you’re at. More than food, shelter and clothing, which are all important logistical needs, there also exists a tremendous need for interaction, kindness, friendship and relationship. Within that though, the legitimate needs that are endure everyday by the men and women in the homeless community became apparent. God taught us some of the lesson Paul speaks of in Philippians 4:11-12: “I have learned what it is to be content in any circumstance, whether with everything or with nothing.” On the streets there were no refrigerators, no showers, no deadbolts, no credit cards, no normalcy. I couldn’t have survived on the streets if God had not called Sam to be a part of this experience.Īmazing things happen when you can’t depend on yourself but instead must look to Christ for everything. Michael Yankoski: Initially, Sam and I came to understand how much better it is to be journeying, experiencing life, and enduring hardships with someone rather than alone. What can man do to me?” came to have a deeper meaning.Ĭ: What are some things God taught you while you were on the streets? Psalm 118:6, “The LORD is with me I will not be afraid.

However, despite living in the midst of the all the potentially difficult and harmful situations, we came out unscathed. The threat for dangerous encounters never left us. We were on the streets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, sleeping alongside of convicted felons, drug dealers, and the typical homeless. Michael Yankoski: There were several instances in which imminent danger surrounded us. Michael Yankoski: During those five months, we lived in six cities: Denver, Washington D.C., Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix and San Diego.Ĭ: It seems pretty risky, were you ever in danger? Michael Yankoski: We were homeless for just over five months, from May 27th 2004 through November 2nd 2004.Ĭ: What cities were you homeless in? We hoped to learn more about the lives the homeless lived and if the Church is as active as we should be in desolate places.Ĭ: How long were you homeless? Three months before the scheduled departure, I met Sam, a friend of a friend from Oregon, and we decided to journey together.

Over the course of 16 months of questioning and prayer, planning and preparation, it became clear that the homeless journey was something the Lord was calling me to. If I really believed that Christ was Lord of my life, if I really believed that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, then what would it look like to lay everything down for Him and live homeless? At the Holy Spirit’s prompting I began to wonder if I was actually living life in a way that was dependent on the Lord, or if I simply enjoyed repeating clichés on Sunday mornings with my friends. Michael Yankoski: The idea came one morning while I sat in church, mind wandering aimlessly. I am hopeful this will help spark your creativity! Thank you for reading!Ĭ: Why did you and Sam decide to become homeless? He will be talking about his time as a homeless person. Michael Yankoski will be our special speaker on November 11, 2007. Here is an interview with Michael Yankoski.

The overpass