“I work in the roofing industry.  Zach Lambert, a good friend working with me, went to the City of Refuge rehabilitation program. He asked if he could return to work once he completed the program. Soon after returning to work, Zach started posting about his walk with the Lord on Facebook. His testimony influenced me to get back in church and pursue my own relationship with God. I saw a transformation in myself. My prayer life went from ‘Lord help me’ to ‘Show me your face. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Let me hear your voice.’

After church one day, I saw a man walking down the side of the road wearing tattered clothes and unacceptable shoes. The voice of God said, ‘Help that man.’ The voice was faint and easy to ignore. But on this day I decided to obey.

I picked the man up and took him to the dollar store. People were avoiding us because of his looks and smell. They wouldn’t even walk down the aisle we were on. I purchased a backpack and clothes, then bought him a shower for $17 at Love’s truck stop. While he showered, I ran home to get him pants and shoes. I grabbed some clippers to cut his hair and shave his face. 

He took forever to shower. I’m sure it takes a little longer when you haven’t had a shower in over a month. He was enjoying it more than some of us who take showers for granted. People treated him differently once he was clean and wearing good clothes–he wasn’t rejected. That was my turning point. A simple shower could change a man so dramatically. I decided to provide showers for the homeless.

I reached out to my friends and family for support. We raised enough money to purchase a mobile office trailer I found on Facebook and convert it into a shower trailer. 

I spoke to Pastor Ben Ragsdale of City Hope Church about the project. The church had a mobile shower unit they were trying to get into the community. The Lord stepped in, and City Hope Church let us use their shower trailer. Exactly what we needed. 

I started Showered by the Holy Spirit with my friend Rey on a Friday night in April. We bought a bunch of towels, shampoo, deodorant, underwear, and socks and set up at Theodore Church of God. We drove the church van around looking for homeless who needed a bath. It was odd pulling up on somebody and saying, ‘Hey man, do you want a shower?’

Five people came on the first night, ten on the second, and 15 on the third. Now, we feed and shower an average of 40 to 50 each week. We’ve showered at least 1,600 since we started. 

People look good after the first week of showers, and the next week, they look even better.  We just ask them to keep coming back. We give out wristbands with our phone number 251-365-LOVE. About three or four on Friday afternoon, they start texting and calling us, letting us know where to pick them up. 

Transformations start from showers and love. We bring clothes, and our church provides meals. These people have been overlooked for too long. We’re the change in our community that we want to see. 

We identify the needs of those who are homeless because of circumstances and help them–they don’t have the same problems. We send some to Eric Overstreet at Ryan’s Refuge to find shelter for those in need. Several who started showering with us who now have jobs, cars, and a place to live. They also return every Friday, like clockwork, and help us set up. 

The Bible is clear about doing what we’re doing for the needy, the poor, and those who can’t help themselves. We’re first responders. Come as you are: we don’t care if you’re high or drunk. Just don’t slow down what we’re doing.

People look forward to these Friday showers. That’s happiness. Just like looking forward to a fishing trip brings me happiness. They will get clean and fed and hang out with us for a little while as we share the Good News. 

If you are down and out on drugs on the streets, getting clean is the first step towards turning your life around. You’re going to be showered by the Holy Spirit. Then, you will put on your clean clothes and move forward in life. Decisions made after this shower can determine where you will be next Friday.

These showers are even changing our volunteers and healing those who are serving. It’s changed me, too. My worship has changed and become more tangible since I started doing this’ I’m in the presence of the Lord like I’ve never been before.

Giving someone a shower. It’s simple. It works. It matters.”

Shawn 

If you want to give: donate here or send a donation to the Theodore Church of God and say it goes to Showered By the Holy Spirit.

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Shawn’s story is part of The Weavers series. Stories about the people who stitch together the fabric of society while so many forces pull it apart. Who are the folks who make life a little better in your community? Send me their names and a little about them, and I’ll try to talk with them.

Lynn