D-Troy-t

Hello again friends & acquaintances.
Here we are again in my blog.
Beginning from where we left off in Indianapolis: Monday rolled around and we got up & went into the city. As we drove around, all of our usual parking spots were taken and we literally could find no place free to park so being the rolling stones we are, we left for Detroit. The drive took about 5-5.5 hours. We actually are in a suburb called Roseville, about 15 minutes north of Detroit. So we pulled in about 6:40, just in time for Marc to go to the men's study. After study, Marc was asking the pastor where we shouldn't go in the city and he showed us on the map that we don't  want to be south of 8 Mile Rd (weird), but the area he showed Marc was pretty much all of Detroit! He told him definitely don't be there at night and that if we stop for any extended period of time, our wheels are getting jacked. Not might, will. Sheesh. So we headed over to the closest Wal-Mart to get ready for bed. Fortunately for us, there was a Starbucks across the street! Sweeeeet. They were already closed, which was fine, we just wanted to sit outside & play cards anyways. (Usually we play in the back of the van with the light from the street light-not the most comfortable lol.). So anywho, we played a game of Three's and then started walking to the van. Unbeknownst to me, Marc had been eyeing a new target! So as I went to the van, he went and started talking to this group of 5 people that had been standing in the parking lot hanging out for a little while now. Most of them go to church and all of them believe in God in some aspect so Marc talked to them for a good little while and made friends! Eventually I was summoned out of the van lol so I joined the conversation and helped Marc to explain something. Shortly after, everyone split & we left as well. 
On Tuesday we headed into Detroit! Of course, in the daytime. We were really only downtown so we didn't see a whole lot of typical Detroit but we did see a few buildings soaked in graffiti with every single window busted out. I think it will make me really sad when we eventually do drive through and see the poverty. So as we drove down the street we saw this sign: "Tunnel to Canada". Craziness! Canada was just across the river! I mean, we could see it!!! How awesome!
So we found a parking spot close to the river & walked for forever! As we were passing the General Motors building, we went inside to use the restroom. It was so weird inside....we couldn't figure out if it was the GM office building or if we were in a small mall. There was a food court & shops all along the first level-even a restaurant and a salon but on the second floor there was nothing in any of the windows. I think it must have been an office building because towards the back there was a showroom that had a bunch of different cars in it. It was weeeeeird.
So we kept walking but eventually we just couldn't take it anymore. The beautiful blue water next to us was taunting us, so we walked back to the van and then drove to a little island called Belle Isle that has a swimming beach and we got in the water. It was....beyond great. I had been hot and sweaty and sticky for the past 2 or 3 days because the humidity never lets us. I felt weird, I was fighting grumpiness every second, and I just wanted to cool off. This had been my constant mindset, so to be in the water was a gift from God. We hung out for an hour or two then got out to eat. It was really cool because they had a bathhouse, which was basically a big locker room (minus lockers) where you could change & use the restroom. Best part: it had 3 showers! So not only did I get to cool off in the lake, I didn't have to have lake water all over me for the next week! It was seriously amazing. When I came out of my shower, Marc was talking to this guy who sitting there with his little girl and they were talking about getting out of Detroit. Understandable. Marc had shared with him the gospel, which he had heard before, but he was trying to watch his other kid so Marc didn't want to take up too much of his attention. From there, we found a chill spot on teh island kind of away from everyone to have some time together to chill out. I was crocheting while Marc played his guitar (I know, we're going to make such an awesome old couple!). After a few minutes, this car pulled over and came over to where we were with his guitar. We were parked a good bit away from the curb, so we saw him coming with his guitar case.....awww he wanted to jam! :)
This encounter was such a blessed one! This guy (his name was either Kevin or Patrick, I thought I heard him say both) came up and was saying that he heard Marc playing as he drove by & had to stop and come see. So he busted out his guitar and started finger picking and just playing around but it sounded phenomenal!! He was great! We talked for a couple of minutes and we found out that he was a born again Christian also! What a serious blessing! He was only there for about 4 or 5 minutes, but when he left we thought of the verse that talks about "you never know when you're entertaining angels". We were really touched and it's funny because nothing miraculous happened, it was just one person showing love to others. So sweet.
It got later & Marc was done playing so we went to Starbucks to hang out. Shortly after we got there, one of the guys from the night before arrived as well. Let me tell you about Bryan. Bryan is like, the glue of Starbucks. He hangs out there usually twice a day and knows everyone! Seriously. I would say that 2 out of the 5 or 6 people who walk in say hi to him. Everyone who was there the night before that Marc was talking to all became friends with each other because they were friends with Bryan first! He is a super nice guy and an awesome believer. From what I've seen he encourages his friends in the ways of the Lord-what else is there!? :)So anywho, we hung out with him and his friend, Dana, for the rest of the evening and then it was off to Walmart.
Wednesday  was an interesting day. God is so good how he just shows us things. He uses us wherever we are. What a blessing to be used by God, seriously. You feel so unworthy, who am I that God would speak through me to reach people? He could send angels or even just boom His voice from the clouds, but He chooses to use us. What a marvelous blessing! And something else we've learned, is that ministry changes! God doesn't have a pattern, there is no formula that you have to follow. Today was so different, but so blessed.
So we got up in the morning and went to sit outside of Starbucks to have our studies because it was cooler than in the van. So we're sitting there and when I finished reading, I started crocheting again. Then these two ladies came over and started talking to me about what I was doing so I showed them a couple things and we got to talk for a couple of minutes. I didn't get to share too much about Jesus but at least one of them believed in God, for whatever that means to her life, but they left shortly after. Oops. I think that in talking to them, God made the point to me to not be so quick to make jokes about people because as they pulled up I had made a joke about the woman to Marc but then while I was talking to her, felt pretty convicted about it.  Oops again.
While I was talking to them, a guy came up and asked Marc for money so he got up and gave him food and the gospel too. Nice. By this point it's not even 10:00 yet. Shortly after they left, Bryan got there so he sat with us and we all talked some more. After a couple of hours, his friend, Heather, joined us. (She was there on Monday night, too, when Marc was talking to them.) By now it's probably around 1ish. So Bryan rolled out around 2, but Heather hung out for a little bit & I tried to teach her how to crochet, which can be a frustrating thing to learn, but she tried really hard! I think she got kind of frustrated and gave up, but it was cool because we started talking about God & the Bible and her beliefs about different things. I was able to really minister to her and point her back to the Bible. Without it, how can we know God? 
One thing that I will share about our conversation is something that I think a lot of people need to hear and I have touched on before, but in a different aspect. She was saying that to be called a Christian is a high calling that comes with a high standard and that it's hard to reach. I thought it was so awesome because so many people who call themselves a Christian don't realize that there IS a standard that so many Christians aren't meeting, nor are they trying! But Christianity isn't about being perfect, it's about striving to want what God wants, to have His heart & to love what He loves. You don't have to "fix" yourself before choosing Jesus, you just have to want to be different. Never let your imperfection keep you from God-that's why Jesus came, so that our imperfections wouldn't keep us from Him!
So that was fantastic. After she left, there were two gentlemen sitting pretty near us on the patio speaking a foreign language so Marc asked what they were speaking. Guess? Hebrew! And they were from Israel!!! How awesome is that!? So we got to talk to them for a while. They were Jewish by culture, but not really by religion. Really, only one of them was talking to us....the other tuned us out pretty quickly but our conversation with Dylan was a good one. He explained that in the Jewish culture, for God to come in the flesh would never happen. (Well that's what the Pharisees thought, too....) We talked about history and Jesus and prophecy and travel but, as they always do, he had to go. God is teaching us all the time!
It did break my heart a little bit to see these 2 men, 2 of God's chosen people, with such a lack of understanding of Him. Dylan had a head knowledge in a historical sense, but there was nothing in his heart but disbelief and doubts and his brother didn't care at all. It reminds me of the parable of the wedding feast. Sad sad sad. 
After they left (literally like 3-5 minutes), this woman, Melissa, came & started asking me about what I was crocheting. Here we go again! haha
So we talked for a while and I was so blessed again to hear her story. She is a born again Christian and was sharing with us about her husband who is Catholic but, from what I gathered, is realizing the need for a relationship with Christ in his life. Please pray for him (Scott) as he transitions, that he would just fall in love so deeply with the Lord. 
Man, what a blessed day. We were literally at Starbucks from 9/9:30 until 6:45 when we left for church and even though we weren't out in the city, we talked to about as many people as we would have anyways, but I just know that we left an impression on everyone that we talked to. God is good! He is giving us little nibbles of fruit here and there, and what a blessing to taste and see that the Lord is good!!!!
So then it was off to church for midweek service, which we thought started at 7 but it wasn't until 7:30 so we were early. We got out and were just standing around when this lady popped out of the door and asked us if we wanted to come over and shower and do laundry. At first we were confused but then we realized someone had to have told her about us! Turns out it was the pastor's wife. Makes sense :) so we went inside and she made me iced coffee :) what a sweet woman! We got to talking and she told us a little bit about how the Lord called them to live in a travel trailer and travel for seven years! With three kids! And I thought my life was chaotic! haha.
Their son, Jason, taught the study that night and it was really good. He taught through a few chapters of Exodus and the law and highlighted key points and prevalent themes throughout. It was really a blessing. 
After the study we went back to Starbucks to hang out with "the group" but left after about an hour to go to the pastor's house. They fed us sandwiches (mmmm) and then we watched Tim Hawkins who is just stupidly funny. So hilarious. Then we had ice cream & talked about the trip and their travels. It was really cool because they said so much that we could relate to! I felt like "ah, my people" lol and then it was off to bed!
Thursday was a different kind of day, also. Jason was working on recarpeting a house and asked Marc if he would be interested in helping, so he got up and was out of the house by 8. While he was gone, I helped Roseann (the pastor's wife) to clean her house and then I barbecued hamburgers for the first time ever. It was crazy. I was scared lol, but I did it! And they weren't even burnt or under cooked! .....as far as I know. 
So they guys came home to eat. I was excited to see my love again :) We spend all day, every day together so this was weird because we were put into these typical roles of the man being gone at work while the wife stayed home and cooked & cleaned and eagerly awaited her man's return. And I did! But then he left again :( He didn't get home until after 6 but it was super awesome to have been given an opportunity to work and earn money. I know he enjoyed it, also. So we had pizza for dinner (thank you Amo family!) and then Jason & Marc left to a men's study and I went to a young adult study that they've been having outside of Starbucks. The study was about evangelism but it was really cool because during worship, I was really touched. The Spirit moved heavily in my heart and I was so moved. It was the first time I had really felt "He put a new song in my heart". I don't know what it was, but it was amazing. 
After study, Marc & Jason met up with us at Starbucks and we hung out for a couple hours, talking and sharing and meeting cool new people. I must say, I love sharing the word of God and teaching people about it. And then it was off to sleep! (I don't know if we mentioned this already, but we're staying at the pastor's house, so this is the 2nd night of going to sleep with an air conditioner literally right over the bed. It's indescribably awesome to wake up cold and not sweaty.)
Marc was given another opportunity this morning for work, this time doing landscaping stuff which, thanks to his mom, he's fantastic at! Haha, a pro at pulling weeds. Poor guy. This time he was out of the house at 7:30!
And now you're pretty much all caught up. :)
Our ministry in Detroit has been much more geared towards discipleship and building people up in their faith than evangelism, but whatever God has for us is a blessing. We'll probably be here for a couple more days. We're hanging out with the group again tonight so pray that that will be a blessed time that edifies the body and glorifies the Lord.

hellooooo Michigan aka state #15

I had to.

WEIRD

that's the fist of Joe Louis.

see the bridge in the background? It goes to Canada!

inside of the General Motors building

Bryan!