Filling The Void®, Inc.

Major Milestone Ahead

2011-09-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Can you guess how many of these sack lunches we've served?

It's time to mark your calendars for a major milestone in the life of our ministry.

Here's the scoop. Going into 2011, we had distributed approximately 33,700 sack lunches dating back to when we started in 2003.

So far in 2011, we've delivered another 1,050 meals in Denver and about 4,800 in Tulsa.

When you do the math and factor in a few of the vouchers we've given, we're pretty close to a total of 39,600.

That, tenatively, puts us on schedule for distributing our 40,000th meal on Friday, Oct. 14. Stay tuned.

Prior Sack Lunch Celebrations

No. 10,000: July 11, 2007
No. 20,000: Sept. 12, 2008
No. 25,000: Aug 14, 2009
No. 30,000: May 21, 2010
No. 35,000: April 1, 2011

September 2011

2011-09-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

LARRY: A HOME AT LAST

These days, life is a lot different for Larry Reese.

He started 2011 at Tulsa’s Day Center for the Homeless, where he had laid his head at night for the better portion of the past four years.

Before that, he had been on the street for a year following the passing of his wife and then her twin sister. For Larry, he just couldn’t cope with the losses.

This February, life took a big turn for the better. That’s when case workers were able to land Larry a place of his own – an apartment in east Tulsa.

His portion of the rent requires a third of his Social Security income. He keeps the place spotless and loves having a couch, coffee cup and stove again.

We had the privilege of visiting with him twice this summer. We delivered groceries once when he needed some meat and dairy, but for the most part, Larry’s pretty well set.

In fact, he proudly took us on a tour of his kitchen in early September where he was sautéing franks and sauerkraut. He opened up his cupboard, too, which was full of pasta, soup, pinto beans, tuna, mac-n-cheese and tomato juice.

He’s been able to find friends in the apartment complex, eat pizza with a neighbor and watch robins hatch in a tree outside his front door.

We’ll have to tell you more the bigger picture of Larry’s life another time – why he was given up for adoption, how abuse shaped his early years and eventually turned into anger, and how he finally got to meet his birth mom.

In the meantime, it’s good to know that Larry is enjoying the comforts of home, and we’re so happy for him. The change is a welcome site even for our eyes since we had only known him at his depths.

On Nov. 4, he’ll celebrate birthday No. 63. We’re thinking that a cake has to be in order for this very special friend of ours.

Spring 2011

2011-05-13T12:58:00.001-07:00

Friends remember Sherry Scott at a May 4 memorial service.
Photo courtesy and copyright of the Tulsa World newspaper.

URGENCY, ALWAYS

On May 5, one of our friends was on the front page of the Tulsa paper. It was not the kind of news anyone wants to read.

Sherry Scott, a homeless woman, was dead at the age of 40. Her body was found on a boulevard just west of downtown. Cause of death? Unknown.

We knew Sherry. We had fed and prayed with her many times. She liked to be hugged. And by our account, she had a really hard life on the streets.

Of course, we wonder what her life could have become. How many more years would she have walked on earth if she had not been so afflicted?

Sherry does have a daughter named Andrea who’s 18. She’s been in the state’s care most of her life. Now she’s on her own. Please, pray for her.

Ministry, like life, is filled with emotion. Some times are sweet. Others are bittersweet. In Ecclesiastes 3:4, God prepares us for both. It says:

"There’s a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance."

April 1 was one of those sweeter moments. It was the day we distributed our 35,000th sack lunch. We’re always eager to see who gets the special bag.

This time it went to a young man named Kyle who’s the same age as Sherry’s daughter. He’s been coming to our Tulsa outreaches for several months.

In every single city, you can find a Sherry, a Kyle and multitudes like them – people wanting to be loved and needing to know their purpose.

God mentions the poor and needy at least 200 times in scripture. As we’ve seen with Sherry and others, we need to reach them now.

Kyle, left, received our 35,000th lunch bag, as well as a big chocolate bar and a Bible.

January 2011

2011-01-19T14:59:00.001-08:00

2011: MORE MILESTONES TO COME

We can't say "thank you" enough to all of our friends, donors and volunteers. Your kindness and contributions helped us serve 5,800 meals in 2010 – up 8 percent from what we served in 2009.

You fed Cliff in Tulsa, who wants to persevere in his faith and be a blessing to others. And Janelle in Denver, who’s trying to retain custody of her two-year-old son.

Of course, our prayer for every person we serve is that the meals we provide and the moments we spend with them will lead to much greater God-sized miracles in their lives.

That's why we believe that Lydia, who's mute, will one day speak and praise God with her lips and her tongue. It's why we prayed for Bobbie and Lenny to get a roof over their heads.

Financially, we were blessed in 2010 with $36,400* in donations – down slightly from 2009, but well above our annual average of about $29,300.

We’re really excited about 2011. We’ll soon serve sack lunch No. 35,000. It’s entirely possible that we’ll serve No. 40,000, too, since the Denver ministry is equipped to do more than ever.

*Denotes donations for charitable purposes only in both cities – Tulsa and Denver. We also receive additional funds for our administrative expenses.

A Brand New Day in Denver

2010-10-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

For two years, we’ve been telling you about our upstart outreaches in Denver, where volunteers have distributed nearly 2,000 sack lunches since April 2008.

It was a grassroots effort with a grand design – creating a model whereby we could multiply this form of God’s love and affection for the homeless in countless cities across the United States.

As of Oct. 1, a new stand-alone nonprofit has officially unfolded (beyond the original Tulsa-based organization). It goes by the name of, well, what else – Filling The Void Denver.

If you’re keeping score, that’s Filling The Void times two – each with the same mandate to serve the poor, but with separate bylaws, books, bank accounts, boards of directors and donor bases.

All along the way, we sought the counsel of a Christian attorney who understands what God has called us to do and wants to help make it possible from a manageability standpoint.

Separating the ministries allows localized leadership to stay focused on the people and the specific needs in their city.

Our number one priority is to keep our encounters with those we serve evangelistic, intimate and personal vs. just going through the motions of feeding someone and whisking away.

This structure also frees up Filling The Void’s founders to pursue finding our third, fourth and fifth cities, wherever they may be. (We’re praying about that and working on it.)

Not to be lost in all of this is a huge financial story. Filling The Void Denver is already fully and completely funded for one year out, thanks to the faithful and generous support of our donors.

In previous years where our donations exceeded our expenses, we saved and socked the extra funds away by putting them in interest-bearing CDs for just such an opportunity.

And keep in mind, the very first portion (about $800) of Denver’s first-year funds came from offerings that were given by the needy at our outreaches in Tulsa during 2009 and 2010.

Think about that tidbit for a moment or two – the homeless caring for the homeless. It’s totally true. And it’s just one of the miracles we’ve seen God do in the past seven years!

Meet our Denver-based Leadership:

Board Member Dave Warren, VP Andy Forcina & VP Gary Nilson

To Support The Denver Ministry:

Financial contributions can be sent to 4353 S. Quail Court in Littleton, 80127. Checks can be made out to Filling The Void Denver.

100% of your support goes toward charitable efforts to feed and minister to homeless and needy persons. We do not deduct any portion for administrative expenses, which are funded separately by our Board and by certain grants.

Pleased as Punch for Patrick

2010-06-28T10:35:00.001-07:00

Patrick (center) received our 30,000th sack lunch. Volunteers Jonathan Woods and David Dickinson are at his side. Please see the full story below.

A MILESTONE TO REMEMBER

We recently sat down to tally our total number of sack lunches served since 2003. We landedon 29,949, give or take a few.

That was Thursday, May 20 – one day before we were scheduled to serve 110 lunches in Tulsa on Friday, May 21.

Plans were quickly put in motion to celebrate sack lunch No. 30,000. We had a very specific prayer for its recipient: “God, let this person be honored.”

We like to have fun with such festive occasions, taking tons of photographs and launching balloons carrying tags that say “Lift up a life – fillingthevoid.com.”

We also filled the 30,000th lunch with all kinds of extras, including a cherry turnover and the largest roast beef sandwich Arby’s makes. The honor came with a prize, too: an official Filling The Void ball cap.

About 95 people passed through our serving lines that day, including Patrick Hand. By no coincidence, we believe God personally handpicked him in answer to our prayer.

As we talked and prayed with him, he shared how all the fuss made him feel special. That’s exactly what we wanted. Helping people see their significance is at the heart of what we do.

Patrick found Filling The Void more than a year ago through a friend. A lot of people find our outreaches precisely the same way.

Life hasn’t been easy for Patrick and his wife, who suffered a heat stroke a while back. Patrick says he helped her as long as he could until she required nursing care. Please pray for them.

Our next big bag will be No. 35,000. The milestone may occur near the end of 2010, but 2011 is more likely. We can’t wait!

Sack Lunch Celebrations
No. 10,000: July 11, 2007

No. 20,000: Sept. 12, 2008

No. 25,000: Aug 14, 2009

No. 30,000: May 21, 2010

Douglas: A Hunger to Help

2010-03-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

Douglas is focused on his faith and feeding others now.

FROM RECEIVING TO REACHING OUT

Douglas Hunton used to come to our outreaches to be served. Now he comes to do good deeds and to have a hand in helping others.

He quietly slipped into our Tulsa crowds a couple of years ago. As we became friends, he said he wanted to go further in his faith in Jesus Christ, so we set up extra times to focus solely on him.

Over several months in 2009, we talked a lot, celebrated his birthday, studied the Bible and challenged him to clean out his spiritual life of anything holding him back.

He explained how he was fighting a fear of lack, a fear of rejection and unforgiveness from relationships gone wrong. The result? Not much peace, not much joy, just trying to survive.

We prayed together, encouraged him to reconcile where he could and explained that God can do more than just help us get by – that He wants to give us abundance.

Mostly though, we kept asking these questions: What does God want to do next in your life? How can you serve Him? Have you discovered God’s plan for you?

Well, God watered those seeds we planted. Today, Doug’s life is bearing fruit that is blessing many others. We know it’s not what we said to him. It’s about how God stirred up his heart.

If you were looking for Doug on Feb. 17, you would have found him at Tulsa’s Day Center for the Homeless helping us and the caterer serve dinner.

If you were looking for him on March 5, you would have found him at our Friday outreach praying with us to see lives saved and lifted up.

You can actually find him almost any Friday shaking hands with people where we serve sack lunches, passing out the scriptures we speak about and welcoming people as they arrive.

Beyond all that, Doug asked us late last Fall to start giving our crowd a way to write down their prayer requests in case they weren’t comfortable talking about something in person.

The process gave us a gold mine of insight about those we serve. Prayers have since gone up for healing, family situations, employment and housing – all because Doug had a hunger to help.

On To Oh-Ten

2010-01-26T07:16:00.000-08:00

Prayer is a huge part of our ministry. This photo
was taken at our Nov. 6 outreach in Tulsa.

STARTING A NEW DECADE

Filling The Void started the new decade just the way you thought we would. On Jan. 1, we were out on the streets, sharing the gospel, serving others and greeting them with great big smiles.

In the first three weeks of 2010, we’ve already held seven outreaches in Denver and Tulsa – serving in excess of 550 sack lunches.

The end of 2009 was just as busy – or shall we say blessed!

In December, we delivered Christmas gifts to two shelters, served a dinner at Tulsa’s Day Center for the Homeless and distributed 200 brand new shirts and jackets days before a blizzard hit.

Financially, God’s blessings – through your giving – kept us immune from the nation’s economic distress. We received $37,077.26 in donations, up 37 percent* from the prior year.

That level of support allows us to reach further. We continue to expand in Denver. And we’re doing more work at some of Tulsa’s shelters in addition to our core mission field on the streets.

On a personal note, we’ve also re-established a strong relationship with the man who started in our mentoring program last year before we lost touch for several months.

We were so excited when he came back. He’s transitioned from us teaching him to helping others at our outreaches himself. He keeps asking, “How can I give back?”

That’s what it’s about, right? It’s how your dollars and donations make a major difference. Thank you for helping make it all possible!

* Denotes donations for charitable purposes only. Separately, we receive additional funds for our administrative expenses.

OTHER NOTABLE NUMBERS

By our count, we served about 5,367 sack lunches in 2009.Dating back to 2003, our lunch bag tally stands at 27,918. (That includes figures for 2010 so far). We’ll definitely serve our 30,000th sack lunch this year, and maybe even No. 35,000.

Our best bag ever?

2009-11-19T08:46:00.001-08:00

Nearly 700 volunteers (including kiddos) have
distributed almost 27,000 sack lunches.

THE SURPRISE INSIDE

For a long time, the contents of our sack lunches have been – well – quite consistent. After all, why tinker with what works?

There’s only so much square footage in a standard issue brown paper sack, and didn’t someone once say, “If the food fits, you must not quit” (or something like that)?

To those we serve, they’ve known exactly what to expect for six straight years – an Arby’s sandwich, Pringles, cookies, an organic fruit strip, bottled water and a devotional.

And we thought that was a good thing – kinda like how Kentucky Fried Chicken maintained Colonel Sanders’ Original Recipe®.

But even the colonel is kicking his bucket around these days with grilled bird instead of fried, so we thought we’d give change a whirl, too.

For starters, our Denver team stuffed 35 sacks on Nov. 3 with submarine sandwiches from Arby’s instead of the “regulars” we normally serve that look like a burger.

In Tulsa, the change was more drastic, dramatic and jaw-dropping, where an estimated 80 people opened their bags to find Chick-Fil-A on Nov. 6.

The Chick-Fil-A sandwich was a pilot run that we’ll probably just do periodically (due to the increased cost). But there are some permanent changes in progress.

The Pringles are gone, replaced by good old-fashioned Fritos because their ingredients are simpler (corn, oil, salt – that’s all).

We’re also substituting the 0.5 oz organic fruit strips with a soft-baked, whole-grain, all-natural 1.2 oz Kashi snack bar. (The strawberry, apple and blackberry Kashi bars are simply more filling.)

Individual servings of carrots have also found their way inside our sacks, and we’re contemplating an Andes after-dinner mint to top things off.

Change is good. In this case, it’s about being health-conscious and making our bags a little better (and maybe more fun).

Serving Up Sacks: Year Seven

2009-10-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

More than 200 people went through the serving line at our
Oct. 11, 2009, cookout in Tulsa.

KINDNESS AND COMPASSION: MORE ON TAP

We know, we know. Every calendar rolls over when December ends. Except for ours at Filling The Void, figuratively speaking of course.

You see, we got our big start in ministry back in October 2003. To be honest, it was way more modest than news-making.

Compelled by the love of Christ, we started out with 5 sack lunches, no "street cred" and no real sense of what to expect. Still, we went.

Now, as we officially (or unofficially if you prefer to wait 'til o-ten) start year seven, our hearts remain hungry to help others.

To date, with six years on the books, more than 600 volunteers have served roughly 26,000 sack lunches in our two cities.

In Tulsa, we serve lunch every Friday at 3rd & Detroit. In Denver, we comb the downtown streets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month.

Tulsa’s Central Church helped us celebrate the launch of year seven with another "meat-n-greet" like they did with us last year.

In case you wonder what that means, "meat-n-greet" is another way of saying they did a cookout for our clients (aka our friends).

Together, we treated more than 200 people to hamburgers and hot dogs, along with live music and a couple of encouraging sermons.

As we've seen, it's a tried and true strategy of meeting both physical and spiritual needs. It's our calling, and Christ still compels us.

We're always looking for new faces to serve with Filling The Void. To volunteer, drop us a line at fillingthevoid@hotmail.com.

We also welcome financial support. You can send a tax-deductible gift to Filling The Void at P.O. Box 1134 in Broken Arrow, OK, 74013.

To our donors, our volunteers and to those we serve, we extend our heart-felt thanks for making it all possible.

Summer's Roller Coaster Ride

2009-09-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Nancy received our 25,000th sack lunch (and other gifts)
at our Aug. 14 outreach.

HIGHS AND LOWS FROM HELPING

The emotional aspect of getting so close to so many certainly has its ups and downs. To be completely candid, our sixth summer of helping others was exciting and sobering all at the same time.

On the upside, we served our 25,000th sack lunch at our Friday outreach in Tulsa on Aug. 14. It’s a journey that began, of course, back in 2003.

The recipient was a lady named Nancy, who was accompanied by three of her grandchildren. Volunteer Brock King served up the special bag.

We’ve seen higher turnouts for lunches in Tulsa again, too, where we had typically served more than 160 people per week before we changed the day and location of our outreaches last Fall.

It’s great to see our crowds officially come back, with 104 on Aug. 21 and 115 on Aug. 28. Based on how we’ve grown before, we should be back to 150 per week sometime in 2010.

Denver remains a bright spot, too. We’ve had almost 25 outreaches there so far this year, and the volunteer base continues to expand and get more experience.

Sadly, we’ve also seen stories about homeless men we knew who passed away this summer. Their bodies were found near the OSU-Tulsa campus and on the 16th St. mall in Denver.

We’ve also wrestled with seeing our upstart mentoring program hit a snag. Both men we were working with quit cold turkey.

Another man we’ve served for years also told us he was finally ready to get off the streets and into housing. He made the appointments to proceed, then missed them.

Given our fondness for those we serve, we don’t take their struggles lightly. Despite their challenges, we know God can tackle tough situations. He can heal all the brokenness we see.

So we’ll keep praying. We’ll keep persevering. We’ll keep expecting miracles. Will you pray, too?

2009: Rockies Outreach Turns One

2009-06-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

Denver volunteers Becki Dierenfield, Julie Willis, Jason Putnam and Vicky Dolven at our May 5 outreach. Roughly 50 people in Denver have volunteered with Filling The Void since April 2008.

MILE-HIGH MISSION MOVES FORWARD

It’s been a year since we first set out on a daring mission to do ministry in our second city – Denver, Colorado.

Our volunteer base has climbed from 9 to more than 50. We even had 24 volunteers show up for an outreach in April.

Two churches – Parker Christian Center and Calvary Chapel of Castle Rock – have joined our effort. A third – Centennial’s Shepherd of the Hills – is interested.

The frequency of our outreaches there has tripled. We started with one per month. Now we go out on the first and third Tuesdays of every month, plus one Saturday.

We served 16 sack lunches on our first day in Denver. Some 25 outreaches later, you can add another 600 to that number.

Each of those bags represents a life that has been touched and encouraged with the good news of God’s love.

People like Patrick, who was going in for gall bladder surgery the next day. Or Roger, who was out of work and in tears after we prayed with him.

People like Reggie, who is homeless at the age of 62. Or an older woman named Vi, who had just lost her 22-year-old daughter.

And Jerome, who was fresh out of jail. And Daniel, who needed to know that he could be delivered from alcohol.

God wants to lift up their lives. He can turn their scars into stars. That’s the motivation for this street ministry – to see lives saved in every city where we serve.

As we look ahead in Denver, our biggest need is local leadership. To date, we’ve been organizing it from Tulsa. But we know others in Denver can take it so much further. God will provide.

2009: Guess Who's Giving Back

2009-04-30T07:18:00.001-07:00

This particular bucket has seen a lot of "bread."

PASSING THE “PLATE,” SO TO SPEAK

Back in January, we added a new feature to our Friday outreaches in Tulsa when we share the gospel and serve sack lunches.

We decided to bring a bucket for offerings and see what happened. After all, the Bible says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

The idea was bold enough to take one or two of our volunteers aback. The thought being: “We’re supposed to help people. Why are we taking from them?”

Three months later, the results will tell you everything you need to know about the lives we feed and pray with every week.

Over 15 Fridays, they’ve given $206.39 – proving just how much they welcomed and wanted a formal way to give back.

The bucket has seen twenties, tens, fives, three one-dollar gold coins and two Tulsa Transit bus tokens.

When we saw the tokens, we thought of the story Jesus told about the widow who gave “two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.”

Jesus said she put more into the temple treasury than all the others because “out of her poverty, she put in everything – all she had to live on.”

We’ve told our crowds that what we collect in Tulsa will go toward helping others in our second city, Denver. At this rate, they may fund 20 percent of the 2009 budget there.

God must be smiling mighty big!

2009: Denver's Two Dozen

2009-04-03T14:48:00.001-07:00

Vicky Dolven, Kortnie Wertzbaugher, Gary Nilson and
Craig Hurst were 4 of 24 volunteers at our April 1
outreach in Denver.

RECORD TURNOUT IN THE ROCKIES

As we poured over the list of volunteer RSVPs for our April 1 outreach in Denver, something in particular stood out: the number 24.

Twenty-four volunteers for one outreach is a new record for us in the Rockies. That's a lot of progress for our first year in Denver. We're so grateful for all these hearts who want to help.

The forecast called for a high of 38 and a couple inches of snow. Instead, the clouds stayed closed and the temperature climbed to 46. We set out with 35 sack lunches, ready to serve.

“The people we’ve encountered are so appreciative,” Paula Lentowich said. “Having the opportunity to reach out and make a difference in their lives is truly rewarding.”

Those rewards, of course, are coupled with seeing the stark realities of just how badly people are hurting – battling cancer, heroin, a prison record, job loss and the loss of a spouse.

The “hunger” we’re seeing is so intense that people are approaching our volunteers...and specifically asking them for prayer after watching them pray for someone else.

These precious lives long to be delivered from the devastation of depression, abuse, addiction, and abandonment. We hear the cry. We see the cry. And we’re moved with Christ’s compassion.

Our next two outreaches in Denver take place on May 5 and May 19. To learn more about Filling The Void, please visit www.denveroutreach.com.

2009: A "Souper" Deed

2009-03-03T05:15:00.001-08:00

Members of a Tulsa youth
group presented a special
gift to Filling The Void
in February. That's youth
pastor Justin Hedges on
the left, Ashley from
the youth group, and Filling
The Void's Kelly Swan.

A 'SOUPER' DUPER DEED

Faith. Football. And Filling the Void. The combination will all make sense after we tell you about a terrific teen at Tulsa’s Central Church.

Ashley H. recently told her youth pastor that she wanted to “do more” for the Lord. It’s the kind of conversation youth pastors dream of.

So Justin Hedges pointed Ashley to a project called the Souper Bowl of Caring. That’s right – souper, as in, soup. You can check it out at www.souperbowl.org.

A church in South Carolina hatched the idea years ago to turn Super Bowl Sunday into a youth-led weekend of giving and serving.

According to project officials, teens across the country have raised $50 million for charities of their choice since 1990.

Ashley chose us. She and her youth group routinely rally to assemble our lunch sacks. In fact, a member of their youth group (Zach) holds the record for most sacks stuffed in a single hour.

For Ashley’s Filling The Void fundraiser, she organized an all-church fellowship following the Sunday morning service on Feb. 1 – hours before the NFL’s biggest game of the year.

At Ashley’s prompting, roughly 15 families brought crock pots steaming with chili and soups. As people filled their bowls, they also pitched in dollar after dollar into a donation bucket.

In the end, Ashley collected $610.35 – easily enough to help Filling The Void feed hundreds of people in Tulsa and Denver.

Ashley’s selfless and generous spirit is what we see all the time, even from those we serve. Wait ‘til you hear about the offerings we’re getting at our outreaches. You’ll be blown away.

2009 Kick-Off/2008 Recap

2009-01-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

We served 9% more meals in 2008 vs. 2007.

THANK YOU!

Contrary to what you’re seeing in the national news, not everything is all doom and gloom.

From our standpoint, Filling The Void has never been better positioned to meet the needs of the hungry, homeless, hurting and those who need healing.

Thanks to your kindness, involvement and continued generosity, we finished 2008 stronger than we’ve ever been on every front.

Compared with 2007, we witnessed a 23%* increase in donations (from $22,000 to $27,000), served 9% more meals (from 7,700 to 8,400) and were blessed with about 100 new volunteers.

Dating back to when we first started in 2003, more than 500 volunteers with Filling The Void have now distributed more than 22,500 sack lunches.

In short, we’re grateful – extremely grateful – and we’re humbled that you choose to partner with us to lift up the poor – both physically and spiritually.

* Denotes donations for charitable purposes only. Separately, we received an additional $3,600 to fund our administrative expenses. For more information on giving, please refer to our Website.

THE YEAR AHEAD

For 2009, you’ll see us begin a discipleship program for the people we serve who desire more in-depth Bible teaching, dramatically increase the number of our outreaches in Denver, and pull together another block party or two in Tulsa like the one in September where 300+ people came.

These steps will allow us to provide even more opportunities for volunteers, increase our interaction with the needy so that we can pray and believe for miracles in their lives, and have new venues for promoting the possibility of a total turnaround in life.

DECEMBER'S GOOD DEEDS

For Christmas 2008, we distributed almost 200 presents to men who are living at two of the shelters in downtown Tulsa: provided fruit, juice and muffins for the Christmas breakfast at Tulsa’s Day Center for the Homeless: and delivered a check to the Denver Rescue Mission to help pay for about 50 meals for men in need.

GOOD NEWS ON GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT

One of the men we serve who lives at the YMCA in downtown Tulsa landed a job as a night stocker at a Wal-Mart. We're so happy for him, because he is extremely diligent about working. And in case you've missed some recent local news, Tulsa's downtown Y is scheduled to close in January 2010. Residents will have an opportunity to be relocated to new apartments that are being constructed about 2-3 miles from downtown. You can see the story in the Tulsa World.

HOW BEING LATE TURNED INTO SOME LOVE

One of the departments within the Williams Cos. in downtown Tulsa “fines” employees $1 for every minute they’re late to a meeting. It’s all for fun -- just to get folks focused on greater efficiency. Well, over the course of 2008, some tardiness turned into a $300 gift for Filling The Void, plus the company match! Williams has always been great about helping us lift up needy lives.

Celebrating 5 Years of Serving

2008-10-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Filling The Void has been lifting up lives for five years.
This is our friend, John, in the green. He often asks us
to pray with him.

THE MOMENT THAT BIRTHED A MINISTRY

There are people you meet who make quite an impression. For us, we can’t help but recall a man named Roy.

We met him on Oct. 13, 2003, around 1 p.m. in downtown Tulsa. It was Columbus Day. Roy was searching for something himself that day – a friend and some food.

Roy’s situation was striking. He said he had been eating out of dumpsters. He was – in every sense – the stereotype of what society sees as “homeless.”.

You could call it our maiden voyage into ministry. We didn’t seek it out, though. The situation was thrust upon us. At the time, there was no such thing as Filling The Void.

Roy approached us, not vice versa. After initially turning him away, God gave us the courage to track him down.

We took his hand. We hugged him. We led him in a prayer. We took care of his lunch. And we haven’t seen him since.

The experience made us examine ourselves. Deep down inside, we discovered a calling to reach out to other “Roys” to help reflect our Heavenly Father’s heart for the poor and needy.

A few months later, we started a ministry. We’ve since served more than 21,000 sack lunches.

Burgers, Bands & A Block Party

2008-10-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

The guys at the grills cooked 500 hamburgers

and 500 hot dogs for Filling The Void's first-ever

block party in downtown Tulsa.

ROAD CLOSED!

Mollie and Karl Myers and Aaron Horton from Tulsa’s Central Church approached us with a bold idea back in the spring.

They said they were going to close their doors on Sunday morning, Sept. 28. Instead of “doing” church that day, they wanted to “be” the church and do community service projects all over town.

So we talked about doing a block party downtown for the needy. We figured we could get a couple hundred to attend.

Central Church took care of everything, and we mean everything – from working with the city and the police to renting road closure signs and portable potties.

They brought 40-50 volunteers, several bands, multiple musicians and a couple of great big gas grills that cooked 500 hamburgers and 500 hot dogs.

Their labor of love was met with equal enthusiasm from the crowd we take care of from week-to-week – several of whom jumped at the chance to stand-in with the band for a few songs.

Together, we served more than 800 sack lunches to an estimated 300 people. Many of them were waiting at 3rd & Detroit well in advance of our arrival to setup at 9 a.m.

Our favorite story is about a man named Aubrey. He pulled us aside after one of the sermons and asked us to pray with him. He said he needed to get right with God and could use a Bible. We were happy to oblige. It's what we're all about.

PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE

In Luke 14:13-14, the Bible says, “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”

Details From Denver

2008-10-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

We've served Alfonso several times in Denver.

SUCCESS IN OUR SECOND CITY

We’re happy to report that our upstart outreach efforts in Denver are doing just fine, thanks to the hands and feet of more than 30 volunteers who have stepped forward to serve.

Andrew Boden, Beth Garland, Gary Nilson, David Warren, Patrick Rutty and Andy Forcina have led 11 outreach days for us in Denver since April.

That translates into more than 150 lives already touched, including several elderly people we’ve crossed paths with who really needed someone to pray for them.

“I’ve been surprised by how open these random people on the street are to our approach – a little food, a little conversation, an offer to pray for them,” Patrick Rutty said.

We’ve also bumped into a man named Alfonso several times, who is usually outside the ESPN Zone on Denver’s 16th Street Mall. He peers through the store windows at the TV screens.

He always smiles and welcomes the box lunches we serve from Corner Bakery – who donated approximately $200 in lunches to us one day this summer.

We also received a $250 grant from Forest Oil Corp. in Denver. One of our volunteers, Bev Beeson, did the paperwork and promoted our work inside her company.

Our next outreach day in Denver is slated for Wednesday, Dec. 10. We would say “weather-permitting” given the wild winters there, but our Colorado crew won’t stand for it.

Says Patrick Rutty, “Why would we stop when the weather gets nasty?”

Our 20,000th Sack Lunch

2008-10-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

When you support Filling The Void, you’re helping us serve

up hope. This gentleman received our 20,000th sack lunch.

A GIFT FOR GARY

While we’ve never done a lot of PR to promote Filling The Void, we do like to make a big deal out of the days when we’re going to surpass a significant milestone.

For example, we handed out our 10,000th sack lunch on July 11, 2007. From that point, it only took us only 14 months to get ready to celebrate sack lunch No. 20,000.

That day turned out to be Sept. 12. We stuffed the special bag with extra cookies and fruit bars and one of Arby’s larger market-fresh turkey sandwiches instead of the usual roast beef.

Our crowds have been smaller lately after we made a couple of major changes to our ministry schedule in Tulsa (serving on Fridays instead of Wednesdays and moving from a public park to a private parking lot), so we weren’t sure who or how many would show up that day.

One of the first people to emerge through the serving line of about 40 folks was a soft-spoken man named Gary.

He got the 20,000th bag, all right, and a whole lot of love and handshakes. We also loaded him down with a new Bible, a devotional book, and a men’s journal in an effort to lift up his life.

Mid-Year 2008 Ministry Report

2008-07-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Michelle Gibson on the left and Beverly Beeson on the
right are two members of our Denver volunteer team.
Their new friends were grateful to receive some hope
and a hand with lunch on June 5.

19,075 SACK LUNCHES...AND STILL COUNTING

From January to July, our volunteers have handed out 4,993 sack lunches. That’s a 12 percent increase over our pace from 2007. Through snow & sweltering heat, we’ve seen some great stuff.

In Denver, a complete stranger (Solomon) observed what we were doing, then walked up and gave us $15. In Tulsa, someone in the crowd (Al) spontaneously stepped forward following one of our street sermons to sing a song. It was his way of testifying how God helped his life.

We’ve had a grown man (Fred) break down in our arms as he shared his heart and described his battle with depression. Please pray for him and his wife, Patty, who needs healing in her legs.

We also passed out lunches at a "watering hole" where we ministered to a man who had just been beaten and robbed. One of our volunteers prayed with him until paramedics arrived.

These are the real-life needs we see as we reach out with God’s hands. Going back to 2003, He’s given us more than 400 volunteers who have now passed out 19,075 sack lunches.

And given Tulsa’s emphasis on downtown redevelopment, we recently sat down with other faith-based groups to brief the mayor’s office about the importance of our work to lift up lives.

By having a seat at the table, we believe we can shed some light on the other revival that’s taking place downtown – a revival in the hearts of the homeless.

GLAD ABOUT THE AD

Did you see our positive press? One of our big corporate backers – Williams – placed a full page ad about Filling The Void in the July issue of Tulsa People magazine. The ad re-caps our roots and salutes our community service awards.

MILE-HIGH MISSION: IN THE MAKING

July marked four consecutive months of outreaches for Filling The Void in downtown Denver. Our volunteer turnout there is terrific (and growing). And we've seen our boxed-lunch supplier (Corner Bakery) give us $200 of free food one day. These things are great big steps to help get us off the ground in a new city. Our next Denver outreach day is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 11.

BY GEORGE!

One of the men we serve is going from the streets to being gainfully employed. George just told us about his new job at a highly-respected hotel chain where they're paying him a couple extra bucks per hour because he's bilingual. We'd love to promote their brand name here, but some things are better left unsaid so that we don't hinder the future hirings of others who need a second-chance at a new start.

GRILLIN'-N-CHILLIN'

Special thanks go to the Milliken family for taking care of our Tulsa volunteers. On May 17, they hosted a cook-out at the their home to give our team some time to rest and renew. The big-bash came complete with shish-ka-bobs for dinner and cake for dessert. We're always amazed at how we're blessed in so many ways. Thanks to everyone for helping us perform good deeds for those in need!

Special Report

2008-05-13T20:32:00.001-07:00

Michael, Misty & Ethan were happy to
find Filling The Void in Denver.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN, HI

Wow. Who would have thought? Filling The Void is officially climbing in altitude, crossing state lines and setting out on our second adventure.

We’ve been telling you about the idea for months, and now that seed is sprouting. As of April, we’ve begun – albeit on a small scale – to scour the city streets in Denver, Colorado.

The story behind the startup began on an airplane in April 2007. That’s when the founder of Filling The Void was seated near someone affiliated with The Oilfield Christian Fellowship.

The divine appointment turned into an opportunity to tell about 60 oil and gas people in downtown Denver about Filling The Void.

Several people in the crowd caught a vision for taking up the cause to help the poor. In the months that followed, Filling The Void prayed, planned and trained potential volunteers.

All the eager anticipation culminated on April 17 as nine Denver-based volunteers braved a cool Colorado day – just for the opportunity to pass out 16 box lunches and to pray with the needy.

Two of those lunches went to the young couple you see pictured above – Michael and Misty. They specifically asked us to pray for God to help them find stable housing.

Interestingly, their names really rang a bell. So we checked our records. Sure enough, we helped a different Michael and Misty in August 2004 when we were starting up in Tulsa.

So you get the picture. God is up to something here…and there. He’s showing us how similar the needs are in every city, no matter how many miles separate the Michaels and Mistys of the world.

ROBBIE'S AWESOME REPORT

A man named Robbie Lee gave us plenty to shout about on April 23. He no longer needs a cane to walk. And he's absolutely, unequivocally convinced about how it happened.

In his own words, God healed his leg after we prayed with him months ago. By the best of our recollection, that's the third documented miracle we've seen while ministering. In Matthew 14:14, the Bible says when Jesus saw a large crowd, He had compassion and healed the sick.

GIVING AND RECEIVING...IN REVERSE

It happened again. Someone who recently received one of our lunches left something with one of our volunteers – an $11 donation. We could say we're surprised, but we're not. The majority of people we serve are plenty grateful for a free lunch, and they show their appreciation through hugs, hearty thank you's & an occasional dime or dollar.

NEW CAST & CREW

We’ve been seeing a bumper crop of new volunteers in Tulsa. They include Joy Taylor, John Walsh, David Dale, Tami Knorr, Jon David Parker, Angela Meyers and Julie Johns. Thanks for serving. And welcome aboard!

BUSTED FOR BREAD?

It's sad, but true. The economic downturn is hitting the poor especially hard. We’re already seeing news reports about an increase in thefts at grocery stores. The trend will likely continue as prices for gas and groceries outstrip the rate of inflation at an exorbitant rate. As we watch these events unfold, we believe God has put us in a state of readiness to help more and more people.

Spring 2008 Report

2008-04-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Kathyline found comfort from Filling The Void.
See her story below.

TRADING PLACES

Filling The Void has been out on the streets every week this year. Our volunteers have already distributed 2,475 sack lunches. Kathyline, pictured above, hasn’t received a single one.

Last year was a little different. She used to come out to the clock where we serve – all for the company and the encouragement.

“I called it my church. I came to hear the sermons before they gave out the lunches,” says Kathyline.

“The subjects really hit home. It was like God touching us. I just needed to hear something. I couldn’t wait to get there,” she said.

Kathyline found courage, and then she came across a job offer that she couldn’t refuse, even though it keeps her away from our weekly Wednesday outreach.

In essence, she’s gone from being in our crowd where we prayed with her to serving a crowd during the lunch rush at the downtown Arby’s – the same location where we purchase our sandwiches.

Call it irony. Call it divine intervention. Call it a path of progress for a friend of our ministry who is now contemplating the pursuit of an associate’s degree at Wright Business College.

What we’ve learned from Kathyline is that what we do isn’t ever about a handout – it’s about extending a hand of love and friendship. God can use that – such a simple act – to lift up a life.

FILLING THE VOID: PART TWO

Our Denver outreach is officially off the ground and running. April showers – snow, not rain – gave way to crystal clear skies and 40-degree temperatures for our April 17 outreach in the Mile High City. Watch our next issue for more details!

SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR SEPTEMBER?

16,587 – that’s how many lunches we’ve passed out since we started more than four years ago. At our current pace, we should eclipse the 20,000-mark sometime in September.

READY, SET, STUFF!

The youth group and the young at heart at Tulsa’s Central Church keep setting new speed records when it comes to assembling our sack lunches. On March 30, they filled more than 1,500 bags in almost an hour flat.

"UNCLE" SAM – AS IN WALTON

Our friends at the Wal-Mart Foundation always make our day. We just received another $1,500 grant from corporate headquarters, courtesy of the kindness of a local store manager who puts in a good word for us when he gets charitable funds for community causes.

PUTTING IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE

The body of a 20-year-old homeless man was recovered by Tulsa police in a southside creek on March 18, according to a local media report. We continually pray that those we serve can find victory instead of being a victim of life on the streets.

2008 Kick-Off/2007 Recap

2008-01-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

2007 was our biggest year yet.

PASSION AND PROVISION

Some things just seem to snowball. Please pardon the cliché, but Filling The Void is quite possibly the perfect example.

Sensing a call to help the homeless, we set out to hit the streets for the very first time in October 2003. We served four people that day.

Four years later, God has done something extraordinary. He has matched our passion with your provision. He’s provided Filling The Void with more than 300 volunteers and more than 100 donors.

And trust us, every dime, dollar and donation makes a huge difference. We received nearly $22,000* to help the homeless and needy in 2007. We used every penny, plus a couple more from the prior year.

Those donations ranged all the way from a lady who gave us 75 cents after she received a sack lunch to grants we receive from Fortune 500 companies.

However, the vast majority – approximately 75% – of our support for charitable operations comes from faithful individuals who give frequently and generously.

We put your blessings into 7,695 brown paper bags – the most sack lunches we’ve ever served in a single year. That’s a 71% increase over 2006. Some of our dollars also go toward other essentials, such as socks, clothing, soap, Bibles and boarding at local shelters.

But what we do isn’t about numbers. It’s about the names behind those numbers who have somehow lost their way in life, even their will to live – people like Lee who we met Dec. 12.

He told us that he wanted to take his life. It’s not hard to sense the severity of that situation, so we prayed with Lee and spent a half hour talking to him about God’s plan for his life. Lee left encouraged, and we’re still lifting him up in prayer, too.

Those are the kinds of seeds that you’re helping us plant in countless lives who need a meal, and most importantly, to be ministered to. Thanks for making it happen!

* Denotes donations for charitable purposes only. Separately, we received an additional $2,900 to fund our administrative expenses.

A DIVINE DELIVERY

A group of our volunteers from the The Church at Battle Creek stuffed and wrapped nearly 40 Christmas presents for men who are going through the life-change program at the local John 3:16 Mission. Each gift contained several goodies: socks, a warm shirt, candy and a devotional book. We accompanied the goodwill with a monetary gift of our own to the Mission to help pay for about 50 meals and a week's worth of lodging for someone in need.

REACHING THE ROCKIES

We're continuing to take steps and make strides toward expanding our street outreach into our second city: Denver. On Jan. 21, we trained eight people in the Mile High city how to comb the streets looking for people in need. To put that number in perspective, that's 5 more people than we started with in Tulsa. April, Andy, Andrew, Barbara, Gary, Janet, Phillip and Sharon are eager to get started, so be praying for them. They're scheduld to put their feet to the pavement early this Spring.

WOW, WHAT AN HONOR!

The Tulsa chapter of the Oilfield Christian Fellowship recently chose us as their "charity of choice" for 2008. They plan to raise funds for Filling The Void through a golf tournament. Fore!

NOT SCARY AT ALL

Some of our newest volunteers are from the Adams Family. But hey, we're not talking about the cast and crew of television fame. We're just talking about Chad, Jennifer and their two kiddos, Jacob and Lauren. We're pretty positive there's no Pugsley in any of their family photos.

AN ENCOURAGING WORD

A verse from the book of Exodus in the Bible describes what can happen to the people we serve when they see the love of God personally expressed to them through something as simple as a sack lunch. Verse 31 from chapter 4 says, "and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped..." Afterall, a total life change starts in the heart.

October/November 2007 Report

2007-11-21T11:39:00.001-08:00

We met a couple former soldiers at our Nov. 14 outreach.
James (left) was in the Marines. Solomon was in the Army.
We thank them for serving our nation!

SCARS AND STRIPES

The Veterans Day parades across the nation on Nov. 10-11 have come and gone. While the crowds went home after attending the celebrations and ceremonies, some Veterans stayed out on the streets.

There’s a very good reason – they didn’t have any other place to go.

A recent national survey found that Veterans make up a disproportionate share of homeless people. The data indicates that Veterans represent roughly 26% of the national homeless population, but only 11 percent of the general adult population.

In all, 336,627 Veterans were homeless at some point in 2006. And the numbers may keep growing. The study estimates that approximately 89,553 to 467,877 Veterans are at risk of homelessness.

Locally, the percentage of Veterans in Oklahoma’s homeless headcount isn’t nearly as high, but several people did tell us about their military service when we inquired at our Nov. 14 outreach.

The study also reminds us of a man named Freeman whom we met on Aug. 9, 2006. He wept as we prayed for God to help him get past the torment from his own time in war.

Everyone knows that the wounds of war run deep – and now those scars are just a little more plain to see.

OH SO CLOSE TO 7,000

The turnout at our Oct. 24 outreach was our largest ever. We served more than 220 sack lunches. We have served 6,997 sack lunches over the first 47 Wednesdays in 2007. That’s already a 43% increase vs. how many we served (4,487) in all of 2006.

MAKING A MARK®

The U.S. Dept. of Commerce has officially approved our trademark request. We now own the legal rights and privileges to the name Filling The Void in the non-profit sector. This means that we'll be adding the following symbol "®" to our name in our communications. Attorney Dan Beirute at Winters, King & Associates Inc. was instrumental in helping us through the 2-year process.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE

We helped our crowd on Nov. 21 get an early taste of Thanksgiving-day treats by replacing the cookies that we usually use in our lunch bags with personal-sized pecan pies from Sam's Club. The turnout for the day was suprisingly low. Dropping temperatures and gusty winds probably drove a lot of the people we typically serve into the warmth of Tulsa's downtown shelters.

ON THEIR KNEES

We are so impressed with the servant hearts in the youth group at Tulsa's Central Church of the Nazarene. Over the past two years, they've helped us prepare sack lunches and take pins, needles and price tags off of the new clothes we hand out. What's more, they're also standing in the gap for us...on their knees. On Oct. 23, they spent an hour praying at the place where we minister each week. We've also heard that several of them are fasting for us over lunch during our Wednesday outreaches. Wow!

August/September 2007 Report

2007-09-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Trichelle Keen: sandwich-maker extraordinaire.

HIDDEN HERO

We’d like to introduce you to Trichelle Keen – the recipient of our first ever volunteer service award. The title even came with a small but heartfelt trophy!

Although she’s never been on the streets to serve with us, she’s had a huge hand in helping us feed thousands.

That’s because her hands are the ones that have cooked, prepared and wrapped the vast majority of the 11,000 roast beef sandwiches that we’ve purchased from Arby’s since 2003.

Those sandwiches are the primary staple in every single one of our sack lunches that we serve every Wednesday to people who are hungry, homeless and hurting.

Trichelle has managed Tulsa’s downtown Arby’s for the past seven years, faithfully making our ever-increasing order which we place two days in advance.

Now she’s climbing the corporate ladder. The higher ups recently promoted her to district manager. She’s also one of two training coordinators for Arby’s in Tulsa.

It’s quite possible that we’ve depended on her more than any other person. The sandwiches have to be ready like clockwork every week, and she’s never let us down.

LATEST OUTREACH RESULTS

The turnout at our Aug. 29 outreach was our largest ever. We served 191 sack lunches. We have served 5,570 sack lunches over the first 39 Wednesdays in 2007. That’s an average of 143 per week for the year. And if you go back all the way to 2003, we’ve now served over 11,000 bags since we started.

YOU HUNGRY, TOO?

May we may make a restaurant recommendation? Try Tei Kei’s on Utica if you have a flare for Asian food. The owner – Todd – is one of our new volunteers. We can certainly vouch first-hand for his passion for helping needy people. Special thanks to another new volunteer – Chris Hyslop – for recruiting Todd and 4 other guys lately.

OFF THE STREETS

The people we serve are pretty transparent. They’re not afraid to ask for prayer, share their hurts or talk about their blessings. Such was the case when four of the men we serve told us about the housing they found in August and September. Walter even showed us the key to his place!

DENVER DOUGH

The door to doing ministry in Denver continues to open wide for Filling The Void. We’ve already been lining up prospective volunteers and meeting with key players who can help get us off the ground there. And now we’ve received our first Colorado-based contribution from a new donor in the Denver suburb of Littleton.

WHO’S KIDDING WHO?

The city of Chicago recently took a census. The goal was to take an accurate headcount of the number of homeless people living downtown. They could only find 24. Talk about an incredulous claim! You can click here to read more of their compelling “story."

July 2007 Report

2007-07-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

There's something pretty special about this particular sack lunch. It was the 10,000th we've served since 2003. Chris (left) was the big winner of the bag and a new Bible.

COUNTDOWN TO CHRIS

July 11 churned out a major milestone for Filling The Void. We entered the day having distributed roughly 9,980 lunch bags, dating back to October 2003 when we first hit the streets.

Preparing for lunch bag No. 10,000 gave us lots of reason to celebrate and reflect. As we set things in order for the special day, three things came to mind.

First, we’ve fallen in love with the people we serve. No matter where they’ve been or what they’re going through, God longs to redeem their lives and their situations. We get to be a part of that.

Second, we’re so grateful for everyone who makes this ministry happen. God has surrounded us with faithful volunteers and generous financial supporters. We’re truly blessed beyond measure.

Finally, we were really excited to see who would be the big winner of lunch bag No. 10,000. Of course, God placed the right person in the right place at the right time -- Chris, age 36.

We spent about 15 minutes with him, posing for pictures, learning about his life, praying over his needs and presenting him with a new Bible signed by our volunteers.

A native of North Dakota, Chris now calls Tulsa’s streets his home. He can’t stay in the local shelters any longer after getting kicked out for drinking and fighting.

Chris’s story is similar to what we see all the time. And that’s exactly why we’re out every week – looking to love, serve and lift up the next Chris whom God leads our way.

THE SUMMER SURGE

The number of people we serve continues to climb higher as the mercury rises. We witnessed our largest crowds ever on June 20 and June 27, serving in excess of 180 lunches each day. So far in 2007, we have served 4,045 lunches over the first 30 Wednesdays.

NO-SHOWS

We’re still not sure where everyone went, but our 4th of July outreach was more fizzle than sizzle. It was our second smallest crowd on record – 12. We actually had twice as many volunteers, thanks to the youth group at Central Church of the Nazarene. Word on the street is that a lot of our clients were at the river staking out a good place to see the fireworks that night.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

Our trips to Sam’s Club for lunch-bag staples keeps getting bigger. That's why we really appreciate Patrick Edison and his Chevy Silverado pickup. On July 23, we needed all the payload capacity we could find (in addition to our normal delivery van) to get our supplies for August through October. The fine folks at Sam's needed a forklift to load up three pallettes worth of Pringles, cookies and bottled water for us. Patrick's truck didn't wince once despite all the weight.

MORE ROCKIES RELATIONSHIPS

We had another divine appointment in Denver. On July 25, Kelly Swan spoke to the local chapter of the Oilfield Christian Fellowship about getting involved with Filling The Void. Several people at the presentation have already expressed a desire to serve on the streets with us when the time comes to start a Rocky Mountain outreach.

June 2007 Report

2007-06-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Meet the man in blue – Joe Millspaugh. He is one of more
than 300 people who have volunteered with Filling The Void
since 2003.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

Think quickly. Did you do anything special for Christmas Eve last year? Joe Millspaugh did. He was attending the 9:30 a.m. service at First United Methodist Church downtown when a homeless man walked in the door. The man wasn’t sure whether to stay, so Joe jumped up to help Palmer feel welcome. And that was just the beginning.

After church, Joe and his dad treated Palmer to lunch at Goldie’s Patio Grill. Next, they took him to get a coat and a backpack. Then they prayed with him before giving him a lift to a local shelter.

Joe is the last person in the world to want a gold medal for his good deed. That’s the way it is with all of the volunteers who selflessly serve with us.

More than 300 people have given their time and talents to us since 2003. The list keeps growing longer too as people invite their friends and co-workers. To Joe and to all, we offer our sincere appreciation. Your hands, feet and hearts are a big blessing every week.

BIG BANG BASH

We’ve got the perfect way for you to spend the 4th of July – with us. The 4th falls on Wednesday this year, which means that “the show must go on” at our regularly-scheduled weekly outreach. If you don’t mind driving downtown on your day off, we can sure use your help. The volunteer center will open at 11:30 to get everything in order.

MUST-SEE T.V.

FOX23 just can’t get enough of Filling The Void. Kelly Swan has agreed to appear on their morning show between 8:30-9:00 a.m. on June 14. It will be the third time that FOX has used their airtime in the past year to profile our non-profit. Kelly hopes to use the interview to encourage citizens to treat the homeless with dignity and respect.

MISSION: MATT

Earlier this year, three of our volunteers felt a need to encourage a man we’d see named Matt. His countenance was low, and we knew he needed to be lifted up. We lost him for three months before finding him again on June 6. It turns out that he did some time in the slammer for assault and battery. Now he’s trying to get into the men’s program at the John 3:16 Mission. The change of scenery is exactly the change he needs. Please pray he proceeds.

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE SHOPPING CART

One of the staples in our sack lunches is an organic fruit bar. That’s what replaced the bananas in our lunch bags about a year ago after we started preparing hundreds of sacks in advance to help everything run smoothly on our outreach days. So when Wild Oats recently put them on sale, we went a little wild ourselves, purchasing 2,000 all at once. The savings came to $380.

MAJOR MILESTONES

May was another record month for outreach. We served more lunches than we ever have in a single month (680) and witnessed our largest crowd ever (160) on May 30. We have now served 2,780 sack lunches over the first 23 Wednesdays in 2007. But something even bigger is in store. Can you guess what major milestone we’re going to surpass in mid-July? If you know the answer, send an email to fillingthevoid@hotmail.com.

April/May 2007 Report

2007-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

This is Daniel. He covets your prayers
to help him quit smoking. He's praying,
too. Check out what it says on his hat.

STEVEN’S STORY

We first saw Steven a couple months ago down-n-out near the downtown library. He gladly accepted a lunch and asked us to pray that God would help him find a job.Fast forward to April 4, when he resurfaced at our weekly outreach. He told us how he landed a job after we prayed. It lasted for a couple of weeks, and it paid him $3 more per hour than he usually made.

He was so grateful for what God had done that he wanted to bless someone else, even though he was unemployed again. So he decided to give away the sack lunch that he had just received before telling us his story. And sure enough, we watched him give it away to a needy lady walking by.

A WORD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

Our local outreach continues to receive some highly credible national commendations. Last year we won a Jefferson Award for public service. That honor took us all the way to Washington D.C. Well, Washington has come knocking again, this time in the form of a Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Christian Recording Artist Michael W. Smith, who is the vice chair of President Bush's council for civic participation, presented the honor to Filling The Void's Kelly Swan at a concert in Tulsa on May 3 at Victory Christian Center.

2,000 AND COUNTING

So far for 2007, we’ve distributed 2,207 sack lunches. That’s an average of 116 lunches for the first 19 Wednesdays of the year – our highest average ever. And it was about this time last year that we saw a major spark in the size of our crowds. We’ll be ready again.

C’MON OVER KATHY

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor almost found herself in the middle of our outreach on April 18. Her staff had prepared a lunchtime press conference in the same area where we minister downtown. The purpose was to promote a new farmer’s market to be held on Tuesdays. We quickly slid our own crowd way off to the side so that both events could harmoniously co-exist. The media all migrated toward the mayor. Too bad. They missed out on a free lunch and an encouraging word.

SHARING SHARES

You can now donate stock options and shares of stock to Filling The Void. We set up an account with Fidelity to conduct these transactions. And you’ll still get a tax break for blessing us. The first such gift we received (30 shares of mutual fund EUROX) covered the cost of an entire month of ministry. What a blessing!

DENVER: A DIVINE APPOINTMENT?

We continue to sense an opportunity to expand to Denver, Colorado. Right now we’re simply praying, waiting and preparing. But God is already placing many people along our path (even on airplanes) who are recruiting potential volunteers for when the time comes. Stay tuned.

March 2007 Report

2007-03-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

This isn't what you think. It's actually a deadly
drug in disguise. See below.

POISON PILL

We have a warning for you that'll make you wiser when it comes to being "street smart." That's why all of the items in this month's issue deal with panhandling.

You see, panhandlers are on the prowl for something beyond basic necessities, even though their stories may tug at your heart strings.

They’ll typically ask you for spare change to make a phone call, catch a bus ride, wash their clothes or get something to eat.

But they're actually trying to feed some sort of desperate addiction that is probably destroying them -- like sniffing the contents of what you see in the picture above.

It's sad, but true. The can we found was empty. We fully believe it had been inhaled based on where we found it.

NOT THE NORM

Panhandling is highly visible because it occurs in high-traffic locations like highway exit ramps, street corners and in front of frequently-visited stores and restaurants.

But the vast majority of homeless folks we’ve met over the past three years – far in excess of 99 percent – never asked for a dime. They're generally humble and gracious, and they know exactly where to go for shelter, clothing and showers.

For example, we served more than 140 people at our March 28 outreach. Out of that bunch, only man tried to hit us up for money.

SURVEY REVEALS STUNNING RESULTS

We found hard data to illustrate just how many people routinely help panhandlers. A 2006 survey in Denver, Colorado, found that 42 percent of adults in that metro area gave money directly to panhandlers last year.

That "spare change" added up to $4.5 million. One Denver panhandler said he made $80 a day.

We've heard similar stories ourselves in Tulsa. We've met two of the men who pandhandler at the 71st St. exit ramp near Highway 169. One told us he made $60 in two hours one night.

JUST SAY "NO"

Never ever give money to a panhandler, no matter how needy they look. Your gift will ultimately hurt them, not help.

It's perfectly ok to politely say "no" if you're ever approached by a panhandler. In fact, it's best to be firm and to keep moving.

There's no reason to feel guilty. You're actually helping by cutting off their access to cash. If everyone did that, it would force them to seek out services that would put them on the road to recovery.

MUCH BETTER OPTIONS

We think it's absolutely great that you want to help the hungry and the homeless. Did you know that your desire reflects the heart of God?

The best way to help people in need is to direct your kindness and generosity to non-profits like ours who will use the funds to help homeless individuals toward a total life change.

So far in 2007, we've been handing out an average of 112 meals per week. It has already added up to more than 1,465 sack lunches this year. We also preach the gospel about Jesus every week to help give our crowds hope, love and acceptance.

You can also pray for the people you see on the streets. Pray that God will heal their hearts and hurts and minds. Pray that He will help them find good jobs.

More specifically, you can pray for a 66-year-old man named Doy who is battling emphysema. And for Matt, who simply needs to know that he is loved and that things can get better. We see both men often.

February 2007 Report

2007-02-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

Have you "heard" about the miracle that is happening in John's life? Read about it below.

LOUD AND CLEAR

We sense that God is up to something big this year. Maybe He gave us a peak a few weeks back. After we shared the sermon on Jan. 17, we felt led to ask if anyone in the crowd had problems with their ears. Two men stepped forward – John and Tom. Both men suffered hearing loss several years before. We believe that God can do miracles, so we prayed with them. John has already seen an improvement.

FROM TULSA TO TAMPA

We’ve known Tom (see previous story) for more than two years. He always wears a Yankees baseball hat and lives at the downtown YMCA. We lost track of him last fall, then found out that he had been in Beaumont and Baton Rouge to work with a traveling carnival. He came home for the holidays and told us he had been making about $300 a week. He has since left again – this time for Tampa Bay, Florida.

OFF AND RUNNING

We’re only seven weeks into 2007, and we’ve already distributed 910 sack lunches. That’s significant, considering that the pace will pick up even more in spring and summer. Our goal for the year is 7,000.

HERE, HAVE A HEART

The 5th and 6th graders at Central Church of the Nazarene prepared 130 hand-made Valentines for our Feb. 14 outreach. Each card contained a candy heart and the words from Romans 5:8, which says, “God shows and clearly proves His love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

OVERNIGHT ESCAPE

It’s always exciting to see whom God guides across our path. On Jan. 24, it turned out to be Emma – mother of six. They were all with her. They had fled from 50 miles away the night before to get away from a domestic disturbance, landing at Tulsa’s Day Center for the Homeless before coming to see us.

LET IT SNOW

A recent study found that 744,000 people in America are homeless. Of them, 56 percent typically live in shelters. The other 44 percent are on the streets. That's exactly where you’ll find Filling The Void each week, even in the bitter, brutal cold. The wind chill made it feel like 15° on Feb. 14. The week before, it snowed. We used the opportunity to teach from Isaiah 1:18, where God says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.”

LAID TO REST

Our crowds have been big (a recent high of 140), but we’re minus two men we’ve known for a long time– Daniel and Anton. We fed them, prayed with them and told them about the Lord many times. Anton battled seizures. Daniel battled the bottle. Now both are gone. Anton just died from an aneurysm. Daniel bled to death after getting drunk and punching a plate-glass window. We heard the news from other homeless men who were their friends, too. Their lives remind us about the importance of our pulpit on the pavement.

January 2007 Report

2007-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

It's official: our volunteers served 4,487 sack lunches
in 2006 -- triple the amount vs. the prior year.

FLIPPING THE CALENDAR

2007 marks our fourth year of helping the homeless, the hurting, the hungry and those who need healing. Our niche remains the same: serving sack lunches and ministering to people in a very personal way -- shaking their hands, learning their names, praying with them and sharing the gospel. We’ve served approximately 6,400 lunches since we started three years ago.

BACKED BY BLESSINGS

We often get asked how we pay for all the lunch bags. There’s an easy answer – our donors. More than 60 percent of our funding comes from individuals. (The remainder comes from businesses and churches). Our donor base surpassed 100 sources in 2006. These donors come from both near and far, including Alaska, Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Will you be next? Gifts to Filling The Void are tax deductible. We're a 501c3 non-profit.

WALKING ON WATER

We’re going to have to get used to snow and ice if we’re serious about serving sack lunches in Denver sometime. For its part, Tulsa is proving to be a pretty good training ground. The city was licked and slicked by three waves of freezing rain and ice Jan. 12-14, leaving behind a treacherous trail of frozen tundra for 12 of our volunteers to tackle outside on Jan. 17. Despite a morning-low temperature of 16 degrees, 81 people still came out to see us and get a sack lunch.

A MILLION BUCKS

That’s exactly what Lisa looked like when we saw her in December at the downtown bus station. It was quite a contrast from the last time we saw her in June, staggering stone-cold drunk into oncoming traffic on 2nd Street. She had also been involved in an abusive relationship – the black eyes gave it away. But what we witnessed in December was an answer to prayer. She looked and spoke like a different lady. In a matter of months, she found an apartment, started AA, got involved in church and was working – big steps toward a new beginning.

PASS THE TAPE, PLEASE

Our volunteers did it again – outdoing themselves, that is. They filled our volunteer center on several days in December, all in an effort to wrap our presents for people staying at the downtown YMCA, Salvation Army and John 3:16 shelters. By the time we finally ran out of boxes, they had wrapped nearly 400 new winter shirts for some very needy, worthy and appreciative recipients.

ALWAYS LOW PRICES

Our friends at Wal-Mart may take a beating in the press from time-to-time, but they’ve certainly been willing to work with us. They’re one of our best corporate sponsors, along with the Williams Cos. In fact, we just received some mail from Wal-Mart: a check for $1,500.

Year-End 2006

2006-12-10T22:50:00.000-08:00

This is Brandy (left). She just had her second baby.
You can read more about her situation in one of the
stories below. She is seen with Holly -- a volunteer.

600 STRONG

The colder winter weather isn’t holding anyone back from coming to our weekly Wednesday outreach in downtown Tulsa. Since Nov. 1, we’ve served 600 lunches – an average of 100 per week. People have even come on crutches, in wheelchairs and on bicycles – however they can.

A “SUB-STITUTE” SANDWICH

For the first time in a long time, we tinkered with the makeup of our sack-lunch menu to help celebrate Thanksgiving. On Nov. 22, we traded roast beef sandwiches, Pringles, bottled water and chocolate chip cookies for something a little more in line with traditional turkey-day fare. Our recipients were pleasantly surprised to find six-inch turkey subs, apple sauce, raspberry cookies, grape juice and pecan pies instead.

HAND WARMERS

Sometimes simple acts of love fit like a glove. Hours before Tulsa was hit by rain, sleet, ice and 10 inches of snow on Nov. 29, we hustled over to the John 3:16 shelter to drop off a box of stocking hats and 100 pairs of gloves. Later in December, we’ll be delivering roughly 300 Christmas presents to downtown shelters. The gift boxes contain socks, a heavy winter shirt and a book about God’s grace.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

As we’ve reported, we’re helping a Williams’ employee in Denver begin working with the homeless, supplying him with socks, gloves, stocking hats and street-wise advice. On Nov. 28, he expanded his efforts, securing a $2,000 grant from Williams for the Denver Rescue Mission. We can foresee taking Filling The Void a step further in a place like Denver, too. We’re just watching to see where God leads.

AWAY IN A MANGER

We introduced you to Brandy in September. At 21, she is unwed and was expecting her second boy. We had been praying for her pregnancy for several months. On Nov. 12, her baby arrived right on schedule, entering the world at 8 pounds, 4 ounces. We’ve since bumped into her on the street, but without the baby. We’re guessing he was either given up for adoption or is in the hands of the Dept. of Human Services.

O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL

Our volunteer base continues to boom. We’ve now been blessed by more than 200 people who share our heart for helping the homeless. Churches are sending significant manpower, too. Groups from Cedar Ridge Christian Church, Central Church of the Nazarene and The Church at BattleCreek have been busy preparing sack lunches for us and wrapping the Christmas presents that we’ll hand out at area shelters.

SILENT NIGHT

Every story doesn’t have a happy ending. According to a news report on Channel 6, the bitter cold in Tulsa led to the death of a homeless man during the first weekend in December. That’s when the mercury dropped as low as 7 degrees. His body was found in a dumpster. It must have been where he tried to survive the cold.

October 2006 Report

2006-10-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

Meet Doy, 66. You've read about him in our reports before. Now you can see him face-to-face. Please pray for him. He suffers from arthritis in a hip and from alchoholism. We've also encouraged him to take up residence at a local shelter to fight off the coming cold weather.

RICHARD: UNRESTRAINED

We’ve learned a lot about boldness from Richard, 47. He’s a one-man ministry machine when it comes to telling people about Jesus. Ironically, he’s not a volunteer – he’s one of the people we serve. But he loves to pass out the Bible verses we bring to our outreaches. And instead of singling out those with torn and tattered clothes, he slips the scriptures to absolutely anyone and everyone on 3rd St., including those who are clearly dressed for success in their business-best. We were amazed. And we imagine they were, too.

THE GENEVA CONVENTION

We went outside on Oct. 18 simply to serve sack lunches. Instantly, we found ourselves at an impromptu meeting of epic proportion. Four people – Tanya, Ramona, Dave and Daniel – were gathered around a lady in a wheelchair watching her self-administer a test for hypoglycemia, a condition that can occur when a person hasn’t eaten. Her name? Geneva. She definitely was blessed by the food in our bag.

COMING FROM OKEMAH

How far would you drive to help someone? Before you answer, let’s tell you about Mary. We met her at our outreach on Sept. 13. She didn’t come for the food – she came looking for her son, who lives on the streets. She found him that day – and obviously she found us, too. Since our encounter, Mary has taken off work several times just to volunteer with us. To do so, she drives 65 miles from Okemah.

UNITED, ALRIGHT

Never discount the impact of a divine appointment. That’s how this ministry got started. And something very special happened on April 19 that is still bearing fruit today. Mike Milliken with Samson Companies was seated next to Kelly Swan with Filling The Void on United Flight 521 from Tulsa to Denver. The two of them struck up a conversation and agreed to touch base again – almost every Wednesday. Mike now volunteers all the time and has personally recruited a slew of other Samson people to help, too.

KINDNESS UNDER COVER

More than 50 people gathered early underneath some trees on Oct. 25, seeking shelter from the rain and watching and waiting to see if we’d show up with lunches despite the weather. When we did, our sermon speaker spotted a lady (Traci) near him getting wet. He gave her his umbrella and began to speak. Rather than using it for herself, she huddled close behind him and held it out over his head while he preached. He didn’t even realize it until she incidentally tapped his shoulder. He said it was “so humbling to see that kind of love.”

CANDY CRUSADERS

In addition to sack lunches, we offer the good news of the gospel at each outreach. Our goal is to teach the Bible in practical, creative ways. On Oct. 4, we passed out chocolate M&M’s as we looked at Psalm 119:11. It says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” The letters on the candy served as an acronym for how to “hide” God’s word – by Memorizing scripture and Meditating on it.

September 2006 Report

2006-09-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is Ray. He's been coming to our weekly outreach. On Sept. 6, we helped him beat the heat, thanks in part to Bluebell Ice Cream. Two weeks later, he began to share his life like an open book. Related stories are found below.

POPSICLES IN THE PARK

Chris Campbell is a local music minister and a distribution manager at the Bluebell ice cream plant in Broken Arrow. He came to our outreach on Sept. 6 bearing gifts – grape, lime and cherry popsicles. The treats were a tasty crowd pleaser. Then, Chris struck another chord with the crowd when he picked and played his guitar. If you know other worship leaders who can help sometime, too, please let us know.

FAMILY PHOTOS

We’re working very hard to build relationships with the people we serve. Earning their respect is a big part of being able to speak to their hearts. On Sept. 20, we were so blessed by Ray’s excitement to see us. He broke through the crowd to show us a homemade calendar with pictures of his kids, grandkids, and even of himself 20 years ago. We looked at all 12 months, seeing just how much he wanted to share his life.

EXPECTANT MOTHER

Brandy is 21, unwed and expecting again. Her second boy is due in November. We’ve prayed for her and the baby many times. On Sept. 20, she specifically asked us to pray about a pain in her leg. Two of our volunteers – John and Roxanne – laid their hands on her and prayed. The result? She turned to our two and said, “I don’t know how it works, but the pain is gone.” It’s all God, Brandy. And we give Him the glory.

TOMMY’S TIME

We’ve known Tommy for well over a year. For the most part, his head and heart have been pretty cloudy from drugs and paint. But on Sept. 20, the clouds parted. We’re praying it was for more than an instant. After we prayed for him, Tommy lifted up his head, clutched the hands of two volunteers, and took the initiative to pray himself. We hadn’t prompted him it all. He asked God to forgive him, to help him and to bless us. It was the biggest spiritual breakthrough we’ve seen in his life.

REACHING ROMANIA

Did you know that your gifts to Filling The Void are making a global impact? On Sept. 19, we sent 50 stocking hats and 25 pairs of gloves to a couple of men at Victory Christian Center in Tulsa who are taking a mission trip to Romania. And our next batch of winter clothes is heading to a Williams employee in Denver who wants to follow our lead and fill the void there, too. God bless you, Andrew!

THE CENTURY MARK

Filling The Void celebrates its third birthday on Oct. 13. We’d love for you to pray for us that day. And for the first time in our three-year history, we are now serving an average of more than 100 sack lunches every single week. To be exact, our volunteers served 555 lunches over five Wednesdays in August. That comes out to 111 lunches per week. So far in September, the average has jumped to 126 per week.

CAN-DO ATTITUDE

If you’ve been to the downtown Arby’s before, you’ve probably seen Vaylor. He’s a tall, slender, 60-something fellow who used to stand outside holding a paper cup hoping for spare change. We lost track of him for about 6 months until we spotted him again on Aug. 21 and Sept. 13 picking up pop cans. He said he makes about $4-$5 for each bag he collects and is staying at the Day Center for the Homeless.

August 2006 Report

2006-08-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a behind-the-scenes look inside our volunteer
center. Karen Rose, Chris Brooks and Melinda Smith
were getting lunches ready for a Wednesday outreach.

NAME THAT TUNE

We witnessed a celebration of spontaneous praise at our outreach on Aug. 16. Before the preaching began, a man we knew not stepped forward to say that he wanted to sing. We were a little hesitant, but we politely obliged. Jim wound up treating the crowd to a real musical gem. The tune – fittingly enough – was "People Need The Lord."

RODNEY’S RUN-IN

Downtown is being redeveloped, but there’s still a dark side. Over the past month, we’ve seen people drunk, drugged, demonized and asleep on the steps of businesses – all during the day. And then there’s the general hazards of living life out in the elements. Just ask Rodney, a man we’ve served many times who lives in a tent near OSU-Tulsa. He was recently stung by a wasp. On July 26, we saw the result – a severely swollen arm.

WOUNDED BY WAR

Freeman desperately wants to be a free man – free from drugs and free from the torments of what he remembers about his time as a Marine during war. God knows his hurts and wants to heal him. We saw it ourselves on Aug. 9. He came to our outreach high as a kite. He was loud, disruptive and a little too energetic. We called him aside so we could pray over him. Within moments, he began to weep and talk about his burdens. Friends, that’s the presence of God working on one man’s heart.

5,000 & COUNTING

Filling The Void has set another major ministry milestone. After serving 377 sack lunches in July, our tally for 2006 stands at 2,162. More importantly, that makes more than 5,000 sack lunches since the first day we hit the streets in October 2003. More practically, we’ve gone from purchasing a few sacks of groceries to ordering cases of food that fill up an entire palette. Praise the Lord!

BROWN BAGGIN’

The youth group from Tulsa’s Central Church of the Nazarene performs an outreach any time a month has five Sundays. Filling The Void was blessed to be the recipient of their services on July 30. Doug Gunsalus and Mollie Myers led a group of about 15 teens who stuffed almost 500 lunch bags in about 20 minutes. Their feat will have a far-reaching impact on many hungry hearts. See next two related stories.

DOY’S DAY IN COURT

Talk about a divinely-timed lesson that left a lasting impression! After the youth group finished their feat, we ventured out of the volunteer center for a tour of where we pass out sack lunches on Wednesdays. We were greeted outside by Doy, a 66-year-old homeless man who is addicted to alcohol. All of a sudden, the teens got to see first-hand who is helped by their helping hands. Days later, Doy was arrested for public intoxication. He spent the night in jail, pled guilty in court and will pay a $104 fine.

MOLLIE’S MEMO

Mollie Myers helped organize the youth outreach. Here’s what she said about the experience: “The homeless have historically just been a category to me because I didn't know anyone personally. I even serve at the John 3:16 mission, but the people seem to be an individual group rather than a group of individuals. But my heart breaks for Doy. God, please help me see people through the eyes of Jesus.”

July 2006 Report

2006-07-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Jefferson Awards have come-n-gone. We met Senator
Tom Coburn (R-OK), toured the Capitol and went to the
White House. Did we win big in D.C.? Read on...

MID-YEAR MARKER

We’ve tried our hand at many things to help the poor. We used to deliver diapers, get groceries, pay utility bills, give bus passes, act as furniture finders, and write rent checks. But knowing our niche, earlier this year we decided to focus on what we do every Wednesday – passing out sack lunches and preaching the gospel on the streets. The results speak for themselves. For the first half of 2006, we’ve served 1,785 sack lunches – putting us on pace to serve more people this year alone than in our first two combined.

KEVIN’S CRY FOR HELP

We always wonder whom God will guide to us for an encouraging word. On June 21, one man stood out in the midst of 108 – the most we’ve ever served in a single day. Kevin had contemplated suicide the night before. It wasn’t the first time. He’s still hurting after losing his marriage and a child that died soon after it was born. One of our pastors, Tony, prayed with him. He needs your prayers, too.

LIFTING UP LISA

On June 14, we saw another sight we won’t forget. Lisa – a homeless woman who receives our sack lunches often – was staggering stone-cold drunk into oncoming traffic on 2nd Street. We witnessed the entire event as we were walking in the enclosed pedestrian bridge that connects the Crowne Plaza hotel with Williams’ Resource Center. There was no way to get her attention. So we prayed. By the grace of God, she eventually stumbled onto a sidewalk without injury or incident.

PRIVATE EYES

Staying safe in street ministry comes down to common sense. That’s why we ask the homeless to line up when we serve lunch and why we ask our volunteers to work in pairs. We’re also glad that Rita Siegel at Williams is on our side. She has a few friends at the police department – like Chaplain Danny Lynchard. He observed our outreach incognito on June 28 and gave us high marks for crowd control.

PLAN B

Believe it or not, sometimes we run out of sack lunches on Wednesdays, even when we prepare 80 or 100. But no one ever goes away hungry. We have purchased pre-paid lunch vouchers from Arby’s that have our logo on them. This co-branding coupon concept has proven pretty important. We’ve sent about 50 people to Arby’s over the past two months for a sandwich, medium fries and soft drink.

SIGNING UP ANOTHER CPA

We’re all about accountability when it comes to your donations. We now have 3 CPAs in our circle of accounting support. The first two are spouses of our board members. Our third one though is completely independent. On July 1, we hired the local firm of Terry Mosley CPA to track our debits and credits. We gladly receive your gifts at P.O. Box 1134 in Broken Arrow, 74013. Checks can be made out to Filling The Void, Inc. Donations are tax-deductible.

BACK FROM THE BUSH’S

Helping the homeless can be an adventure. We’ve been under bridges, to a bar, in back alleys, and along the banks of the Arkansas River. And during June 19-21, we went to an awards ceremony for community service in Washington D.C. We didn’t capture a national crown, but for us – it’s not about winning. It's about serving. That's our calling, that's our passion and that is God's heart – to see lives lifted up!

June 2006 Report

2006-06-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

Come-n-get-it! Sack lunches are being served.
No one minds waiting in line for a minute or two.
This photo is from June 7.

DESTINATION: WASHINGTON D.C.

Filling The Void is the 2006 regional winner of the Jefferson Award for public service. We’ll represent Tulsa at a national event in Washington D.C. on June 20. Special thanks go to Andrea Randle – who nominated the organization – and to everyone who partners with us through your prayers, friendship, time, talents and finances. Click the following links for a video and interview about the award.

ANOTHER NEW RECORD

The month of May featured five Wednesdays. That was ample opportunity for our growing base of kind, caring and committed volunteers to distribute 375 sack lunches – another new monthly record. We’re so thankful for everyone (Becky, Candy, Dawn, Hannah, Holly, Joyce, Juanita, LaKishea, Melinda, Mike, Roxanne and Sherry) who has come on board in the past couple weeks to bless others.

HEALING HANDS

A major part of our ministry is offering to pray with people. It’s their choice, and most folks accept our offer. On June 7, we came across two ladies (Karen and Tonya) seeking a friend and some divine intervention. Karen is battling cataracts. Tonya – who was sitting outside the courthouse – said she was in trouble. Three of our female volunteers listened to their hurts, held their hands and prayed with them. In Mark 16:18, the Bible says, “They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

KEEPING OUR COOL

Let’s face it. Taking sack lunches out to the city streets in the sizzling summer heat can be a sweaty endeavor. That’s why we’re thrilled to tell our faithful foot soldiers about the refrigerator that just arrived in our new volunteer center. It is stocked with ice-cold beverages, including bottled water, Starbucks Frappuccinos, fruit juices and sparkling spritzers. Please, help yourself!

LARRY AND GARY

Mental illness is a real problem. We’re seeing it a lot. About three months ago we met Lori, who said she was part of the Kennedy family. Recently, we learned more about two men – Larry and Gary – who sure look and act like twins. They’re convinced they’re related to the King (not Jesus, Elvis). Pray for them. God can give anyone a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind.

ONE WET WEDNESDAY

We weren’t sure what to think. On May 10, the skies opened up right before our outreach was set to begin. We quickly came up with a “plan B” to deliver the sack lunches to a bus station in case our usual crowd didn’t show up outside near 3rd and Boston. To our pleasant surprise, almost 40 people braved the rain. They gathered under a couple of trees to hear God’s Word and get a good lunch.

HANDOUTS THAT HURT, NOT HELP

On May 18, we witnessed a “no-no” at the downtown post office – a mother and daughter giving a dollar to Barry, a self-professed panhandler. God will honor their good-faith effort to help others. But please, never give money to a homeless person. We had to learn this lesson ourselves when we started in 2003. It seems so innocent, but we’ve seen what they purchase – things that keep them in bondage.

May 2006 Report

2006-05-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Our volunteers set another record for outreach last
month, distributing 330 sack lunches. 65 bags were
given out here at Plasma Services.

A VERY GOOD FRIDAY

Some people in poverty donate plasma for the payout. The donors at the downtown blood bank (pictured above) are always excited to see us. We went again on April 14 – the Friday before Easter. All 65 lunch bags contained a special message. It explained that giving blood is a picture of what Christ did for us. The Bible says, “Jesus loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding His blood for us.”

A REAL DIAPER-DANDY

Allen is one of the men we met outside the Plasma Services Center. He was seated under a tree beside his 10-month-old. When we inquired about his name, daddy proudly displayed a tattoo on his right arm spelling Aiden. The father happily shared the free sack lunch with his son, who especially enjoyed gnawing, chewing and drooling on one of the great big Grandma’s-brand cookies.

STAY TUNED

FOX 23 is preparing to name the recipient of their 2006 community service award. The winner will represent Tulsa at a national event in Washington D.C. Filling The Void’s very first foot soldiers – Chris Brooks, Erin Bjornberg and Kelly Swan – were nominated by volunteer Andrea Randle. Tune in to the 9 pm newscast on June 1 to see the results. The original story that FOX aired about our street outreach is still available at www.fox23.com. Look under "Jefferson Awards."

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Did you know there are different kinds of homelessness? Some people really do live on the streets, under bridges, or in alleys. Others land at a friend’s place until they wear out their welcome. Most of the homeless, however, can and do find a roof in the form of a local shelter. That’s where Margie and Sally had been living for six and eight months, respectively, before Tulsa’s Day Center for the Homeless helped each find public housing. We then helped fill their fridges with groceries on April 27.

GETTING IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR

Our corporate partners are a critical part of our ministry. Williams is one of the best. The company graciously supports our work through grants. Now they’ve taken their support even further, finding a new home for our much-needed volunteer center. The new digs are on the ground floor in their 52-story building, and it gives us enough room to make and store more than 500 sack lunches at a time.

COMING CLEAN

We’d like to respond to every request, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. Take Trey for example. He told us his story on April 12. He didn’t ask for money. In fact, all he wanted was a place to take a shower. But he had been kicked out of two downtown shelters and had missed two appointments to talk with the Salvation Army. Honestly, we didn’t know what to say.

PUPPY LOVE

One of our newest volunteers – Cindy Wade – has an affection for homeless people, as well as their pets. Our own calling is clearly to mankind, but we were happy to show Cindy what we see on the streets. A few of the men we know do indeed have four-legged friends. On April 26, Cindy found her perfect ministry fit, getting to rub shoulders and paws with a man named Steve and his canine companion Cracker Jack.

April 2006 Report

2006-04-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCING EDWARD

We served 275 sack lunches in March. Edward (left) certainly enjoyed a couple of them. His last name (Littlewalker) also reveals something about one of his physical needs. He broke his left ankle last October after falling from a loading dock. Doctors inserted screws, which became infected. He’s been hobbling along, fighting the infection and asking us to tell his story. He always shows us his bandage and asks us to pray. He's taking an antibiotic, but he can sure use your prayers, too.

EVER HEARD OF HUFFING?

Richard and J.B. are battling a bondage that affects the poorest people among us. On April 5, we found them high from "huffing." It’s a brain-deadening, brutal addiction to inhaling near lethal levels of vapors. They’ll swirl something around like gas or paint thinner in a pop bottle, then begin sniffing. We believe Richard could recognize us, but when we he moved his lips to talk, nothing came out.

THIN MINTS, ANYONE?

Is it possible to be poor, with nothing of material substance to your name, and still be generous? The answer is found in what we witnessed on March 29. While we were preaching at the clock, we gave some Girl Scout cookies to a homeless man to demonstrate the difference between things that are temporary and eternal. Instead of keeping them all to himself, he took one and passed them around to others in the hungry crowd. What a lesson for us all – caring requires sharing.

REFLECTIONS ON REACHING OUT

One of our volunteers (Julie R.) writes Bible studies. Here’s a recent excerpt: “Before my husband was deployed, he was the interim pastor at a small church near downtown. Filling The Void helped us serve monthly meals. That little church would fill up with all kinds of people on those nights – the homeless, drug addicts, thieves and prostitutes. I was a nervous wreck the first time we did this, scared to let my kids out of my sight! As the months went by, I got to know these people more personally. They confided in me. I prayed with them, and God helped me understand that their sin was no bigger than mine. They knew that I had grown to love them, and they came to know Jesus through that. They saw His love in action. It's easy to say we love, but do we show it?”

SPRING BREAK SPIRIT

Downtown Tulsa isn’t exactly a stellar Spring Break destination. But don’t tell that to 20 teens from The Church at Battle Creek who led our weekly outreach on March 22. They traded sun, sand and surf for windy, 30-degree weather. Thanks go to John Hickman and Kristi Osborn for preparing the sacks and preaching to our usual pack.

TAKE A TOUR OF “INSIDE” TULSA

Are you ready to be moved with compassion, just like Jesus? We’ll show you how by giving you a taste of what we see on the streets. We’re happy to provide personalized, 30-minute walking tours almost any day during lunch. Just RSVP @ fillingthevoid@hotmail.com. Free lunch included.

March 2006 Report

2006-03-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

The crowds keep coming. We handed out 210 sack
lunches in February. Our goodwill also comes with
the gospel. We like to share a Bible verse before lunch.

DINNER FOR DENNIS

He sat alone at a table for two on Valentines Day. The setting was Panera Bread at 71st & Lewis. There was no way to hide his homelessness. Everything about his appearance gave him away. His only company was a cup of coffee until a young woman asked to sit down with him. One of our officials observed the entire encounter. She invited him to Victory Christian Center. We followed her good deed by getting a sandwich and cookie for Dennis.

EXTREME ROOM MAKEOVER

You’ve seen the show. Now you should see the modern-day labor of love taking place right here in T-Town. Members from at least eight downtown churches are remodeling the 6th floor for residents at the downtown YMCA. Through your gifts to Filling The Void, we provided $400 in funds to sponsor one of the rooms. The cost covers everything from paint and flooring to new blinds and bedding. Many of the men who receive our sack lunches each week come from the “Y.”

GEORGE’S NEW JOB

We have an update on one of the men we told you about in our last report. And there’s a good reason we haven’t seen him in nearly two months. George got a job! We are told that he’s working four hours a day at a nursing home in East Tulsa. We also believe that he has abandoned his homeless camp near the OSU-Tulsa campus in favor of an apartment he shares with a friend.

WE SAW A SAMURAI

Please pray for David, 21. We met him on Feb. 15 at the clock (3rd & Boston). He goes by Samurai and bears all the marks of a wayward heart. Maybe it was the marijuana logo on his hat. Maybe it was his claim about fathering five children or having a brother in prison. Maybe it was all those things. One thing is for sure. He’ll need more than a sword to slay his problems. He needs God.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

We raided the sales racks at Wal-Mart, Sears and JC Penny again this year to replenish our supply of new clothes. We now possess another 250 pair of gloves and 380 heavy-duty flannel and fleece-lined shirts to give out next winter. The retail value was approximately $13,260. Of course, that’s not what we paid. Try $3,400. That comes to $5.39 per item – or about 75 percent off. Our shopping spree was largely supported by a grant from The Williams Companies, Inc.

TERRI’S TIMELY GENEROSITY

Terri is an associate at a Broken Arrow Wal-Mart. She didn’t ring us up at the register on Feb. 15, but she checked us out all right. And we’ll never forget her kindness. After watching us fill two shopping carts (see previous story) with 66 men’s shirts, she had to ask, “Why?” A few minutes later she returned with a purchase of her own – a $20 gift card for our ministry.

February 2006 Report

2006-02-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

Volunteers for Filling The Void distributed 235 lunches

last month.

LOOKING FOR LIFE CHANGE

A casual observer recently asked us, “So how do you measure your success?” Surprisingly, it’s not how many sack lunches we serve. Our ministry is really about helping the needy find faith, hope and love in Jesus. Our prayer is to see them move from the streets into productive society. We believe the key to changing their situation ultimately starts with a change of their heart.

RODNEY’S REQUEST

Rodney comes to “the clock” at 3rd and Boston nearly every Wednesday for a free sack lunch. At first glance, he would not strike you as homeless. He’s well-groomed and rather clean-cut. We’re particularly drawn to him because of his pleasant demeanor. In keeping with his manners, he politely asked us for a Bible on Jan. 4. We were thrilled to accommodate his request.

THE GENTLE GIANT

Tracy’s turnaround continues. If you recall from our last report, he’s the man who wears a size 4X shirt. He also prayed to receive Christ right before Christmas after reading the devotional in one of our lunch bags. On Jan. 25, he made another big stride in life when he asked to start helping us serve others. We promptly walked to the downtown bus station togther to hand out 35 lunches.

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

You never know who you’ll bump into at the post office. We went for stamps on Jan. 20, but wound up praying for a man named Doy. He suffers from arthritis in his right hip. We’ve ministered to him periodically for a year. He actually abandoned his walker for a time this past Fall after we prayed for him. On this day, it was another divine appointment. He was directly behind us in line.

WILLING TO WORK

Two of the men we see regularly – Dale and George – are actively pursuing gainful employment. We spotted Dale, who looks to be in his mid-20s, filling out an application in the Food Court at the Tulsa Promenade Mall. George, who is likely in his late 40s or early 50s, has applied for a job as a Spanish translator at the courthouse. “I’m tired of being idle,” he said.

SAVING AT SAM’S

Special thanks go to Stephanie Franklin – one of our partners and volunteers – for supplying us with a Sam’s Club membership. The gift is paying significant dividends already. We’re saving 34 percent on bottled water and 15 percent on Pringles now. This adds up to more than $250 in annual savings.

FOND FAREWELLS

We’re so grateful for the hands, feet and caring hearts that help us on the streets each week. We’ll certainly miss two of our faithful “Wednesday Walkers” – Brian Post and Chris Argabright. Brian took a job in Ada. Chris moved to Kansas City. At the same time, we praise God for all the new folks who have stepped forward recently to help fill their shoes.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

DEAD MAN WALKING

Owen was stumbling and staggering behind the downtown “Y” on Dec. 16. He was in a drunken stupor and could barely stand. We were immediately concerned about his safety and helped him sit down. He openly shared his desire to break free from alcohol. Later, he wept as we prayed for him.

TRACY’S TURNAROUND

Tracy is not only larger than life – he found eternal life through our street ministry. On Dec. 21, he asked us for a size 4X shirt. That’s right – 3 notches beyond XL. We actually found five shirts for him in our storage. But that’s not all. Tracy also received a greater gift – Jesus. He accepted Him as his Savior after reading the devotional that we routinely place in each of our lunch bags.

THE BOLD AND THE COLD

Winter has been rather balmy around here so far, with the exception of a few days like Dec. 7. A band of approaching snow and a blustery high of 26 degrees kept most folks away from “the clock” at 3rd and Boston. However, 11 brave souls did show up for their free Arby’s sandwich. We didn’t disappoint. For December, we distributed 185 sack lunches to the homeless and the needy.

HAM IT UP

We did it once, and we’ve promised ourselves we probably won’t do it again (because there’s nothing wrong with getting some sleep). On Dec. 20, we went shopping before 6 a.m. to get Christmas groceries for five families. We delivered – among other things – seven Kentucky Legend pre-cooked pre-sliced double-smoked hams straight to their doors. Talk about easy kitchen prep!

NUESTROS CINCO NUEVOS AMIGOS

For our English-only readers, the title means: “Our Five New Friends.” These friends are actually five Hispanic pre-teens. Their moms needed a little help with Christmas, and we were glad to oblige. All they asked for were clothes. One of our volunteers, Rafael, accompanied the families on their shopping trip. Each child received a pair of pants and two new shirts.

THAT’S A WRAP

The sticky tape and stubborn boxes didn’t stand a chance. Nineteen of our volunteers wrapped 116 Christmas presents in just over 30 minutes on Dec. 19. Each gift contained a new winter shirt, a pair of socks or a stocking hat, and a pamphlet by Franklin Graham. We delivered the gifts to homeless men who are staying at the John 3:16 Mission and YMCA shelter downtown.

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE

Okay, okay. We peeked. We know the final answer. It was fairly easy to count. It’s roughly 2,360. That’s how many people you helped us touch in Jesus’ name through this ministry in 2005. We’ve said it before, but we must say it again: thank you!

November 2005 Report

2005-12-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

ROBBED AT GUNPOINT

We helped seven families in November. One of those families was robbed at gunpoint near 6th and Rockford on Nov. 13. This is the same area where we conduct our monthly community dinner. The bad guys got away with $250 cash. Please pray for Clayton and Sharon as they recover.

GIVING THANKS

We’re so thankful for our bumper crop of volunteers, which has grown to an overall base of more than 80. This is critical because the type of ministry we conduct commands a lot of hands and feet to walk the streets. On the third Wednesday last month, 17 volunteers turned out – a new record for a single day. For the month, these volunteers distributed 247 sack lunches downtown.

AS SEEN ON TV

Christmas came early for Filling The Void. One of our volunteers nominated us for a community service award. A reporter walked the streets with us twice last month to cover the story, which aired Dec. 4. The segment is now available online at http://www.fox23.com/. Look under “Jefferson Awards.”

GROUP BRAVES GUSTS

High winds couldn’t stop 55 folks from enjoying our final free dinner of the year Nov. 27 at Hallelujah Church near 13th and Peoria. That’s the night trees were toppled and grassfires broke out all over town. What’s courageous about the crowd is that most of them walk – not drive – to dinner.

A FEAST FOR 46

God did it again – multiplying a meal for the masses. We were all set to deliver groceries just for a lady named Joy when she decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who dropped by her apartment door. For only $81, she fed all of the Turkey-day fixings to 46 people.

BILL’S BLESSING

We’ve learned several times how gracious and giving a homeless person can be. Bill came to “the clock” at 3rd & Boston for a sack lunch on Nov. 23. He wouldn’t accept it for free though. He had to offer something. We gladly accepted his 50 cents, knowing that God loves a cheerful giver.

AN ANDREW UPDATE

We introduced you to Andrew in September. He’s 4, full of life, and battling a rare tumor behind his left eye. We remain in touch with his family after turning their power on two months ago. He had a checkup in late November at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis. His condition is stable, but he will need your prayers and God’s healing hand to keep his eye and to see his sight restored.

SHAWN’S NEW SHELTER

Imagine being a single dad, raising three children, and living in a place without heat where all of the utilities are in the name of the “ex.” The situation was complicated. The solution was simpler – move the family into a new apartment. We teamed up with Restore Hope to do exactly that.

October 2005 Report

2005-11-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

THE BOOM-BOX BROKER

We met Greg downtown on Oct. 19. He tried to hock a boom-box for $20. He said he needed help with rent. We dismissed the offer, figuring it might be for drugs. Then we called his landlord. Greg’s story was true. He was in a pinch because he helped relatives who were hit by a hurricane. He had paid down what he could, but was $120 short. We gladly paid his bill (and didn’t take the tunes).

IT’S GETTING COLDER

The first feel of winter arrived Oct. 6. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was uncomfortable. We gave Homer a new coat to cover his short-sleeved shirt. Coats, flannel and cotton aren’t enough though. The poor need help paying for natural gas. According to reports, prices are expected to be 30 to 48 percent higher this year. We’ve already helped one family this season. Will you help us help more?

“TIME” FOR LUNCH

Have you seen the new old-time clock at 3rd & Boston? If not, drop by any Wednesday at noon. It’ll be easy to find. Just look for the crowd of homeless people waiting for lunch. That’s where we’ve asked them to start meeting us. They got the message, all right. We had about 30 people the first time we went there. All told, we handed out 235 sack lunches on the streets in October.

TOTALLY TAX-FREE

Most people assume that a 501c3 doesn’t have to pay taxes. That’s partially true. Yes, the IRS lets us keep all our income, but the state likes their cut on every purchase. Not anymore. Not for Filling The Void. Our buying power just increased 8-9 percent. It took two attempts, a talented attorney and some timely divine intervention. Now we have it – a much sought-after sales-tax exemption.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Oct. 13, 2003, holds a special place in our hearts. That’s the day God gave us the vision for Filling The Void. His messenger was a man named Roy Dungin. It was our first real encounter with the homeless. Roy just wanted lunch, but he really needed Jesus. He even admitted so. We fed him and prayed with him. What we did that day gave us a model for doing street ministry. Two years later, we’ve handed out more than 2,000 sack lunches.

$68 STILL GOES A LONG WAY

A man can live at the YMCA for just $68 a week. That’s less than $10 per day. Who knew you could get so much for so little? We do now, thanks to James who works at the “Y” on behalf of the Mental Health Association. We wound up buying a total of four weeks in October to help two young men. Please pray for Thomas and Chad. Both of them need God’s hand to get established in life.

THE GREAT GROCERY GIVEAWAY

We made our monthly trip to Hallelujah Church @ 13th & Peoria on Oct. 30. We filled 55 bags with hot dogs, turkey, buns, bread, chili, cheese slices, Pringles, pecan rolls and milk. The recipients included a blind man and a lady who had come several blocks on a 4-wheeled medical scooter.

September 2005 Report

2005-10-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HOMES

We touched approximately 250 people last month. Most of our work reaches people on the streets, but our home ministry has many open doors, too. We put gas in 2 tanks, got groceries 3 times, mailed 4 electric bills and paid some rent to help a total of 9 families. Meeting with people in their homes provides an intimate, personal place where we can more fully share and show the love of Jesus Christ.

BAKING A CAKE

At 81, Ruth really is a sweet old lady. She was on the verge of eviction and pretty much just eating peanut butter. We teamed with Restore Hope here in town to take care of her bills, then we asked her for a shopping list. She wanted chicken and chili, tuna and tomatoes, peaches and Palmolive, and butter, frosting, eggs and a cake mix for her son’s birthday. He moved back home to help his mom, and we’re also helping him with the paperwork to return to his job at Papa John’s pizza.

THE ARBY’S ENTOURAGE

It’s not official, but we may be the top customer for the Arby’s at 4th and Main. The manager there, Trichelle, is great. She always has our large orders in perfect order. Last month we bought 182 sandwiches. Their roast beef is the staple for each sack lunch that we pass out downtown to the homeless and poor. Someone has clearly caught on to our schedule. Fifteen to 20 folks have been waiting for us outside Arby’s each Wednesday at noon. Tell them we’re on our way if you see them.

HELP FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS

We reached out after Hurricane Katrina by supporting a sister organization in Texas. Global Impact set up relief centers and critical supply points at 20 churches from Gulfport, Miss., to Kenner, La. You gave us $1,200 to sponsor the purchase of a new power generator that was used in this effort. Locally, we also sent $200 in travel bags for those who fled to Camp Gruber in Muskogee.

INTRODUCING ANDREW

The Department of Human Services continues to give us good referrals that point us to needy kids. That’s how we met Andrew on Sept. 26. He’s 4, full of life, and recovering from a rare tumor behind his left eye that’s been treated at St. Jude hospital in Memphis. We helped mom turn the lights back on. We may help even more. First, we need to work out a few details. We’ll keep you posted.

HIDDEN AND HURTING

We don’t know his name. We didn’t hear his story. All we could see were the whites of his socks as we peered into the fenced, dark part of an alley between 5th and 6th streets near Main Mall. By the looks of the chair and the sleeping bag, he’s living there. We left a sack lunch and said a prayer. If you'd like to go on a field trip, we’ll take you there for a taste of what we see downtown.

ORDER A “T” FROM FTV

The latest and greatest t-shirt from Filling The Void is in the final stages of production. You can own one for just $10. The price covers the cost and leaves enough left over to pay for a sack lunch for someone in need. Shirts are available in white or gray. Talk with us this week to place an order.

August 2005 Report

2005-08-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

REAPING ETERNAL REWARDS

More than 30 volunteers in August got down and dirty to fold new winter clothes, feed the homeless and help 7 families with groceries, rent and baby goods. They poured out their hearts and prayers with us into at least 229 people. God bless you all. He sees your good deeds.

GREGORY’S GIFT

Gregory is homeless, but he has a heart for giving. He is one of two homeless men who panhandle at 71st St. and Hwy 169. We came upon him Aug. 10 as we were handing out sack lunches. He had come downtown on his bike to pickup his mail at the Day Center for the Homeless. He shared his story, thanked us for lunch and handed us $10. He said he had more money than he needed for the day and simply wanted to bless someone else. We pray that his gift compels others to do the same.

SEARCH WITHOUT SEIZURE

Our lunches have never been confiscated by local authorities, but they did flash a badge at us Aug. 31. After passing out 2 lunches near 4th and Main, our team of 4 was greeted by a roving rep from the Health Department. She peeked, prodded and picked through one of our bags, only to find non-perishables and a sandwich prepared by Arby’s. Our hands – and record – remain clean.

PINCHED AT THE PUMP

High gas prices are very hard on the poor. We bought gas for 2 families in August and are giving away a free tank in September at our next community dinner. Prices for all forms of energy are likely to push even higher after the hurricane, increasing the bills and burdens of families we serve.

BECKY HAD A BLAST

Giving a teen a trip to Old Navy for back-to-school clothes on Aug. 20 may not seem like a big deal, but it was to Becky. She is a freshman at TSST high school in Tulsa. We think it was only the 2nd time she has ever been shopping for herself. She’s pretty special and we’re doing what we can to take her under our wing. Wouldn’t it be great to help her attend college 4 years from now?

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

We held our annual Board meeting Aug. 13. We decided to add more focus on serving children (22 percent of Oklahoma children live in poverty) and Hispanics (the fastest growing minority group in the state). We also looked at lots of numbers. We’re so thankful for your giving. Since we started in March 2004, you have helped us serve more than 2,000 people, 50 families and partner with 16 other groups that also touch the hungry, homeless, hurting and those who need healing.

SIGN UP FOR SPANISH CLASS

Special thanks go to Sara Delgado and Jenny O’Keefe (a native of Quito, Ecuador) who are helping our volunteers learn to speak Spanish. Six people attended our first class Aug. 26. The next one is set for noon on Sept. 23 in room 51A at Williams. Vaya con Dios. (Go with God).

July 2005 Report

2005-08-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

TOUCHING 200

Your support helped meet the needs of four families in July and provide meals to another 188 people through five outreach occasions. We also witnessed a surge in selfless volunteer spirit. On July 20 alone, 11 people beat the summer heat to pass out sack lunches on the downtown streets.

BUG BOMBERS

As our name indicates, we tend to provide relief where there might not be another remedy. That’s why we gladly paid $220 for pest control on July 1. We dispatched an exterminator to bomb the bugs, kill the creepy crawlers and rid the roaches from a local home where four children had been living in unsafe, unsanitary conditions. The Department of Human Services can’t give us all the details, but we hear there’s a happy ending.

BACK TO SCHOOL

DeAngelo and Ebony have a beautiful family – five children in all. Their oldest two, ages 10 and 7, needed new clothes. We could have sent them to a local clothes closet for apparel that’s been around the block, but we didn’t. We believe there’s something to be said for dignity and respect, so we sent them shopping at Target instead. On July 27, the two kids got new shoes, new shorts, a couple pair of pants and jeans, several new shirts and a children’s Bible, to boot.

SE HABLA ESPAÑOL

We’re determined to brush up on our Spanish. In the meantime, we’ve recruited four bilingual volunteers and learned to say “¿Te gustaría lunch?” Sensing another open door to reach across the cultures, we also sent $300 to Safe Harbor in July. They provide groceries to about 25 East Tulsans every Tuesday. Ninety percent of their clients are Hispanic. We believe we’ve planted our seed in good soil. Eighteen people have given their lives to Christ at Safe Harbor in 2005.

LIVING OUT LUKE 14:13

We really enjoy what we do. But it’s really not all that novel. We’re just following the footsteps of Jesus. He has a true passion for people. In Luke 14:13, He said, “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” So when we give out lunches, we ask Him to lead our steps to such as these. He always does. On July 6, we found two men in an alley. One was sleeping on cardboard. The other was awake, but physically, he only had one eye.

FULL HOUSE

We passed out 500 flyers. We ordered 20 pizzas. On July 24, we were ready to host our 6th free community dinner this year at Hallelujah Church (see picture below) near downtown. Our previous high in serving folks here was 50. In fact, we usually have food left over. Not this time. Not one ounce. Sixty-eight neighbors came through the church door – so many in fact that we had to run for more cold drinks and 50 hamburgers from McDonald’s. Next time we’ll order plenty more pizza.