Francis

No, not the “Saint.” Come to think of it, maybe he is a saint.

My friend Francis was living in doorways or behind dumpsters when we first met in San Francisco’s Tenderloin; a gentle and sober soul with a demeanor belied by his wild appearance. His riotous silver hair was as unwashed and unkempt as his beard and his many-layered and soiled wardrobe. Educated and highly intelligent, as are many of our street friends, Francis has some disabilities. He’s a genuinely amiable guy who spent his days hoofing it from one free food distribution outreach to another.

Ours were no formal mentoring meet ups. It’s more like we would run into each other in a park near where he’s slept the night before and we would take up where we last left off talking about Jesus and the Bible. He has a long way to go but he seems to gradually digest God’s love for him, like the pizza outreach we used to do on Saturday nights, one slice at a time.

I’m happy to report that Francis is now semi-comfortably housed and since I moved away, we’ve lost touch. But the Lord hasn’t lost touch with him.

The team at YWAM San Francisco serves folks like Francis every day of the year. If you’d like to help them help others and can’t get there personally, you can support their work financially and get a really good book at the same time. Here’s how…

I might be biased about the quality of the book. I wrote it. It’s based on the three stories contained in Luke 10, and as you can see from the cover, it promotes a lifestyle of being missional, merciful, and worshipful.

All the profits of which go directly to paying down YWAM’a mortgage and helping them with operating costs. I’m offering it on a “PAY WHAT YOU CAN” basis. That means if you can’t pay anything, it’s yours for free. But if you can afford $10, $50, $500, or more, go for it. You’ll be helping people help others in a very difficult place.

To get the book, begin at barneywiget.com, then click on “Latest Book”… Fill in the boxes and click on “Receive Download Link”… Click on “Book Download Instructions.pdf”… Follow those instructions and get your book! And please click on “DONATE WHAT YOU CAN HERE.”