Blog: Water Street Life

When Lancaster County Christian School held their Homecoming ceremonies a few weekends ago, an award was granted to the ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ along with the title. The school awarded a $100.00 gift that the King and Queen could donate to a charity or ministry of their choice. My daughter was selected by her peers to be Homecoming Queen, and her charity of choice that she desired to pass on this blessing to was Water Street Ministries!

At the basketball game Friday evening everyone in attendance heard our mission statement and a brief description of what the ministry means to her. I’m praising ...

My name is Garrett Wood and I am a social work intern from Millersville University. I am working under Chuck in the Men’s Ministry side of the Water Street Mission. I choose to pursue an internship at Water Street, because during my freshmen year of college I became interested in working with the homeless population. As I came into a fuller relationship with God that was filled with joy and obedience, I realized that there is a lot of pain among people who are homeless. This is when I realized that I wanted to be able to help this population. ...

In the mid 1970’s, the Prayer of St. Francis appeared on the cover of the Parade Magazine in the Allentown Morning Call, my hometown newspaper. It was the first Sunday of the New Year and my introduction to this beautiful prayer. I was so moved by the piece that I tore the cover from the magazine and placed it in my box of special things. From time to time I would come across it when I wander through my box of memories. I have used it as a gauge for how I am living my life.

On Saturday, December 31, as I ...

*Larry dropped out of high school with “plans” to get his GED. As time quickly advanced, a year passed by and he never took the initiative to enroll in the GED classes. Much has been going on in his personal life at home with his family. As he shared his hurt and pain that he has gone through, consistency in the ministry has allowed him to trust the staff here at Teen Haven. As we spoke, he took personal responsibility for his actions, lack of motivation and not following through with his plans. Together we enrolled him in ...

In the Fall, I attended the memorial service for Mary Ella Herr, one of Water Street Ministries’ longest serving high impact volunteers. With dozens of years of volunteering, she had served in the office most recently, taught children in the Mission, held women's Bible studies and many other things.

She was also my Sunday school teacher when I was a preschooler, and she grew up as one of my grandmother’s best friends. When I was a young lad, she was our church librarian, and I consider her partially responsible for my love of books and reading. Please pray for her ...

Life is full of joys and sorrows, good times and bad, abundance and lack, peace and suffering.  Only one thing is constant, sure, and unchanging in this life: God alone. He is reigning. He is God. His name is blessed and glorious.

This week I witnessed the truth of this in two people who were standing on this reality. I was checking a young man into the clinic this week. He had been raised in foster care. His face was sad and lonely. He shared briefly the sorrows, the lack, the suffering. When I asked him if he knew the Lord, he looked at me ...

Recently a couple from the Lord's House of Prayer provided tickets for the men I counsel at the Mission to view the film “Courageous”. The men were overcome with emotions as they watched the film. Many of them were in tears.

As we left, the men were sharing about their personal experiences growing up as children. They were also reflecting on the effect that their lives have had on their own children. Many of them said that the film helped them understand the role that a father should play in the life of their children.

Several of the men even took time ...

In my 28 years of life, I've probably been to over 1,400 Sunday morning worship services. I must confess that some weeks, I take that time for granted.

Some of the clients we serve, though, have never had that experience. One time a gentleman living at the Mission shared that he had never been inside a church before. He said the only thing he knew about God was what he read on signboards in front of churches.

When individuals like this man get a taste of how good God is and see first hand how much He loves them, they begin to crave ...

Some of the women at the Lydia Center were able to enjoy Christmas Day with their families, but some stayed at the Center. Those who stayed were struggling with not being with family.

Christmas morning I led a little devotional with those who stayed, and I shared about my son. Three years ago, he was in rehab over Christmas. It was really hard to be away from him, but where he is today at age 19, and what all he has accomplished so far, I know I’ll have many more Christmases with him. He has stopped using drugs, he graduated ...

It was Saturday night, during dinner, when Harry* walked up to me and asked, politely, to talk to me. I pulled him into the game room out of the noise and gazed into his eyes. He smiled and said, "Thank you. This is my first time to camp and I came with many questions. And this morning you answered more questions than I could ever ask." I then asked Harry to share with me the apparent joy reflected in his eyes and smile. "Several months ago, I visited my aunt and she died in front of me of ...