This weekend Kari and I will be sleeping outside to raise awareness of homelessness in Houston, and to raise Money for Search Homeless Services.

Yes, this is a blog post asking for your money, but it’s not for me for once!  If you already know about Search and Sleepout and want to give, visit Lach’s Sleepout Fundraising Page. If you don’t trust me, what about Clyde Drexler? Hey look, it’s us in that YouTube video!

Here’s another clip of Houston’s City Council congratulation SEARCH on the success of SleepOut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOWjl9pOT-k

We have volunteered for Search before, helping them clean up their main building, and of course we were at the Sleepout last year (we were on the local news!) Search is an amazing ministry. They’re non-denominational faith based, meaning they encourage a more holistic recovery for those suffering from homelessness, directing them towards spiritual healing as well as physical, mental and emotional healing. They help at all phases of homelessness:

• They have vans that take socks, clothes, blankets, food, etc. to the homeless living on the streets every night
• They have free voicemail boxes for folks using their services, so they can hear from family or employment prospects.
• They have apartment placement services which help find and pay for a place when they want to get off the street.
• They offer computer and basic job skills training
• They offer job placement services through connections and partnerships throughout the city.
• They even offer nice clothing to wear to interviews.

Our friend, Jake, is on the board at search, and we know first-hand that they do good things in the community. We even had a chance to met and talk with another director of Search, who was once a homeless man himself helped and rehabilitated by Search.

In my mind, this is among the best, most honorable, and successful homeless outreach programs in the nation. I am proud to support Search’s ministry here in Hosuton.

Now I’m asking you to help too. I know many of you live outside Houston, but some of you haven’t supported the homeless in your local community yet this year. If you can, skip on this and donate locally of either your time or money; if you can’t, please donate to raise funds for the Sleepout this year.

One thing that  we hear over and over again when working with the homeless, is that above all they appreciate seeing that people care. This alone can be enough to motivate them to get into or continue a rehabilitation program. By donating to the Sleepout, you send a strong message to the homeless in Houston that people, all over the country, care about them and want them to have every opportunity they can.

So what’s Sleepout? We’ll be sleeping “under the stars in Sesquicentennial Park,” in downtown Houston. We’re not to bring food or tents, and will be provided with cardboard to lay on for padding. They will be feeding us the standard sandwiches they give out from their vans in the evening, but they’ll give us hot delicious breakfast after we’ve completed the event.

Us “Sleepers”(who will actually spend the night at the event) are responsible to raise funds by asking friends, family and others in our community to sponsor our commitment to the project as “Sleepers.” On Saturday, we will get to watch a “Faces of Homelessness” program in which individuals who have overcome their struggles will tell their stories.

All proceeds benefit SEARCH Homeless Services.

If you want to support us this weekend, visit Lach’s Sleepout Fundraising Page.

As Search says on the website, “One person can make a difference.”

Love you all, thanks for reading this far.