Thank you all for your help with the Christmas Breakfast. What an awesome day!
January 2012
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony"
Revelations 12:11
Sunday evening I was attending a church service. A man stood up and shouted "I need to repent". The preacher stopped and two members led him to a side room to pray with him. I felt led to join them. As I walked into the room I heard Leonard crying as he shouted "I am an Ex-Con, a Felon. I used to Rob Banks. I've been a thief all my life. I am homeless. God doesn't want anything to do with me" . . .
I was shocked. It was like I was looking at myself years ago. Then one of the church members pointed up at me and said "That manhas done all those things and more and look at him now. He's a Pastor".
I knew God wanted my testimony to witness to and encourage Leonard to seek Him. I thought, What if no one talked to me when I cried out?
I told him about Saul who persecuted the believers and how God took him and changed his name to Paul. And how Paul wrote most of the New Testament. I told him that if God could change Paul, then He could change me. And if He could changer me, then He could change him also. He cried and then we prayed with him. Leonard was hurting and needed to know that God loves him and has a better plan for his like. After we prayed I asked him "Who is Jesus?" He said "He is my Lord and Savior". I then told him "Jesus wants me to tell you that right now, all of your sins are forgiven".
We prayed and talked with him some more that made a few calls to help him get to where he needed be for the night. Please pray for Leonard as he begins his journey with Christ. Pray he finds the help he needs and pray he finds work.
I want to thank each of you for your 2011 donations. I have enclosed TAX DONATION letters to each of you who helped support Cross & Clef Ministries. Please keep these for your tax records. Again, Thank You !
We look forward to another year of serving those who are without with you.
Thank you for believing in the call God has placed on our lives.
December 2012
"I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. " II Corinthians 11:27
It is a mere 14 degrees outside this morning. My mind immediately starts thinking of Dion, Rick, Mike, Sam & Will. They are all sleeping on the ground. I think of the sidewalk being so cold, trying to sleep on it, tossing and turning combating the cold. Not sleeping well. The thought of laying on cold cement, I can't imagine how hard it is to stay warm, combating the freezing weather. At times I wonder how they even get up and keep going. The people I just mentioned are just a few of the guys who sleeping outside. But they are also guys who are out looking for work. Rick, shoveling snow, in tennis shoes. Because his feet are so big, he can't find boots to fit. I find my mind never leaves the thought of these guys. I do worry about them.
We are once again we are putting together our annual Christmas Breakfast on the Streets. We will need funding to be able to pull it off. Please consider sending something this year to offset the cost of this event. We are also looking for 150 Sleeping bags, 200 Coats, 150 Knit Caps, 150 Cloves, 150 Scarves and 500 pair of Tube Socks. We hope to feed about 500 this year. The menu will include. Sausage, Eggs, Biscuits, Gravy, Pan fried Potatoes, Green Chili, Cinnamon Rolls, Coffee and Orange Juice.
If you would like to help out in any way please email us at john@johnswanger.net If you would like to donate you can send checks noted: Christmas to the usual address, or you can send a PayPal to paypal@tollgate.org
We also need: Styrofoam plates, bowls and coffee cups. And Plastic Forks, knives spoons and napkins. Salt, Pepper, cream and sugar. Please call and let me know if you can supply any of the above.
Please consider Cross & Clef Ministries as you prepare your end of year donations. We are not only entering the toughest time for those who live on the streets, but this is also the time of year where donations typically drop off until around the end of April. Please help us get through these lean times and at the same time, help those who are without. Thank you.
All checks dated 2011 will be credited for this year even if they arrive in January.
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"
Isaiah 58:6-7
As you all know, last month I was allowed to go into Limon correctional Prison to minister with Debbie Milligan and her band. Well a couple of weeks ago I was also able to go into Sterling Penitentiary to share my testimony. Another great time of redemption. What a blessing. This month I will be singing and speaking at a halfway house in Englewood. God is truly opening doors for people to hear of His redeeming love.
Three weeks ago Lily, a volunteer with Morning Manna brought a friend, Maia to the foodline with her. As we were cleaning up and putting everything away she asked about the Synagogue we were in. I soon learned she wasn't a believer. We talked a bit and The Lord told me to say "That judgmental religion your mom shoves at you is poison. throw it away. But I know Jesus is in your heart. I can see Him coming out of your eyes" With that she began to cry. I told her to go home and read the book of John. Lily gave her a Bible. She called me the next morning and asked of we could meet for coffee. We met and after a time of discussion, she prayed the salvation prayer. Lily, Maia and I have been meeting since then to establish some foundational knowledge of the faith. God is awesome.
We are not in a financial position to do Thanksgiving this year, but once again we are putting together our annual Christmas Breakfast on the Streets. We will need volunteers and funding to be able to pull it off. Please consider sending something this year to offset the cost of this event. We are also looking for 150 Sleeping bags, 200 Coats, 150 Knit Caps, 150 Cloves, 150 Scarves and 500 pair of Tube Socks. We hope to feed about 500 this year. The menu will include. Sausage, Eggs, Biscuits, Gravy, Pan fried Potatoes, Green Chili, Cinnamon Rolls, Coffee and Orange Juice.
PS: Also as we draw closer to the end of 2011 I would like to ask that you consider Cross & Clef Ministries as you prepare your end of year donations. We are not only entering the toughest time for those who live on the streets, but this is also the time of year where donations typically drop off until around the end of April. Please help us get through these lean times and at the same time, help those who are without.
"Jesus replied, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. " Matthew 8:20
October 2011
This has been a busy month. So many things going on and so many ways God is moving. Can't fit it all in one newsletter. So I'll share what I can and write more in next month's letter.
Whenever we finish the foodline, we take the leftover lunches and drive along Speer Blvd. and pass them out to the homeless. After many years we have come to a point where we can generally tell who is homeless and who is just out trying to collect a few bucks but actually live indoors.
Last Wednesday I was handing out lunches and I spotted a young girl (Elizabeth) across the way, so I circled the block and handed her a lunch out the window. As I drove off I noticed her digging into the bag and eating like she hadn't eaten in a while. Then I felt The Lord tell me to go back and talk to her. So I circled again and asked "Are you OK?" I could see she was about to cry so I added "Could you trust me enough to get in the car?" She grabbed her small backpack and jumped in. I asked her what was going on. She told me she was from Princeton Missouri, a small farming town Northeast of Kansas City. She came here two months ago to live with her boyfriend. Then Saturday afternoon he came home and told her "You need to leave. Another girl is coming to live with me. So you have to leave now." He kicked her out without anything but what she had on. No coat, sleeping bag or blanket. Just a small backpack with nothing in it but her wallet. She had spent the last four days sleeping behind Denver General Hospital, including one night when it poured down rain from six in the evening to well past midnight. I asked "If I bought you a bus ticket, where would you go?" She replied "Home."
God told me to finish passing out the lunches first and I quickly learned why. The first stop was just a couple of blocks North. As I handed the bag out the window, the young man said "Man, we missed you yesterday. We appreciate what you and your wife do for us." With that I could see that Elizabeth began to relax, knowing that I was safe and not a threat to her safety.
We drove on to the Greyhound Station. As we were waiting in line I noticed the Arrivals and Departures board and to my disappointment the only bus to Kansas City left at 8:30am . . . It was now 10:30am. I began calling people to try and find her a place to stay the night. I just knew if she spent one more night on the streets she wouldn't be safe. Sadly, no one answered. We reached the window and I said, "We need a one way ticket to Kansas City Missouri". The lady said "Buy is it your lucky day. We don't know why but the Kansas City buy is delayed. It's will leaving in five minutes". Wow! I handed her my phone and told her to call her mom. She kept saying "Mom don't cry, I coming home", she too was crying.
As she stepped into the bus I said "Hey Elizabeth. You and I both know it wasn't mechanical reasons this bus was delayed". she said "I know. Thank you".
"I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prisonand you came to visit me."Matthew 25:36
September 2011
Several years ago I was invited to minister at the Federal Prison in EnglewoodColorado with a group that visited there regularly. I went in and shared my story. I told them about being sentenced to ten years in the Federal Penitentiary for Bank Robbery. I told them about finding Christ years later and how it changed my life. But when they invited me back, the Feds rejected my application. I was frustrated and after several attempts to visit various institutions I finally gave up. I have come to realize that if I had pursued that avenue I would have limited the scope of Gods call on my life. By working with the homeless, for all these years, I find I can sit on the curb or in the alley and share empathy with not just the homeless but also drug addicts, alcoholics, bikers and yes . . . convicts. Over the years I have been invited a few other times but inevitably met rejection each time. This week was different.
My good friend Debbie Milligan has been coming to help out with the food line. She regularly visits prisons and asked me to join her on a visit to the Limon Correctional Institution. Limon is Colorado's Super max facility. It is a level 4 institution where over 60% of the offenders will never be released. While other groups have visited for chapel services, this was the first event held on the prison yard in over 18 years.
We played several of Debbie's original worship songs throughout the day to a yard full of convicts. Half way through, I was once again able to share my story. I told them that the ever looming gun tower is there to keep them within the walls, but the guard placed on their hearts that keeps Christ out is themselves. Christ doesn't say "Come knock on my door and I might let you in", He is knocking on the door of their hearts. They alone can open the door and allow Him in.
At the end of the day we had a time of personal ministry time. Several stood, sat and knelt to pray. We have no way of knowing how many, but many came to a point of allowing Christ into their hearts. I am still stoked by the events of the day. Christ is moving in a mighty way within the walls of Limon Correctional Institution and within the wills of its prisoners.
I just want to thank all of you who support Cross & Clef Ministries with your time, talents and treasures. It's only through your obedience to God that we are able to reach the countless lost for our Lord. God bless you all as you bless others.
Ever been to a concert when everyone pulls out their lighters and suddenly the whole place lights up? Impressive. It's almost like something spiritual takes place.
When I found Jesus I was so grateful, that all I wanted was to give to others what God had given me . . . Salvation. I knew right away that I was called to a life of evangelism. I knew I would spend the rest of my life serving Him and sharing His love.
One day I read a plaque on a wall that said "Let your light shine into darkness so others too might find their way out". That night I had a dream that I was in the darkest of all dark places. Then from up above I saw a flashlight waving around. When it caught sight of me, a hand reach down past the light and took my hand and began to pull me up. I was then handed the flashlight so I could in turn, shine it down on others and help them find their way out.
It became like my mantra, "God help me to let my light shine". Then one day I was reading from Isaiah 58. In verses 9&10 I read "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, the pointing finger and the malicious talk and spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will shine into darkness and your nighttime will become like the noon day". I stopped and went back to read it again. What popped out at me was "Spend yourself in behalf of the hungry". It didn't say volunteer, give or even feed. It said "Spend yourself". This was when I knew I would be forever serving the poor. That was in 1993. I ain't spent yet.
In Matthew 14:7 when Jesus says "The poor you will always have with you" He is actually quoting from Deuteronomy 15. The passage says "There should be no poor among you. I am blessing you in such abundance that you could take care of your poor and not even miss the little it takes. But the poor will always be with you." (paraphrase) . . . So it isn't a prophesy, it's an indictment. God is saying "You will not do what I am commanding you to do".
I don't feel I am called just to feed the homeless. Part of my call is to motivate the body of Christ to do what God commanded us so many years ago to do. Spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry. Now here's a reverse Catch 22, Letting your light shine will serve the hungry, and by serving the hungry, your light will shine. Don't let the devil blow it out and don't hide it under a bushel. Shine it all over the neighborhood.. . .
God bless you.
We love you all,
John & Raylene Swanger
PS: I will be reading Hebrew from the Torah and sharing on what it means to serve the poor on August 27th @ 10:00am at Church in the City/Beth Abraham. I would like to invite you all to come join us.
What a great time we all had. We served over three hundred and seventy five meals with around sixty five volunteers. Much thanks to all who pitched in to make this happen. Truly an example of God's hands extended to a hurt and dying world. I bring you words of appreciation from those who received.
People came from several churches around town to pitch in. We had planned for just 250 meals. When we ran out Colleen & Linda from the kitchen at Church in the City-Beth Abraham dug up another 88 burgers. Then Robert & Nichole Joslyn ran out to fetch another 50 burgers and dogs. What a blessing.
Again thank you for your faith in God and the call he has placed on our lives. Your gifts are changing people's lives. Remember you are not just feeding people, you are giving them the salvation God wants to bless them with. One by one they come to us asking why we do what we do. That is the open door I live for. That is the moment when I can tell them that God truly loves them. Everything we do is for that purpose. We are not a homeless maintenance agency. We are a ministry of hope. That hope isn't in any government, church, person or even in a religion. It is a hope in the only one that can save them, Jesus Christ.
We love you all,
John & Raylene Swanger
Jay Earl Krebs & Bent
(The Denver Rescue Mission Band) Deva Yoder Worship Leader (Scum of the Earth Church-Denver)
This year we are having another 4th of July Bar-B-Q for the homeless. We will be serving Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Chili, Potato Salad, and Chips. We will also be handing out Bottled Water and Pop. We hope you can join us as we not only want to serve the homeless, but also grab a plate and sit with them. Serving a meal is one thing, but sharing a meal brings a stronger sense of caring. Many of the homeless watch holidays come and go like any other day. This is our chance to make The4th of July something special. We plan on feeding about 200 men, women and children.
We will again be meeting in the parking lot behind Church in the City at 16th and Gaylord at 11:00am on the 4th. We could us your help. We will start feeding at 1:00pm and expect to be finished by 3:00pm
Please consider joining us for a great time of ministry, fellowship and fun. If you can come please let me know john@johnswanger.net or give me a call at 303-594-7729.
We will also be needing help with the added expenses for the event. Please consider sending something to underwrite this outreach. It would also be helpful if you could bring large coolers and bags of Ice.
We are working to line up some musicians to add to the festivities. Is this cool?
Please keep the homeless men, women and children of Denver in your prayers.
God bless you as you bless others.
John & Raylene Swanger
PS: July 4th 2011 (Monday) from 11:00am - 3:00pm Behind Church in the City-Beth Abraham @ 16th and Gaylord. Thanks a bunch . . . J&R
Danny Baker lived in Oregon. He had spent fifteen years in the military and started a home remodel business. His son and two daughters (all adults), lived within three miles of him. In 2006 his wife was diagnosed with cancer. Within a month, she was gone. A year later he lost his brother the same way.
Seeking a fresh start Danny relocated to Denver. The housing industry was on the upswing then and it didn't take long before things were going good. Two years ago he remarried and began settling in, when without warning he woke up one morning to find his new bride had passed away in the night. Overwhelmed, Danny ended up on the streets of Denver. He is one of the nicest people we know. Always smiling and willing to do whatever is needed to help out. Over the past year we have watched as he helped others out with food, sleeping bags or even giving away his own coat. He is always trusting and believing God will watch out for him.
Last week tragedy struck once again. The Police came around looking to deliver news of a family crisis. His youngest daughter of only twenty-two and her barely one year old son had been murdered by the father of the child.
We found Danny and took him to the Bus Depot and bought him a ticket to Corvallis Oregon. We sat with him for a couple of hours waiting for the bus. I was lost for words. I found there was nothing I could say. I just sat and listened as he cried. My heart is broken.
Please pray for Danny and his family. I also ask that you pray for us. This is one of the most difficult things we have faced in nearly nineteen years of working on the streets. Danny will be returning to Denver in a week and I need to find some words to comfort him. Pray that this will bring him closer to God and not drive him away. Danny also asks that you pray for his mother. She is in her late sixties and this has been especially tough on her. Pray for her strength.
In closing I want to let you know I am leaving today for Seattle. I will be driving up to bring back some equipment and things for the ministry. Please pray for a safe journey and pray that our car will make it there and back. Also, Raylene will be taking care of the foodline while I am gone. Keep her in your prayers also.
Thank you for believing in the call God has placed on our hearts and thank you for loving those we love.
Last month we talked about Tony a Viet Nam Vet living in an alley just off of Colfax St. Over the years we have shared several stories of homeless men, women and children. But this morning as we handed out the sack lunches. I shared a cup of coffee with an man I found too weathered to even try to guess his age. I listened and tried to keep reminding myself to not shake my head from side to side as he spoke. I didn't want him to see I was shocked by his life. But the truth is, I was. He sat and talked for well over an hour of wars and death, fights and addictions, love and losses. He shared of his family and his being alone for several years now. He told me that no matter how the weather is during the day, the nights are cold. Being alone is cold.
I have been doing this for too many years to be caught off guard but I listened and fought off a tear as he spoke. When he stopped I found nothing to say but "Wow".
Then he said "But wait, there's more". I thought "How could there possibly be more to this terrible life"?
He reached across the table and grabbed my hand, "I'm not dead yet. God still has plenty of time to write the end of my story. I'm sure it'll be a cliff hanger. I know God has great things in store for me. Don't feel sorry for me because of what has happened in my life. Love me because I am a child of God."
Last week I was watching a show on television. A waitress struggling to make it in an fast food restaurant said "Don't praise me because of what I have been through, praise me for what I have accomplished". This week I realized that I haven't been sharing peoples stories from the streets. I have just been sharing the first half of their stories. Neither you nor I know what God has in store for them. I am in the process of writing a book about my life. Imagine how it would end if I had written it twenty five years ago.
In closing I just want to say "I love you" . . . Thanks for loving me and those we serve.
God Bless.
John and Raylene Swanger
PS: I need to travel to Seattle soon to bring back a few things for the ministry. Our car would in no way make it there and back. If you have a Van or minivan you could let us borrow we would much appreciate it. Thanks, John
Cross & Clef Ministriessends out a monthly Newsletter. We talk about a variety of things. But most often we share stories from people we meet on the streets.
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