When Giving Becomes Receiving

Not long after or ministry became an official organization we had a very special visitor come and stay at our small home in Busia. His name is Marshal Foster. Imagine former middle linebacker in high school, a Marine shortly after, knows like 20 different fighting styles, and has the kindest heart in the world, boom you have Marshal. Did I mention the man travels all across east Africa helping ministries and NGO’s by shooting amazing pictures and videos and composing them into pieces of art that will bring tears to the eyes of Chuck Norris with ease? This dud is the real deal, nuff said.

A long story leads up to Marshal coming. I met a group of ladies on the plane ride into Uganda back in June. We talked about what Jesus was doing in each of our lives and I gave them some cross anklets my Grandmother made me to give to people. Well I get a message from my Grandmother telling me about a guy named Marshal who does photography and I needed to contact him. When he came he told me he met the girls I met on the plane in Uganda and they also directed him to our street kid ministry in Busia town.  Jesus is awesome I know. So from what we talked about I thought maybe Marshal would drop by for a day or two before his next big project to help a super big NGO that was changing millions of lives. Turns out this amazing man of God was taking his valuable time to help out a ministry that involves two grown men riding together on one bicycle to show some street kids some warm love.  Jesus is awesome I know. We went straight to the grind. Marshal told me he wanted to see the real face of what we work with. The next day at our meeting with the kids Cornel told them that today they would be allowed to do the drugs they brought to the meeting. Let’s just say Marshal doesn’t cry a lot because his job is basically an emotional roller-coaster where he sees a lot of difficult things, but that day he cried as he interviewed the boys telling their stories of why they we on the street and what happens to them on the street.  After the interviews Marshal boomed us with some amazing ideas such as splitting the boys into two groups; the older boys, and the younger boys. We tried it and it was so effective. The kids were a lot more open, more of them came and we were able to share a more specific message for each group.  Unfortunately marshal had to go continue saving the word but we were so blessed by his visit and we are looking forward to seeing his videos of The Shelter of United Love when he finishes it!

Jesus tells us in the book of John he will send our counselor the Holy Spirit to guide us and direct us. Cornel and I felt this helper and did something that seems hard but is really easy, we listened. We felt Holy Spirit telling us to go to the streets and one by one take kids and just spend individual quality time with each. Some of the kids had never told their stories and some just wanted to feel warm affectionate love. What I learned is that through the past year of working with these kids Cornel is the only person in the world they trust. He is the only man they can come to at any time and they know he will be there for them, kind of like Jesus I think. We saw this pay off big time the past couple of weeks. A kid living on the street doesn’t have to tell you where he lived, why he left and what you can do to help. The only way to get this information is through building a genuine relationship. One by one the boys started opening up telling us everything. One boy Dennis told Cornel he wanted to go home and he gave Cornel his dad’s phone number. After connecting with the district children’s officer and Dennis’s father we figured out the father was not such a good parent and has never had much to do with his son. The father risked doing jail time because he had not reported his own son missing. So out of desperation the father gave us the Dennis’s mothers contact information. With that we called he and found out the real story. The mother was so happy to here we found her son and instantly made an overnight trip to take what was rightfully hers back (mothers you can imagine the intensity). It makes it all worth it to see a mother hugging her son again and witness the two crying together. It’s a chain breaking joy from a victorious God. Jesus is so very good and to him all the glory honor and praise. Dennis is now back in school and living with his mother, we visit Dennis every week and do follow up calls almost every day in order to insure Dennis will never return to the streets.

He is the God of the Redeemed. To me that word is so powerful, Redemption. God seeks after us, calling our names and wanting to know us. He desires to have a relationship with us if only we would take the time to open our hearts to let his love invade our preoccupied lives. What do we get when we seek after God as he seeks after us? It’s called joy. I am a firm believer in happiness; God wants us to be happy. To me though happiness is a temporary emotion and joy is an eternal establishment in one’s heart. We can have joy in hard times, sad times, painful times, we can have joy when we are crying with street kids, or watching them do drugs in front of us. Joy is always there because it’s the scent that the presence of God leaves. Jesus never saw a prostitute, a drug addict, a screw up, because Jesus always saw people for what they truly were. A loved son or daughter of the most high king that has been lavished by his amazing love. Jesus won the war and thats what mindset he looks at things through. A victories mindset. Should we not do the same? When we see someone; a friend, family member, co-worker, celebrity, or crippled street kid that we think is lost and has no hope should we also view them with a victorious mindset. Should we proclaim victory even through it feels useless? Absolutely, a quote many friends have always encouraged me with is “We don’t fight for victory we fight from it” bam! One of the amazing things about being a Christian is the belief in the finished work of the cross where Jesus won. We stand in victory. How good does that feel when you think about it? Right now we sit in an ocean of victorious love because of an amazing love story about a God that sent himself to die for his children who could never repay him. One of our jobs as disciples of Jesus is to proclaim victory over every situation that feels unredeemable until it’s redeemed. In a nutshell that is what The Shelter of United Love is all about. Just a couple of guys empowered by the Holy Spirit, that look at something someone has given up on and declaring it beautiful until it grows wings and flies to where it belongs, in the presence of a divine creator.  

Since Dennis we had a couple of more kids return to their homes or to a safe place of refuge. We are praising Jesus for all he is doing and all that he has done. Ministry transportation is coming soon and land will be the next thing on the list. Please keep those things as well as the kids in your prayers, the ones who are on the streets and the ones who have returned home. Amen.

Love Always,

Haden Hallman

Co- Founder s.o.u.l ministries

hfhallman@crimson.ue.edu

Facebook- Haden Hallman /

The Shelter of United Love

U.S # 205-657-0068

1012 50400 Busia, Kenya