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It's more confirmation of God's purpose for the Downtown East Side, as exemplified in The Lord's Rain. Earlier in the week, I told you about Tina, and the breakthroughs she's been experiencing lately. On Saturday, we heard of another.

Rich is probably in his mid-30s, and started coming to The Lord's Rain in the fall. He was newly-arrived from Ontario, and there was definitely "something different" about him. Articulate, unfailingly polite, he refers to taking a shower as "de-grittifying" himself. He has been coming regularly to the Gospel Mission services upstairs. You take a "watch and pray" attitude towards anyone in the DTES, and recognize that anyone has multiple sides to their personality and background.

Rich came in Saturday morning and informed us that he had checked into the Salvation Army's Harbour Light rehab program, to get rid of marijuana and alcohol from his life. "I came to the realization that I was no better than the crack-heads on the steps of the Carnegie," he said. "So what if marijuana was my 'drug of choice'? It's still addiction."

And then he added, "and one of the reasons I came to that realization? Because you guys had an open door here. You've always had a smile and a friendly greeting for me when I walked in, and I gotta thank you." At this point, I could see the rims of his eyes start to redden, and then he regained his composure.

There you go: another indication that God has intended The Lord's Rain for a purpose beyond helping people make it to the next day. His purpose is for us to provide hope to people by reaching out in new ways. Rich didn't find the hope because we hammered him with the Word of God -- although we make no bones about who we are and what we're doing there -- but because people showed him unconditional love and have been there for him to hang with and get off the street.

When people have had The World constantly trying to drag them backwards and away from their salvation -- away from their lives -- it's a major task to give them the hope that Jesus bought for us on the Cross, that they can shed their past and the things that have held them back and get on with their lives.