A Grand Soiree

Hello Gang,

Let me take you back a bit. The Lucky Duck Foundation helped us launch and sustain our wound care unit.

A while back, Drew Mosher, Lucky Duck’s CEO, reached out and invited us to their annual fundraiser, the Showcase Soiree, their biggest
event of the year. He said he wanted to make up for the “inconvenience” of filming a video about Convicted 4 Christ Ministries. (Between you and me, the real inconvenience was probably for the poor editors who had to condense my nine and a half hours of rambling into ninety seconds.)

Now, when I first read “soiree,” I had to Google it. Turns out it’s a fancy cocktail party. “Informal fancy,” they said, which meant I had to email the Lucky Duck folks again to ask what to wear. Thankfully, our relationship with them is so genuine that, at 63 years old and
supposedly an adult, I felt perfectly fine asking what a soiree even was.

Once wardrobe and vocabulary were sorted out, Richard and I suited up, showed up, and let God take care of the rest.

We arrived and were immediately welcomed by Andrea, an absolute gem, then met Carlos from Lucky Duck and had a great time laughing together. I even ran into Jordan Verdin from Humanity Showers (we go way back) and a guy named Joey Rubio, who came from the same background as Richard and me. Now I was really glad I came.

So we sit down, the lights dim, and the event begins. Remember, we were told this was Drew’s way of apologizing for that video project. Then, get this, they show about one-tenth of a second of it… and I’m not even in it! How dare they! (Kidding. Mostly.)

Then things got interesting. Before the paddle auction, they announced an award—the “Hustler of the Year,” named after Father Joe Carroll, a local legend known as the “Hustler Priest” for his relentless work helping the homeless.

They said, “Before we present it, let’s watch a short video.” Up on the screen comes the video of Richard and me.

To say I was floored is an understatement. We didn’t even realize we were supposed to go up until people started guiding us to the stage, right into a standing ovation. In that moment, God’s glory was magnified as He showed once again how He takes the unqualified and qualifies them.

That night, we were awarded $250,000 toward our next recovery home, which will house another 14 men fighting homelessness, addiction, and other battles. Through these homes, we’re able to serve our community in countless ways.

Our deepest thanks to the Lucky Duck Foundation, their donors, and every one of you who believes in us, prays for us, and supports this mission.

To God be all the glory, when we prayed, He answered. He sees us, hears us, loves us, and even favors us.

Amen.