Monday, December 13, 2010

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski


"A church is just a building if there's no one in it."

Under the Overpass is about two college men, Mike & Sam, who felt the calling of God to help others. They took it upon themselves to live as the homeless do, out on the streets of five major cities: Washington, DC; Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona, and San Fransisco & San Diego, California. They began their journey living at a rescue mission in Denver, Colorado. They started out their mission with three simple objectives. They wanted to understand the life of homeless in America, and how the church is helping their needs; encourage others to live for Christ and learn what it means for them personally to lean on God.

Mike and Sam experienced firsthand the hardships of life on the streets. They themselves purchased backpacks and sleeping bags from a second hand store, and along with the clothes on their back and shoes on their feet, in addition to journals to write their experience and some old guitars to aid in some panhandling was all they took with them. They met many different individuals on their journey, some who didn't believe in God at all, and others her were followers just like them. Some churches reached out to help, some closed the doors in the their faces.

I enjoyed reading this book because it really opened my eyes to what some people have to go through in their daily lives. Imagine not having a home to go to at night, a warm bed to sleep in, a meal in your stomach. For most of us these are things that come naturally and we know no other way. Reading this story has made me very grateful for my life with a roof over my head and food on my table, as well as opened my heart to be more generous to others in need.


Click here to buy Under the Overpass


I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review