UNDER THE OVERPASS by Mike Yankoski

Under the Overpass, a journey of Faith on the streets of America
Foreword by Fancis Chan
This is the Updated and Expanded edition.

Multnomah Books

Have you ever wondered how it would be to be homeless in America?  To wander the streets, trying to live day to day?  To find safe places to rest your head, when you are exhausted, and need to sleep? 

In 2003, Mike Yankoski got the idea to see how life was on the streets, and finally convinced his parents, and a few others that he was serious about finding out.  Sam Purvis accompanied him on this 5 month trek into what some would call the underbelly of humanity. They took no money, just a couple of guitars, a couple of sleeping bags purchased from thrift stores and a backpack each.   They lived in 6 different cities in the 5 months they were homeless.  They ate, slept, and lived just as the other homeless people did, even resorting to eating other peoples left food, and sometimes out of trash cans.  They panhandled, playing their guitars for whatever people would give, to survive.  They played Christian music, and talked to the other homeless about Christ.  They visited many churches, and sometimes the 'welcome' they received wasn't exactly what they expected.  Even to being asked to leave by several.

I'd say this book tells it pretty much how it really is for the homeless.  Mike did leave out the profanity but he stated that it was to save our eyes, not that it wasn't abundant.

This book got me to thinking, why do we think we need more and more and more 'stuff'?  Is it really necessary to accumulate all these possessions?  Do they really make us happy?  To me the answer was an unequivocal No, they are like a saddle on our back. 

The most compelling sentence in the whole book, for me,  "We are responsible to help others toward hope in Jesus' name.  But we are not responsible for their choices."
A 5 Star book all the way.