Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Story

Five year ago, Gerald and Tanja Spreer, Kurt and Barbara Brunner, and Daniel and Sonja Liechti left their friends, families and communities in Germany and moved to the United States to get to know young homeless people. The three families have six children among them, all of whom were born in the states. Funded solely by the donations of friends, the families' trust that God will provide for their needs. They describe themselves as "one big family" and, until recently, they all lived in one farmhouse.
Every day for the past five years, the three men have come to The Drag where they play music and build relationships with the "drag rats" and other young people on the street. About a year ago, they bought and refurbished a travel trailer which they now bring to the street as a mobile coffee shop. The wives usually stay at home and raise the children, but occasionally they come to the street as well. The families' dream is to one day have a large piece of property with multiple dwellings where street kids can come to live.
They work to build relationships with the young homeless kids because they see the loneliness and hurt on the streets and want to show them a way out. "Everybody needs love," says Kurt Brunner, "and we believe that God can give this to them."












3 comments:

Mark Mulligan said...

Nice work, Jeff! I would walk by that trailer everyday and wonder what the deal was. Now I know!

cheshire said...

your photo story for a class, i assume? anyway, i think this is really awesome. i recall i saw you editing this in the texan office, but the final result is far more amazing than i anticipated.

M. M. Martinez said...

i love these photos, and the story, and i loved your film.