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The Trip of a Lifetime: Two High School Friends reach out to a homeless buddy. After you read this story you may never look at another high-school reunion the same way.

Few people look forward to a class reunion, especially after 30-years, but for Greg it was an opportunity he had been looking forward too.

In the midst of recent health struggles, Greg, who was in stage-four liver failure, had started looking up old friends to reconnect with. An old high school friend, “Cowboy JERRY” as he was affectionately called, was now homeless and living underneath the boardwalk of Atlantic City.

Through a fortunate set of circumstances, Greg was able to reconnect with another classmate, Lou Gasparini, a Street Outreach Chaplain at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. Lou listened to his friend’s life story and desire to reconnect with other classmates.

He listened how Greg, who also was a recovering addict and alcoholic, had been sober for more than 20 years. But after recently developed liver failure during a blood transfusion, Greg started reaching out to old friends who might be touched by his message of salvation and hope. Having learned of his friend “Cowboy’s fate, he seemed particularly interested to see if he could do something.

Lou, a seasoned Homeless Intervention Specialist knew exactly where “Cowboy JERRY” stayed and so Greg decided to make the next flight back to New Jersey to spend a couple days with his old friends and see if he could possibly help.

When the 30-year reunion took place on an October day on the Boardwalk of Atlantic City, the three men had a lot to catch up. In the end, “Cowboy” who has been living under the boards for the last 8-years, agreed to Greg’s help;

“Go to detox and get yourself clean. Then I’ll fly you to Arizona where a job and an apartment are waiting for you.”

By simply taking the time to meet with long-lost friends, Greg had been able to save one lost life.

“If God never lets me see another day, this was the trip of a lifetime,” said Greg.

Today, Greg is currently still on a waiting list for a liver replacement in Arizona. Cowboy is in detox at Atlantic City Rescue Mission and Chaplain Lou is on Street Outreach every day, rain or shine. Keep them all in prayer.

The three men’s reunion was captured in this photograph below with “Cowboy” in the middle.

SUPPORT STREET OUTREACH : ACRescueMission.org