HOMELESS – DAY 007

Day 007 of being Homeless was getting a little more serious now! I had donated my LAST $20 to the Good Samaritan Church which I had attended the night before. I was saving it for Gas and a few Coffees though… since I need to buy something, in order to use McDonald’s wonderful WiFi. LOL

But now I had NOTHING!

So, the next morning when Clifton saw me, and mentioned that he was going to eat lunch at the Mission House, and asked if I wanted to go with him (Since he knew I had no money, after donating it all) I accepted the invitation to get a hot meal, with the other homeless in the area. They were TEACHING me now, how to survive, where to get food, ways to get cash, laundry washed, showers, etc…

After all the help I had been giving to these people, now they were looking after… ME!  :-)

So, we walked to where the Mission was, since I had NO GAS to drive there. I was basically STRANDED in the McDonalds Parking Lot at this point!

As we approached the Mission House, you could see the many bicycles lined against the fence. It was obvious that this was an important stop for the homeless. 

We walked into the gate and past the sign attached to it:

-Mission House-
MEAL HOURS:

They can get a hot meal here, twice a day on weekdays, and once on weekends. I asked questions about protocol and I was instructed to “sign up” so that I could get my name on the “Jobs List” and set up an appoitment with Amanda, one of the “Case Managers” there. These are basically “life coaches” who help them get ready for job interviews, by providing showers, clean laundry and the like, as well as providing a list of companies in the area that hire regularly. The list was half a dozen pages long, and had addresses and phone numbers for each place of potential employment. Not having a PHONE is a potential problem, but the good people at Mission House, allow their number to be used on job applications, and they will field the calls from employers. They also provide BUS FARE for them to get to job interviews when they have one lined up.

Inside the place, were several rows of tables, with plastic utensils already on them, and you could smell the scent of LUNCH being prepared, as one of the administrators explained to everyone present, which lists they should put their names on, what was expected of them as they went through the Mission House system, etc…

After a brief “meeting” it was back outside for everyone, as they waited to be “called” back in, by groups, to eat.

 Outside as we waited, I noticed a large container of water with plastic cups beside it. The water not only tasted fine, it was COLD as well! – BONUS! – LOL

Everyone waits outside, as “volunteers” are brought in, to assist in the serving of lunch and clean-up, etc… The guy guarding themain door, was not the nicest fellow, as he got onto me, for having a plastic cup, outside the FENCED AREA! I apologized and explained that this was my first time here at Mission House and I was only just beginning to learn the ropes!

I stepped a few feet forward, so I was now INSIDE the fenced area, and I simultaneously “GOT ONTO” some of the homeless I KNEW there already, telling them: “I see how it is… let the new guy take the cup outside the fence, and NONE OF YOU WARN ME?? Y’all did that on purpose didn’t you?” I smiled as I said this, then laughed as they laughed with me, telling me: “Sorry brother… we didn’t notice you had the cup on you man!” Ha ha!

Suddenly, amidst the laughter, a well dressed woman, came outside with a GIANT CHECK, like the over-sized ones you see on TV charity programs. Some of the homeless joked, that they couldn’t fit that into their wallets, while others said: “Need help cashing that?” The woman also laughed, but explained that THIS MONEY represented the amount raised in a recent “Charity Sale” put on by Queen’s Harbor, for the Mission House and the homeless they attend to. Everyone clapped, and I quickly snapped a picture. She wasn’t used to the homeless having digital camera with them, but… kindly, she smiled and posed with the “check” and let me grab a shot of it!

People are brought into lunch by groups of five. After some time, my name was called along with four others, and I went inside to get something to eat! 

I made my way through the line with the others, and was encouraged by the volunteers there, who were dishing out very healthy portions of food, usually with a smile on their face, along with a piece of bread, bowl of salad, and there was even dessert available, sitting on paper plates on industrial food racks ready for the taking.

I sat down with my stash, and sampled the fare before me. Tasted good actually. Hot food with meat, beans and rice… not bad! I looked for something to wash it down with, and I was WARNED to stay away from the pitcher of a murky beverage sitting on the table. “Whoever made that, should be forced to drink a pitcher of it before serving it again!” said one fellow, drawing laughter from everyone within ear-shot!

After lunch, it was back to McDonalds for me and Clifton.

But this time, there was something good in store, it turned out…

Remember Gary from the day before? Well, he was there again, as he regularly has breakfast with his mother each day there. This time he was alone, which afforded more time to talk. Gary was complaining that he was probably going to have to move when his lease was up on his single wide trailer. He said they had raised the rent from $250 to $400 and he just couldn’t afford it now, on his government check.I chimed in rather quickly: “Gary, you remember Clifton right? Well, Clifton here was just talking the other day, about the prospect of being ROOMATES with… ME! But as you know, God wants me to be HOMELESS right now, and so, I can’t really be anyone’s roomate at this time!” LOL”But… Clifton gets a government check for disability, and it is more than enough to pay YOU on a regular basis, every month, whether he ever gets a side job or not! Clifton here, is also a Navy vet, and owned his own business for many years, before being sued into ruin, by an illegal alien who was paralyzed after falling from a roof, at a job site! I bet he would make a reliable roomate for you!”Gary said: “This sounds very interesting! Can you afford $25o a month Clifton? That would include all utilities.”Clifton lit up like a Christmas Tree! And he said: “Oh yeah, I can afford that easy… The place I was looking at, for me and Craig was $800 a month!”Clifton’s check doesn’t come in, until the 3rd of each month, but… Gary, happy at the prospect of KEEPING HIS PLACE, told Clifton that he could move in… 2 weeks early if he wanted, for a prorated amount of an extra $100, so that $350 would be due on the 3rd! Clifton readily agreed, and they shook on it, and… If you could have seen how Clifton’s countenance changed, it was like LIFE rushing back into a dying man! The pic above doesn’t even capture it! It grew and grew as we decided to walk to the beach and just Thank God for great things He does for us! Clifton smiled from ear to ear, with a grin as wide as the Great Lakes… It seemed permanently locked into place on his face, almost like the Viagra commercials, with the happy-face guy! LOL

When we got to the water, we waded into the ocean, and Clifton, still grinning ear to ear, lifted his hands to the heavens, and shouted: “Thank you God! Thank you!”

He turned to me and said: “God is such a good God!”

I couldn’t help but agree with him!

I hope everyone is seeing that PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE, and we cannot always know their circumstances.. what they have been through, or even… Where they are going! Sure, MOST of the homeless are mentally-ill, drug addicted, alcoholic or a combination of these! MOST of them are NOT ready to move forward in life, but… SOME ARE! And even those who aren’t, I have compassion for. You don’t know what they have been through, and as I have learned first-hand, some of them have experienced tragedies and abuses that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies! Drugs/Alcohol end up being a “self-medication” for many of them, being administered to save them, from even more pain in life. Sure, it doesn’t REALLY work out that way, but… It sure FEELS that way to THEM!So remember: HAVE COMPASSION!Most of these people are fairly harmless, and don’t steal or intentionally hurt others. They pan-handle or sell blood, or get short-term gigs that pay some cash to them. They already feel WORTHLESS and none of them really need, the rest of us, assailing them for their “laziness” and “worthlessness” and being “useless bums” — All too often, their families all through childhood made them feel WORTHLESS enough as it is! Anyone remember Chris? Whose father by adoption MOLESTED HIM REGULARLY since childhood? Then hit him in the head with a baseball bat for finally telling the evil man: “No!” when he turned 16? Well, Clifton also, suffered abuse growing up, particularly from an UNCLE who sexually molested him as a child! Clifton’s parents NEVER believed him however, when he reported it to them! The uncle later died of AIDS, and though Clifton has never wavered from his story, his parents still… NEVER believed him. It’s bad enough to suffer abuse, but when YOUR OWN PARENTS end up calling you a “LIAR” on top of the abuse, well… How hopeless does that feel?Most of the homeless are nice people, and some of them are incredibly COLORFUL…GO JAGUARS!!!

OOPS!!! In my excitement over Clifton getting off the streets, I forgot to check the time more closely!! I had to pick up those 50 Business Cards provided FREE from Ronnie atwww.printing.com which lists some agencies where the homeless can get help!I said goodbye to my friends, and… RAN!!RUN FORREST RUN!!!!Me running down the street at full speed, in… Flip Flops must have been a sight! LOL But I had to get those cards before he closed up shop! I got there and the DOOR WAS LOCKED!! But I knocked, and there was Ronnie, coming around the corner, with a handful of cards in tow!I thanked him again and again!!He said: “I’m glad to do it! You’re doing a good thing! Keep it up!”

As I walked back to my friends at McDonalds, I started feeling how cold it was getting. This would be a challenging night I thought! I didn’t have gas, so… couldn’t warm the vehicle up if I needed, and I didn’t have a blanket or sheet either, but… I had some warm jackets and that would be enough… for now.

But… turns out that God had some HELP in mind FOR ME as well!

My Cellphone was still on for one or two days more, and that was lucky, because no sooner had I returned when… There was a TEXT MESSAGE: It’s going to be cold tonight! Do you have a blanket? Pillow? I can come and bring you some gas if you need it! Love… MOMIF I NEED IT??? IF I NEED IT???HECK YEAH I NEED IT!!! WOOHOO!!I accepted the offer of assistance, and my Mother drove down from the North Side to give a little aid to me. Keeping her mortgage up, pretty much eats up most of her income, so, this was not a simple offering, but required some extra sacrifice on her part! I WAS GRATEFUL!!!She pulled in, a half hour later, and handed me a blanket as she hugged me. She pointed to a gas can she brought with her, and said I could use that to get to the gas station, where she could then give me a little more! She also slipped me $20 bucks so I could buy coffee, etc.. at McDonalds which allows me to get online there, while charging my computer, so I can update everyone on what’s happening out here!But she also brought a few cans of chilli for “emergency” she said, but… “I couldn’t find a can opener to bring!”

She also wanted to take me to eat somewhere before she left me, back on the streets! She understands “WHY” I am doing this, but she is not really “HAPPY” about what goes with it… Cold, No bed, etc…

I accepted her offer, and: WAFFLE HOUSE NEVER TASTED SO GOOD!

NEXT STOP WAS…

GAS!!! A HALF-TANK!!!! THAT was unexpected, and I was THRILLED because it meant I could drive again locally, if I needed to help a homeless person out!After my mother left, I went back to find a Parking Lot to crash in for the night! And I felt pretty good that I could now sleep with a blanket over me!!I was looking forward to using it, and had begun to unroll it, when… “Pony Tail” showed up! I had gotten to know Pony-Tail a bit over the last few days, and he is a SHRIMP-BOAT CAPTAIN! He’s done it most his life in fact! We began talking MORE DEEPLY this time though, and I saw an opening… An opening to get in his heart a little bit! He carried a great deal of bitterness with him. His life was not bad like this, until a series a tragedies made him lose hope in HIMSELF and also lose a little FAITH in GOD as well!Why?His father died of cancer. Then his wife died of cancer soon after, and finally… after getting his mother to come visit him in the state he was living… while there, she got into a major car accident, with him in the car as well! Her seat-belt held, but she was still killed immediately! His seat=belt DIDN’T HOLD and he was thrown through a windshield… YET SURVIVED!!!It seemed that in the space of a few years, God had taken EVERYONE that meant anything to “Pony Tail”, and in a bizarre accident, his mother is KILLED with her seat-belt ON, and yet he was ALIVE after his seat-belt FAILED!

We must have discussed this, a million other things, for the NEXT 3 or 4 HOURS!! So much for sleep, as I had looked forward to! LOL — Pony Tail is a smart fellow though, with a love for knowledge it seems, because… He could intelligently discuss, EVERY SUBJECT that came up! From Geo-Politics to Biblical Events… Mayan Civilization, NOstrodamos, Greek influence on Western Democracy, and on and on and on!

He knew a little something about… EVERYTHING!

But what he DID NOT KNOW, was “Why” events in HIS OWN LIFE had occurred and what they meant! Pony Tail is a Marine Vet, who was also a P.O.W. at one time. He was tortured, but endured the experiences. He had PRAYED for God to deliver him, and PROMISED he would not hurt anyone in life (that did not hurt him first) if God would see him through!

God “DID” see him through, and He worked to keep his promise afterward. But the losses of ALL THOSE HE LOVED, was very TRYING on him! And it turned out, that there “WAS” someone he had hurt very much, in spite of his PROMISE to the contrary!

IT WAS GOD!!

God began revealing things to me, about Pony Tail’s life and the events that led him down this path of self-destruction, and I was able to teach him MANY DEEP THINGS that brought TEARS UPON TEARS, at one point… Even WAILING aloud, as hugged him, and prayed with him!

It would take too much time to share all that happened during this transformation, but suffice it to say, that: Pony Tail ASKED ME to pray with him, as HE ASKED GOD’S FORGIVENESS for abandoning Him! Through streaming tears, he THANKED God for everything in his life, for me, for second chances… He APOLOGIZED with profound sincerity, to God, for turning his heart away, when… God intends ONLY GOOD for our lives!

Afterward he PROMISED ME, that NEVER AGAIN would he judge God. He pronounced himself a NEW MAN! And said… “I have to stop this sh*t!! (alcohol/drugs) God deserves better! I deserve better of MYSELF! — This is a NEW DAY for me Craig… You have freed me from YEARS of anger, self-punishment and DOUBT of a God I believed in SOOO STRONGLY before I lost everyone! — THANK YOU CRAIG!! THANK YOU GOD!!” He then spontaneously prayed: God… BLESS THIS MAN CRAIG! PROTECT HIM!”

Well… Wow!

Every time I THINK that the days miracles are over… It seems that God always sneaks ONE MORE IN!!!

Man was it cold outside NOW though!!

REALLY COLD!!

That blanket had seemed SOOOO IVITING!!

But… I felt someone else needed it a little more tonight…

It was just TOO COLD to turn Pony-Tail out onto the streets. I told him he could sleep in the van tonight. He cried again, thanked me, and… began snoring in seconds!! LOLI placed the blanket over him, and resigned myself to sleeping in the Driver’s Seat with a steering wheel in my lap, and… NO BLANKET EVEN!! Ha ha!!But hey… I knew God’s Love would provide a little extra warmth for me tonight anyway! PLUS: I had extra gas now… just in case! One more Homeless person off the street, and TWO MORE homeless people, who were EMBRACING WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS, the same God they had harshly judged only the day before!It was a… GOOD DAY!

ALMOST FORGOT: It really touched my heart, the next morning, when I went into McDonalds for a Coffee, and a few tables of Homeless were gathered, and basically doing…A HEAD COUNT!”What about Bill? Where did he sleep last night?”"Oh, he’s good, I saw him this morning.”"What about Creeper? I didn’t see him sleeping on the Beach this morning, and he doesn’t even have a jacket with him.”No one knew were he was, but everyone else was accounted for, and had made it through the night, safely, with no police issues! — While it is TECHNICALLY not ILLEGAL to be homeless! IT REALLY IS THOUGH!! They pass OTHER laws, which accomplish the SAME THING! — Trespassing laws, vagabond laws, illegal to sleep on the beach (at night – they let them pass in the daytime usually)

In their own way, most of these guys kind of LOOK OUT for one another!

END OF DAY 007

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