HOMELESS – DAYS 09-10-11

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, from a previous PHOTO-JOURNAL… THIS is what almost happened to me last week! It was only GOD that spared it from occurring. I became aware of a plot to rob me, and steal everything in my van!

As you all know, I have been living among the homeless, as an exercise in FAITH and to HELP and MINISTER to people, who we tend to overlook, or be embarrased by. But as you have seen, many of them are VICTIMS of very difficult, even horrific life experiences, and others are suffering from mental illnesses and drug and alcohol addiction. ALL CAN BE LOVED, and some can even be HELPED to find a changed life and new hope!

But it is not all HAPPINESS and LIGHT sometimes!

When I first became homeless, I kept all my DJ and Music Equipment with me. Thousands of dollars worth of equipment that I use to make a living, since I started DJ’ing!

I kept it covered as well as I could, and just tried not to stray too far from my mini-van for too long! But… The people around me probably knew there was more than CLOTHES in there, and likely caught a glimpse here and there, of some equipment, speakers, etc… They ALL knew I had a computer with me, in order to document my experiences through this journey!

After I became aware of the Criminal Plot against me, through a series of events that occurred, I knew that God wanted me to get out of there for a few days, and let things die down. Meanwhile, I needed to UNLOAD MY EQUIPMENT, and catch up on some personal and business responsibilities, while I was being kept away from the Beaches!

My mother let me store my Equipment in her Recording Studio thankfully! And since I only need it a few times a week right now, it has taken a HUGE BURDEN off my mind, not to worry it will be stolen every day and night that I am living outside in parking lots and rest areas, surrounded by other homeless people ususally. I have let them sleep in my van on cold nigths before as well. And now… that will be even easier if necessary, when the temperature is below freezing!

There several other benefits to lightening my load as well!

Gas should go further, now that I have reduced the weight in the vehicle considerably! There is also more space for collecting and distributing supplies and resources to the Homeless I have been working with as well!

AND… MORE SPACE FOR ME TOO…

No, there is NO WAY IN HELL, that I can stretch out on the Bench Seat in the van, since I am almost 6ft tall, which is wider than the vehicle of course! But… When I put the Captains chair down, I can extend my ahem… “bed” and at least ”sort-of” stretch out now! LOL

Trust me: It is MUCH better than it was previously, with a full van and sleeping in the FRONT SEAT every night! — It was SO UNCOMFORTABLE before, that I literally crash from exhaustion and sleep for about 2 hours before the pains and kinks wake me up, and it takes me a while to fall back to sleep, only to start the process over! I was getting NO REAL SLEEP like this at all, and it was already taking a toll on me, after more than 10 days of it!

This provides a little more relief, and sleeping in the BACK is preferable to slepping in the front, where everyone (Especially Police) can see me clearly, sleeping in the vehicle. I feel like I have a little more privacy now, in addition to more space!

WOOHOO!! — I received my FIRST DONATIONS of Blankets and Socks to aid the Homeless as we enter the Winter Season! Sleeping LITERALLY on streets, or out in the open on the beaches… They are fully exposed to the elements, and NONE OF THEM looks forward to the cold weather!

These donations will help IMMENSELY and let them get through the night easier, more safely and in a little more comfort! Socks are a BIG DEAL too, since they end up wearing the SAME PAIR for weeks and even months sometimes, rarely taking them off, and this does tremendous damage to their feet, which only exposes them to further illness.

This Donation came from my mother, June Maxim, but there are plans in the works to get more supplies and resources from a half dozen others who have volunteered to help this cause!

I didn’t have the gas to go back to the Beaches right away, so I had to hold onto these supplies for now, but luckily it wasn’t as cold the last few nights as it had been!

With the Mini-Van emptied and re-organized and some donations collected, it was time to get some PERSONAL & BUSINESS chores done! Particularly: BUSINESS!!

I SHOULD MENTION: PRIVATE GIGS and WEDDINGS are not as cheap as the Flier lists! LOL — The $150 to $175 Per Night Price is only for WEEKLY GIGS! The price is lowered when the Gig is WEEKLY and GUARANTEED to repeat the same day each week! Private Parties are generally $100 Per Hour with a 3-4 hour minimum! I do events in Jax, St. Augustine, and some cities in Georgia. I do MANY events in Upscale Golfing Communities, but I am just as comfortable in an Urban setting! I do sometimes offer serious discounts on a case by case basis, depending on the events and circumstances.

I am really good at what I do! DJ’ing and KJ’ing! — When I DJ’ed at Applebees for example, I DOUBLED their night business in a MONTH, and it only grew even more after that, over the next several months. But the company I worked for and I, parted ways, and I had to give that gig up, since it was through a THIRD company even!

I do Weddings and Private Events as well, but these are infrequent right now, since I only recently went out on my own, and haven’t had time to build up business through marketing and networking. And aiding the homeless has only been a GREATER draw, on my money and time! So… I HAVE TO GET at least one or two WEEKLY GIGS, so I can keep my bills up (Cell Phone, Car Insurance, etc…) and I needed to make some fliers, that I could bring with me to businesses, while I discussed my getting booked with them!

I’d really like to get my FRIDAYS booked again, so I can not only keep my bills up, but have some more resources for helping the Homeless here in Jacksonville.

With the economy in shambles, this problem has only GROWN recently! And it will likely get WORSE, before it gets better! IF YOU KNOW OF KARAOKE OR DJ GIGS, please let me know!!

I was pleased enough with my Design for the fliers, and I printed them off on some gaudy/loud colors to attract attention, and put them in a folder, so that when I went back to the Beaches to serve the Homeless, I could also pass out fliers and speak with businesses about potential gigs!

So, a day or two had passed, which meant….

GIG NIGHT!!! — On Saturdays I KJ (A Karaoke DJ) at Thai-Bangkok Restaurant off Wells Road in Orange Park. It is a SMALL PLACE, but that has never stopped us from having A LOT OF FUN THERE!! — The smaller size is nice actually, because we all know each other really well, and it is like EVERYONE THERE being a friend! Well… Not “like”… EVERYONE “IS” FRIENDS there! And the new ones that come, just end up becoming NEW FRIENDS!

This night was no different! We all had a GREAT TIME, and… As is our “Tradition” there… whoever is left at the end of the night MUST GET UP and sing “Closing Time” all together, to say goodnight with! Megan started our tradition, and we’ve been doing it ever since!

So, a few days had passed, and I finished my Gig on Saturday night! It was time to return my Equipment to the Recording Studio and… I felt like I deserved a day off, after almost getting robbed, and sleeping like HELL every night for 10 days! So, I just did some PERSONAL things that day, and took it easy the rest of the day! I still slept outside, but… IT WAS A MUCH NEEDED BREAK!

But as Monday rolled around, it was BACK TO WORK…

I was pretty anxious actually, to check on my Homeless friends, after several days now had gone by, to see how they were doing, and find out if anyone needed anything! I was especially curious how one brother was doing, after I had found him a roommate and gotten him off the street the week before! But I didn’t see him while I was there!

I did see some other people I knew, and a few I didn’t… yet!

I had a little money from my gig left over, and asked if they were hungry. THEY WERE! So, I offered them a meal at McDonalds, not much, since I don’t make much right now, but… I let them pick any 3 things off the dollar menu EACH, and they could mix and match whatever they wanted!

NONE of them wanted to take advantage of the generosity, and they all, only ordered one or two things each!

They’ve gotten to know me pretty well, and… We all like each other! As we talked at the table, I found out that one of them had recently GOTTEN A JOB, and I was invited to go to their restaurant sometime, and say hello! I think my having gotten a few others off the streets, and just talking and ministering to these people, about POSSIBILITIES and HOPE, has made a difference, and a few have gotten a little more serious about CHANGING THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES, now that those opportunities seem a little closer, and they realize THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CARE, and will lift a hand when needed!

Well, since they didn’t clean me out of money at McDonalds, lol, I stopped into a General Dollar store to see if they had some Tooth-Pain medicine. While in there, I couldn’t believe that they had some clothes on clearance for $1 each! Yep, ONE BUCK, for shirts, and even some JEANS! — I’ve lost two pants sizes since getting more serious about my weight over the last few weeks, so… Some cheap JEANS and SHIRTS came in handy! Ha ha!

After wasting some time, and with the sun going down, I wanted to stop by McDonalds one more time before leving the area, to see if anyone else I knew had shown up.

This is what I drove up to…

Police all over the McDonalds! — I didn’t know at first whether it had to do with my Homeless friends or not, but I needed to fin out!

I glanced across the parking lot, and saw several officers checking ID’s and aksing many questions of a young couple next to their car!

Yes, I knew this couple, and they WERE homeless, having been living out of their car for a few weeks while they looked for work in the area.

I walked over, with my camera…

I didn’t know whether this was a LEGITIMATE stop, or whether it was HARASSMENT! I decided to take a few pictures to document the stop, and let the officers KNOW that someone was documenting this… Just in case! They turned around when the flash went off, and told me move along. Hmmm…

I moved away to respect the Officer’s orders, but I stayed mearby to see how this panned out.

After checking ID’s and whatever other documents they obtained, they asked the couple to LEAVE THE AREA immediately, which I don’t think they really had a right to do.

What was the couple’s crime? Arguing too loudly. There was NO VIOLENCE and not PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION of any kind! They could have been told to “Keep it down” and thatis what SHOULD have occurred! But.. when you are Homeless, you DON’T COUNT in this country! It is virtually ILLEGAL to be homeless in much of America!

Sad but true!

When I began this journey, God let me know that this was an exercise in Faith, but… It had much more to do with OTHER PEOPLE than with my own Faith! God knows I am faithful to Him, and have no problem making big sacrifices for Him! He let me know, that he would “USE THIS” to increase other people’s faith, and to get them to WALK THEIR OWN WALK, to see what He can do through just a little… FAITHFULNESS!!

You can even help others and make the world a little better, from a position of HOMELESSNESS!! And THAT is the message He is giving through this! WE HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES IN THE WORLD, but people are HOMELESS and STARVING and IN NEED! God told me that He had provided us ALL THE RESOURCES WE NEED, the proble is, that… PEOPLE ARE NOT SHARING! THEY ARE NOT HELPING ONE ANOTHER!! The Anti-Occupy-Wall-Street types will be happy to know that God doesn’t want people WHINING for the government to solve all their problems, when… IT IS WITHIN OUR OWN POWER to solve them! We just need to OPEN OUR HEARTS MORE and let God work through them! But the Occupy-Movement people will also be VERY HAPPY, to know that GOD IS DISAPPOINTED and even ANGRY with how we treat one another, and particularly how Governments USE THEIR OWN CITIZENS instead of… SERVING THEM! — It is a matter of BALANCE! Government “SHOULD” be involved, but… Government should NEVER be a replacement for what A FEW KIND HEARTS can accomplish THROUGH GOD’S GREAT LOVE!!!

God is great! His love is endless! We just need to LET GO OF EGO and SELFISHNESS and let that LOVE shine through OUR OWN HEARTS!!

What will you do today? Tomorrow?

Try looking for opportunities where YOU can be of service to others! The NEEDS are all around us! We just have to CARE ENOUGH, to help solve some of them when we have opportunity!

END OF DAYS 009-10-11

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