Man prayers must have went up because I went from only 1 participant to Friday I had boom! Six, Yep it was a good day. Hoping that continues into this week.
It was a nice day weather wise, sun was out and cool breeze under the bridges. We met some new folks and spoke with a guy for a while about the established homeless organazations in the area and how they treat folks, most of the time setting a bad example for Christians.
Yep you read that right. People who claim the name but no the attitude and heart set behind it make life for the uWo a little harder. ...
Folks come out with thier church groups and i rekon have their heart in the right place but get unnerved or maybe scared and begin yelling and treating them like cattle. Plus the actual soup kitchens dont feed on Sunday no more so we have been providing food for the last 4 months, actually only one place called Water Angels gives food on Sundays.
The last thing a Homiez wants to hear is "get a job" i have discovered that most and im mean most of the Homiez are addicts. Yea some are down and out but the ones i talk to will spend their money they do get at the first of the month on drugs, all different kinds and then live homless for the rest fo the month. Yes the dealers know this and go to them on the first of the month to make sure they get thier money.
There have been camp raids going on and depending on what side of the story you want to believe "i was jsut minding my own business" or "he owed me money and i took it back" seemed to be the drama for last week.
We did give out some clothes and talk and uplift others Sunday...Over all it was a good day.
I havnet posted on this in a while. This has been the worst group in a year. They want to talk about them selves and smoking weed and High stories all the time. They will start by asking a bible study related question then it goes to them. Particicpation has been not good either. The most i have had in a month is 4, mainly its 2 a day.... We had issues with boys fighting and getting ill and having all this tension on the yard and so we prayed one day....
And that day was good. i was so happy that they go to see that God can and will help you. But they saw you cant pray for others to stop somthing or "im going to hitem.."
We get some boys in here who are carrying "demons" and it really upsets the balance of the whole building. If we dont use the authority to stop that we fall subject to the comotion they casue. And in this enviroment comotion spreads like fire in a paper factory...
Great day today i must say. If we went out for any reason it was to talk to Octavia today.
After her and her husband Steve lived homeless 7 years and got an apartment and had a babyand off the street last summer. Well i saw Steve drinking under the bridge and had Octavia an baby with them. Steve wouldnt talk or make eye contact but Octavia wanted to know how to get back into church "redeem" herself. We talked and i answered her questions and we all prayed. She said she could talk to us becasue we know how it is, how she was and not feel judged. Its nice to know that we have that report with folks down there.
We prayed again with group and a woman who was attacked and beaten, right. So after talking we find out she was thrown out of a bar, which is fine but they dont need to lie to get us to pray for them...you know?
So camps have been abandoned and there are tents left everywhere , some places look like a war zone.
We had some Homiez tell us not to go to the 5th street bridge that they were run off and nobody lived there any more so , so many folks told us NOT to go so we went and guess what? we found a guy living there. A guy that is selfish and they all dont like. Too funny.
We found camps with water already and we asked for intel and they said that a church called Rio out of Maryville came out and done that. Cool, as long as the Homiez are being served.
Met a guy in Village two, ok, he has a tent, cot with springs, mattress, grocery food, all kinds of stuff. Even has a relative that comes and takes him laces, yet Homeless? Im thinking if hes gonna use his relative then why not put his tent at the guys house? just sayin'
Also met a Vet who was very adament aut telling me he didnt trust nobody and had a gun in his bag. ok, cool, now i know who to watch for, right?
As usual Gavin gets propositioned by the local hookers and yes we laugh at him for it. I guess its hard being that sexy. Hahahaha (he wont read this he aint on FB)
Sometimes i look around and listen tot he birds and traffic under the bridges and in the rain and snow i see the beauty of living there, but then i see the horror of the drugs and addictions and violence that comes with that beauty. Hoplessness runs rampant.
To do what we do and go the places we do you really have to have a strange sence of humor.
Pray for the Homiez, pray for the dealers pray for us...the uWo
Blazing hot day to say the least. Caught some wind under the main bridges where most of the Homiez hang out, but the camps were just plain humid.
Once again we got prayed for by other Homiez and we prayed as well with them. Everyone was happy despite the extreme sticky heat which usually casues people to fight. We did find one guy passed out under a bridge and thought he was dead for a minute.
Food and snacks we gave out was always a blessing. ill tell you this, we were thanked for "not having to be here" so many times sunday.
It means so much to them to meet them on thier level and to go where only they go.
I did see a guy who was one a Homiez for 7 years and now hes taking food back to the folks whom he used to hang with to help them through.
The last camp wefound is next to the palm beach mill outlet bulding and has a sidewalk all the way to the camp, you could ride a bike all the way to the camp. They have a shower also, clothes line and a pace to cook.
I want to thank all volunteers and donors who make this possible with the supplies and man power.
Nice warm day, sun up, no rain in sight at all. As we went out with our usual crew we got alot of requests for clothes, as they cant do laundry, but we had arrainged to have a 2nd vehicle come out with clothes in it.
Yea we do have one group of folks who live under a certian bridge and they are very greedy and its not due to hunger but to drug use. They will try and sell the food we give for drugs. Vey upsetting so with them we give food getting limits....
We heard stories of the Railroad police moving folks and supposedly raiding their camps and taking thier stuff, but we know the polce NEVER touches thier stuff because of lice, bed bugs or what ever....its just funny when folks try and play us. Especially when they are not even on RR property and tell us we lost everything so give me double. Hahaha. We drive a Yukon not a turnip truck. (has anyone really ever seen a turnip truck?)
We linked up with our clothes transport and began divying out stuff. Alot of people were thanking us and really the thanks goes to you all who donated uWo is just handing it out.
As we had clothes left over Deanna said we could take them to Shannon at W.H.baptist center. So we did and spoke to him for a while about how we aperate and what his needs were and he really wants the word preached nott jsut throwing food and clothes at folks, so we got along fine. I gave them a bunch of Spanish bibles as they were having thier first time of church for the local Mexican population. It was nice to see that folks , if they wernt there they wouldnt be at a church at all because they are rejected all over town.
We were late getting to serene manor today as the Krew had bibe studies to lead on different parts of town and i was fetching bibles. But kersti went and met with folks and has made it a mission to help Luclle out of her depression, a woman who wakes up mad everyday because she is still alive. Yep...chi Chi was happy and so were a few others who remember what day it is to see the Butterfly Ministries Krew show up.
You may not like Homiez but you can donate or help with the Orphans or Old folks or Sk8 kids or donate bible to the Lockdown outreach or the discipleship shannon is looking for at Western Heights.....there is places to seve.
It was a long week for whatever reason but we all got through it. As with any facility we all have our share of drama and issues and in the end there is time for Bible study.
I had no less than 5 boys and on the big day it was 7, so that shows me the hunger they have or a deep couriosity.
With the big influx of new boys we stuidied Angels and demons again and the talks kept shifting to personal stories of voices and shadow people being seen, but we done the 4 page plan in 4 days.
It opened alot of kidz eyes about the rumors they have heard about stuff thier whole life (do we become angels when we die?, is satan the equal to God?, is my dead mom watching me from heaven?). HOPEFULLY this will inspire them to read on their own.
Overall it was a good week. I would like to teach more but at this time the Opp hasnt become available....
If you can read the Harry Potter books, all 5 thousand pages of them, then dont tell me you cant read the bible, its too long...
Hot day, good day. I do have osme folks asking for blankets already....i guess it gets cold at night. I got some camps that have split up because of drama and violence and so they have scattered all down the river side now.
Its good to feed people when they are hungery. Its good to see others needs met. Its good to remember that without God non of this would be happining. I would have never done this stuff. Village 2 has some mental health issues and thats what leads ot drama for them. Lots of arguing over nothing. Its the folks that are "normal" that casue me the most hurt, internally, that prey on the lower IQ folks, such predatory behavior. They cheat them of what little money they have and steal their stuff away.
Under the 5th street bridge is horrible. The smell is gagging, i have to hold my breath to go under there and its 12 feet tall! Open on both sides but the dirt is so ingrained with whatever it is....i call it the smell of hoplessness.
Yet these men live there and sleep there and eat there. Do they get used to it or has drug addiction made them accept this as life? I dont know and they wont say.
This means once obtained we can apply for federal grant money and start doing the projects listed under the Future Projects section.
We are all happy and are making plans as what to do with and how to maximize the opportunities we can provide with this status and the benefits that come along with it, where better to serve.
Thank You to all who gave and we hope to return the favor big time starting after the new year..
It was a hot day, real muggy and sunny. Over all a short day alotta folks was up at Water Angels trying to get a meal so we left stuff at thier camps. If you dont get to WA early enough you wont get fed, they run out.
In Village 2, where the brick attack occured last week the guys are doing fine now and the bruises and stitches are healing fine. Bear dog is real timid around folks now. They said the guy moved on up twoard Ftn City area but i havent seen anyone fitting that description at all. I mean the German Sheapard looking dog is a give away. ...
One camp has kittens to play with and folks were happy to get some food and snacks.
Food is getting low again.
I met a woman to recieve donations and for the 3rd time in a week i got some good stuff for the cold when it gets here. This will be the first year that uWo will be ready to move when the snap hits.