Volume 9-
This evening was as unique as every other. Tonight’s theme was things being Completed. Our little team made it out a little earlier than usual. It’s daylight when Traci and I arrive in Detroit now. It stays light for a couple of hours after we get there now. This is significant because now we can actually see everything everywhere we are going. All of the little spots we had been going to suddenly came together on the map. I think I’m finally getting a feel for where I’m at. The first spot we went to, I didn’t even recognize where I was at until I saw the house across the street. It was someplace I had actually taken pictures of. Everything looked unfamiliar in the honest daylight. One of the volunteers went inside the dilapidated burned down house to get the residents to come out. After a few minutes, they did. There were several people who were all very hungry. They were very grateful for their survival bags, too. There was a woman who was panhandling at an intersection nearby. We were able to take care of her, too. She was so sweet. We made a couple of new friends. One lady told me that the building was named The Church. Perhaps that was what it was once upon a time. We were parked half on the curb with our hazard lights on, but still, someone yelled at me out of his big, shiny truck, “Get out of the road!”
I felt bad for the people who were standing behind the truck getting clothes. We were out of the way.
After we helped everyone we could, we floated on down the city streets. Everything feels so timeless there. The history is unlimited.
We trekked back to the spot where the tent was. A week earlier, we had met the nicest couple who lived there. Today, it is a blackened patch of earth. They were using some sort of heater, and apparently it caught fire. I’m choosing to assume they are okay until I hear otherwise. Just one black patch under a tree.
The next spot we sat in for a little while. Stan let us know that he was glad to have us on the team on a regular basis. I felt like I finally got the validation I was waiting for there. It felt… complete. One woman told us that she’s smart because she sleeps on the tops of buildings, on the roof, so no one can charge her with breaking and entering. She was looking for a tent, but I didn’t have one.
I did however, happen to be in the possession of, what I like to call, a jackpot purse. Now, I have a sweetheart friend of mine who like to blow a whole wad on “one super phatty-boom-batty purse to condescend all other purses”. It’s so wicked, I can’t even open it, because I wouldn’t be able to close it. She bought it because she saw a girl in one of my post, and something in her told her to give that to her. I’ve had it in my truck for about 6 weeks now and I haven’t seen that girl again. So I asked one of the volunteers if he had a way to contact her. He did. We waited in the parking lot for a while. We served a bunch more wayward people in need. Finally, she was there. I grabbed her jackpot purse and went up to her. She is so beautiful. Literally, she is stunning like a movie star. But she looked really sad. I reminded her of who I was. I told her about the purse, and why it was just for her. She just looked at me. I told her to take it because it was just for her. I put it over her shoulder. She grabbed me and hugged me for a long time. I just kept telling her that she was loved, she was so loved. She was loved by me, she was loved by people who never met her but didn’t need to in order to love her. And her body shook in my arms. She didn’t let go. I just kept telling her I loved her. I wanted her to be okay. That she deserved goodness. She cried on my shoulder. I held her until she was ready. “I love you, baby girl.” The journey of the Jackpot purse was complete.
Traci had already loaded up her boyfriend with food and survival bags. She kept saying, “Thank you” and then slinked off into the urban decay.
We stopped at a couple of more places where Traci and I were able to distribute more food and survival bags.
Our last stop was our familiar stomp. It only took a couple of minutes before the people starting coming out of the plethora of vacants and into the street up to the van. I have to admit, food was the star of this evening. And while I’m admitting things- I admit, my chicken salad sandwich lunches are praise worthy. It’s homemade. They really can taste the love. The dessert is pretty impressive, too. But, while I’m in a confessing mood. I confess that fresh fruit is a darn special treat. The meals are complete. The hygiene bags are complete. I think I have blanketed twice over every homeless person on the east and southwest side of Detroit. That’s a good thing. Everyone was fed, warmed, and cleaned to the best of our abilities. We went through all the food, all the hygiene bags, all the socks, all the clothes. We emptied out the Denali in 2 and a half hours. I wish we could have brought more.
A homeless gentleman I helped tonight called me a daughter of God, and he prayed over me. What more do I need?
