3/22/2022
The theme for this week is Needs. First of all, I have health needs. I have been walloped by the flu since I came home from Detroit last Wednesday morning. I can’t remember the last time a flu virus has really infuriated my immune system the way this one has. I told Traci that I didn’t think I was going to be recovered enough to go to Detroit this week. Then I got a text.
Monday afternoon, I got a text from a lady who was one of our very first friends, The Classy Lady. My beloved girl was going to rehab by the end of this week. She told me she knew that she could do it because Traci and I told her that she could. She said that if we can rise, so can she. She wants to be a good mama more than anything. She is ready.
She needed clean clothes to fit her growing body. She asked for hygiene products for her stay. She asked for coloring books.
She asked for a journal…
So, maybe even if I didn’t do a big trip this week, we could still help some people. That’s what we do. We help people out by being on their side while they try to survive. You need to have someone on your side. My Lady needed us, and I wasn’t going to let her down.
Traci agreed. Today, we put together a nice suitcase full of maternity clothes, and selfcare items. I packed her a couple of coloring books, and a couple of spiral notebooks.
We arrived late because I’m slower moving than I would care to be. I know they need us, so I power though. I caught the team driving past, so I jumped onto the end of the convoy. It was the darnedest thing. We drove straight to the exact neighborhood where she stays. She’s not in the same house anymore, and that is a huge improvement.
She came out right away. We talked for a while about what it was going to take to be successful at her goals. She was grateful to have all of us in her corner. I told her about how much she meant to my friend who made her the blanket. She is loved. She is worth saving.
It didn’t take long for the rest of our friends and favorites to pour out. We passed out almost all the food and blankets at just that one stop. We needed to see them. They needed to see us. It’s the food and hygiene, but it’s not just the food and hygiene. We talk to everyone about where they are at and what they need. Last week, I was able to get a girl connected with resources to help her get her ID. This week, we gave another young woman an arsenal of confidence. We’ve had her back for over a year now. Her up and downs, in and outs. We’re going to watch her climb out. We have plans for her to work for Magdalene’s Mission when we finally get our resource house in Detroit.
It’s a good thing she needed us. I talked to a very kind, senior man tonight who I have only started seeing recently. Traci found out that he was shelter challenged and she was able to give him a tent and a couple of blankets.
We took care of nearly 20 people in just that one spot. The temperature was dropping quickly. It was starting to rain. It was turning into a recipe for exacerbating my already weakened body. I called it a night. We did what we needed to do.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. Amen.
#peaceloveandhygiene #magdalenesmission
