Wow. The theme for this week is Compassion. Please have compassion on this report. I am so tired, but I want to share with you this amazing evening. My, my love was in the air this balmy Spring evening. I drove around anticipating the strawberry moon. Like a big, fat, pink kiss right over Detroit.
It’s also Construction season in Michigan which led to us being an hour late. We met up with the team 8 miles down the road from the meeting place. It was one of those neighborhoods where there aren’t many real houses left. There’s just a lot of empty, grassy knolls, marred by dilapidated and charred buildings. But the people who come out are so sweet.
We helped a pregnant woman. My food angel this week was my dearly beloved friend Marti Towas. I had so much going on this week I don’t know how I would have made it without her. Fortunately, we were blessed to have 50ish heathy meals to pass out to many famished people.
One girl came back to van after a few minutes. She told Traci that she so hungry and the turkey sandwich was so good. May she please have another? Of course, my dear. She was an absolute sweetheart.
We passed out a lot of pepper spray. I love how engaged the other team member are at helping each person as a valued individual. They stay with them until they know they have taken care of them the best they can.
We were prayed over by no less than 3 black men this evening.
One stop was extra busy. It usually is. A lot of drama can happen there from time to time, but there are a lot o desperate people in those derelict houses.
A couple of people texted me who I wasn’t able to see. One girl lived in a neighborhood where we shouldn’t go after dark anymore. Another girl, we just ran out of stuff before we got to her. Another guy just wanted to say hi and that he missed us.
This week we had something extra special to go in the bags. The brilliant Nancy Lybrink made these flyers for me. The have a list of all the local community resources that proved medical care, harm reduction supplies, food, shelter, and ME- Magdalene’s Mission.
There were a few people who came up to the van looking very defeated, very sad. By the time they walked away, they were smiling, praising God, excited. It was wonderful. One woman, Traci put this adorable dress on her. It looked somewhat expensive and had these beautiful turquoise beads across the neck. Traci said she cried when she put it on. I found a pair of matching gold flats and pretty flowered purse with a gold chain strap that had her hygiene kit in it. She was so excited. We first saw her; she was sitting on the sidewalk crying about how bad everything was. When we left her, she was prancing.
It was a night full of people. We saw a lot in a short time.
Our last stop of the night, we gave food and blankets to a man who was begging at an intersection. He asked if he could please have food for his wife, too. Three youths rode by on bikes. They asked if they could help us out. They collected broken lawn mowers and bicycles. Then they fixed them up and gave them as payment to people so they could they catch their own fish. I gave them my card and a meal. They were hungry. They said I was one of The Cool Kids. Giovanni said so. It’s officially official.
I let them take our last four meals to the southwest side. I jumped on the highway we were only a block away from and made the long journey home.
We passed out a heck of a lot of love tonight. A lot of our people are out and about. So much gratitude, so many smiles, so many blessings passed back and forth. So many compassionate volunteers with tremendous skills are bringing it to the place where people require it the most but expect it the least.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. Amen.
#magdalenesmission
#peaceloveandhygiene
