The theme for this week is hot and fast. It was hotter than a mug in Detroit tonight. Everyone was grateful for the extra water we packed. Katie brought me a case of fresh plums. Fruit is delicious and life saving on a day like today.
Another extra special part of our mission this week was to deliver tents to a few different homeless women who had reached out to Magdalene’s Mission or were spotted sleeping on the sidewalk outside by another team member. Traci found 4 solid tents at 5 Below and we were able to afford shelter and safety for those women. We gathered up blankets and pillows that were donated and added that, too.
We only ended up at a few spots tonight. It’s so hot outside that more people were out and about. Every spot we went to started out with just a person or two, and then it became a mini swarm around the van. So many people were desperate for food, clothing, and a way to keep clean. I usually say ‘grateful’, but this week I mean literally desperate. I’ve started giving out food other than the meals, too. I have boxes of cereal that have been donated and people are super hungry for anything I give them. Clothes was a big need this week. I ran into a girl whose boyfriend threw away all her belonging when she broke up with him. She’s such a sweetheart.
At that very first spot I met a homeless woman who was getting ready to go to rehab in 2 days. She was scared. I kept telling her I knew she could do it. She told me to find a friend of hers who if I saw her, she was in desperate need of medical attention. She had in infected wound that had started to get maggots in it and was smelling very badly. “She just smells awful. She needs help.”
(Apparently, maggots are not an all-bad sign because they eat infected tissue and leave the healthy tissue behind. But she totally, obviously, definitely, desperately, needed to seek medical attention. Like, maggots are not long-term first aid. I hope. Weird stuff I learn on the street.)
She was nervous because she was going to rehab in 2 days. She repeated it over and over. As if she needed to validate its reality. One of the volunteers from the Street Medicine Team offered to pray with her. It’s what they often do. She told the volunteer that she didn’t know if that was a good idea right now. She was struggling with believing in God at that moment. The volunteer was sweet about it, and said it was okay, she still loved her and wished her the best.
I piped up with, “That’s okay if you don’t believe in God, sweetie. He always believes in you. And so do I.”
We parked in some weird places while Andy disappeared behind fences or old buildings to look for our clients. Sometimes, he found them. Sometimes we rolled on to the next person. The last spot we were in was a new neighborhood for me and Traci. We stopped there because Andy recognized someone in front of a store. Half an hour later, we served so many people that we were cleaned out of food and hygiene supplies. We went through the clothing. Traci and I didn’t even get a chance to see the people we got tents for yet. We passed them on to the medical team who would be out for a few more hours.
Fortunately, however, when I got home there was a text from Katie saying that she was able to give a tent to one of my favorite girls in Detroit. She was so excited! She said she is going to take it apart every day so that she can take it with her wherever she goes. Hallelujah! That girl is a special cookie.
The streets were hot, and the food went fast. We came. We saw. We served it with style. Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. Amen.
#magdalenesmission #peaceloveandhygiene
