WARNING: It is 1 a.m. I’m doing the best that I can to write this before I pass out into a mild coma.
The theme for tonight was, Worth It. We had a powerful team assembled. We had Stanley our fearless medic, Katie the Courageous and Committed nurse, and four other bright, dedicated, nurses offering the best of what a medical street team has to offer. Andy was with us providing everything his bottomless heart and one hatchback could hold that could help someone who is suffering horribly from a drug addiction. That man’s commitment astounds me. We had the extra help from SWORDS tonight, too. They are a group that works collectively to assist women who are in sex work industry. Magdalene’s Mission was the formidable caboose, packed to the gills with grit and provisions for our homeless brothers and sisters living on the street.
We managed to reach many people who were shelter challenged tonight. The first place we went to was at a park where a whole huge group of homeless were gathered. First one person came up, then a couple more, and a few more. We fed a lot of people right away. People were excited to see the warm clothes available to them. The mini flashlights were another huge hit, as usual. Also, autumn means it’s blanket and handwarmer season.
The medic team had a steady night. Andy, Stan, and the other volunteers bravely walked to the back of dark lots to find people who lived in tiny makeshift houses. Sometimes, no one answered so we hope for the best for them and move on. We drove to some of the busier areas on the southwest side tonight.
And one point we drove through a massive cloud of smoke. It went on for a mile or so. We could barely see through it. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It was quite eerie.
We hung out on the side of the road, and in gravel parking lots. The last spot we went to, we were able to give someone a roll of some leftover tarp. We met so many interesting people tonight. Some were adorable and others were plain bizarre.
There were a lot of crowds to serve tonight. We had a lot of food to pass out this week, thanks to Katie. She baked little, tiny quiches in muffin papers. She packaged up mini bagged lunches so that all we had to do was pass them out. She even found us a group from a church who has volunteered to prepare meals for us on the third Tuesday of each month. That is an amazing blessing! Something as easy as preparing sandwiches can take a huge load off us getting everything ready for Tuesday. But I as I mentioned, it’s worth it. It’s worth it for the smiles, the hugs, the laughs, the hope raised, the comradery, the peace of mind knowing that forty or more people will be sleeping a lot warmer, cleaner, and healthier tonight because we made it out to see them.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. Amen.
And now It’s after 2 am., and I am going to a place I am grateful to have- My own bed. Goodnight, beautiful world.
#peaceloveandhygiene #magdalenesmission
