Happy Halloween!!! The spirits were definitely upon us in Detroit tonight! The spirits of Hope, Faith, and Peace were with us in powerful ways. I am continuously in awe of the human spirit, and prolific effect God can have come from the smallest of offerings. Let me tell you where Traci and I followed our stoic medic team to on this this crisp Halloween evening through Detroit.
We started out on the east side. It was one of those neighborhoods that doesn’t look like anyone should live there, but in a few of the houses they actually do. Many were torn down by now, but a few charred skeletons remained. One house in particular perplexed me. The windows were all boarded up, but there were motion lights hooked up to the front porch. Odd things we see, I suppose.
The medical team were awesome and inspiring tonight. They had a few different people who needed desperate care. They were the ones who walked into houses haunted by despair.The were brave enough to engage someone else’s nightmare. Magdalene’s Mission had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, granola bars, fruit and a hygiene kit for a treat. That brought a lot of smiles. Thank you, Julie and Mary,
From there, were traversed back to the southwest side. It was a peaceful night. We saw some kids in costumes. The weather was still cold, but it hadn’t started snowing yet. Someone left a box of hand warmers in the donation closet at people’s church. Thank you so much. You were a direct answer to peoples prayers. I love that about Magdalene’s Mission.
Sometimes, we get donations of really nice stuff. I often have had people tell me that I should sell the items worth money and use it to buy more useful items for the homeless. I won’t do it though. I like giving really nice stuff to people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to own that particular item. I have this radical belief in extreme altruism. I learned how to perfect it by studying about Jesus,
Mathew 26:6-13
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9“ This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, a but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
We took care of a few different homeless people that we saw alongside the road. We saw a couple who were standing at different corners of an intersection begging for change. We did a u-turn and pulled over to help them. It was a young man and a young woman. They were relieved to see us. After speaking with the medical team, the lady was directed to come see the white van. I gave her a hug, and invited her to come over and get what she needed. As we were talking to her, we discovered that she was pregnant! She and her boyfriend were sober. They had graduated from recovery months ago, but still couldn’t get off the street. They were trying to find a place to live before the baby is born. I told her about the housing specialist, and she was thrilled. The medical team offered her a variety of resources, and made sure she was receiving prenatal care.
While we were there, I saw my Girl Who Reads! I had a special gift for her this week. My dearest friend and author, Robin Moyer, gave me signed copies of her Journey To Jakai book series. In addition to that, she gave me a Nora Roberts novel to give her. It’s always a treat to see her, to. I am so proud of them both. They never give up.
The next man we saw, thank you. Thank you. He lives in hidden fort. He was starving and freezing when the medic team directed us to him. He was a frail wisp of a man. Robin had also given me a new, LL Bean winter coat that she had inherited. She could have sold it and bought a nice dinner. I could have sold it and bought a few cheaper jackets. But we gave it to him instead. He put the coat on over the lightweight hoodie he was wearing. He started to shake, and then he wept. He wept and said, I love you, you saved my life, over and over again. We also gave him a nice sleeping bag and some hand warmers to go with the rest of the basics.
I think they deserve a bit of beauty just for not giving up. You never know.
Our last stop of the evening cleaned us out the rest of the way. Men and women of all ages surrounded the big white van in minutes. One lady in particular was extra glad to see us. Her mother is a lady that Traci and I have been worried about for weeks. She used to live in that neighborhood. Then her husband died. it only took a few weeks for her to be on the street with the very same people she was always trying to help. The last time we saw her she was with her daughter who died a couple of hours later. Her other daughter reported that the Mama Bear was getting better now She was safe. That’s mostly what we prayed for her.The Daughter thanked us. Tears trickled down her soft, bony cheeks, Traci held her gently as she cried. Poor thing.
For the faux fur coat, it made that girls face light up the entire street to put it on. For the hand warmers, they were worth more than the finest perfume. For the purse that I gave The Daughter, it offered her the priceless comfort of a good friend. Until society evolves to a post-scarcity level, we probably will always have the poor. But we won’t always have the opportunity to be a good friend to our fellow human.
Tonight, we carried that spirit of friendship with us to everyone we met.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.
Amen.
