It was a fantastic night for street outreach. I’m proud to tell you about it. Magdalene’s Mission team worked in tandem with a medical team. We also worked with a harm reduction volunteer that gave us people and places that could sorely use our help.
Our first client lived several miles away. The first person we served was an old man at an intersection on the way there. Traci grabbed a meal and a hygiene kit. Nick passed it out the window to him. Drive-by love.
When we got there, Traci saw a black cat. He was at the end of the alley. I wanted to feed him, but he ran off. It took a long time, but eventually we were able to meet a few people so that we could make sure they were clean and fed. It’s what any good mama would do.
We stayed on the same road for several miles. We pulled over behind some boarded up apartments. People came out one or two at a time. We were able to help a lot of people at that spot.
My Aunt Bobbie procured a donation of fifty sleeping bag coats! They are literally lifesavers. I wish you could have seen their faces light up when they got one.
One woman who we had served came back up to the van complaining about a hair in her food. I mean, she still ate the entire bowl of mac ’n cheese. Then she came back and complained that she had found a hair. I apologized (even though I doubted it) but she was starting to get rude about it.
So, I asked her if she wanted a refund.
She said she did.
?!
I handed her three more bowls, and she said that would do.
?!
Adventures with Jesus, as I like to call them.
But THEN, and here’s a big surprise- We saw our Classy Lady! One of our original girls from the east side, 5 years ago!
She looks great. She’s definitely a lot healthier. She’s no longer homeless. She remembers fondly the unconditional love she was given during her darkest days.
She was all set for food and clothes, but a new purse with a hygiene kit was all she needed for her to remember that she is loved.
It was a very poor neighborhood. Eventually, at least three men came out of their houses to see what was going on. They walked back and forth, and around the vehicles. Eventually circling close enough that we asked them if they needed anything. They were very appreciative for the thing they received. One man just wanted food and hygiene. One man just wanted hygiene. One man came to tell us we were doing good work and to thank us for our help in the community. By the time he left, his arms were full of things he needed. His voice was full of praises to God.
The next stop was a weird one. It was dark out by then. I’m not sure what part pf town we were in. It was one of those neighborhoods that has a lot of empty lots, next to okay houses, next to boarded up houses. The medical volunteers were going to visit someone specifically. I couldn’t see exactly where they were going to find someone. Was it the pile of trash? The broken down garage? The house with an attic light on? I had no idea. Eventually they came back to say he was locked inside of wherever he was. He would accept food but not open the door. They weren’t sure whether he couldn’t or wouldn’t unlock the door.
We pulled over for an old man who was lying on some blankets in front of a store. There was another guy with him on a bike. They were listening to music. I watched the medical team from the van. They were with him for a long time with gauze and what looked like a cast. They had to roll him to give him a blanket to sleep on. I’m guessing that he couldn’t move on his own. I made sure he was fed and clean. The guy on the bike went into the store while the guy on the ground was being helped. He came back just before we left. He got back on his bike, like it was his post and he was still on guard for the old man on the sidewalk.
The last stop was another four older men sitting outside a store that was closed for the night. I let Nick handle this one. He passed out the last of the meals to the last people we saw. He told me there was one meal left, just as a lady walked up towards us asking us if we had food. Very serendipitous.
She talked about the church nearby where they could come in and get a cup of coffee and just sit for a while. It reminded me of the Justice In Mental Organization office that I used to work at in Lansing. As she talked, we were picking up clues that she had some cognitive difficulties. That was probably why she was homeless. She asked us if we had a broom, a dustpan, and a mop in the van so that she could clean up the area.
She was so kind. She was so sweet and thoughtful.
And now she and I are both praying for one another.
Also, we went out last week, too. But we only hit 2 spots and we emptied out the van. I need a bigger vehicle. We did run into a guy we hadn’t seen in about a year. He’s still homeless, but he’s not using heroin anymore and he is picking up construction jobs a little at a time until he can get out of there. He did have truck for a couple of weeks. But he couldn’t afford the insurance. He got pulled over and the now the truck is gone. But he’s still working at it. Never giving up until he reaches his goals. Because that’s how you succeed. And…
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.
Amen.
May the Creator bless you forever!