I did not plan on doing any ministry at our headquarters yesterday (Saturday) when I popped in to get some things that I needed. I drove Angie's car thinking that I could slip in where if I would have drove the van they come running when they see it. I drove in the back entrance and was going to park by the trailers. I had told Angie that I was not going to be gone long at all! She is starting to not believe me. Anyway, we I pulled in I saw a 24 year old young man that I have worked with before going through the garbage bins. I stopped and asked him if he was hungry because I knew that was the only thing he was looking for. He said that he was hungry and I told him to give me about 5 minutes and I would prepare something for him to eat.
I fixed the food then I wondered what he was doing so I went around back to check. When I got back there I startled him because he was laying on the rocks trying to sleep. He was so tired and hungry! He had a sweater on and it have gathered everything from the parking lot that would stick to it. I got him inside and seated to eat when a prostitute that I have worked with in the past came in the door with a big smile on her face. She had just been released from jail on Friday. She told me of how she was walking behind a guy when a bag of heroin fell from his pocket. She said her first thought was to put her foot over it and grab it up for herself but she didn't! She yelled at the guy and told him that he had dropped something. She was very proud of herself for doing that and I told her that I was proud of her too!
I fixed the food then I wondered what he was doing so I went around back to check. When I got back there I startled him because he was laying on the rocks trying to sleep. He was so tired and hungry! He had a sweater on and it have gathered everything from the parking lot that would stick to it. I got him inside and seated to eat when a prostitute that I have worked with in the past came in the door with a big smile on her face. She had just been released from jail on Friday. She told me of how she was walking behind a guy when a bag of heroin fell from his pocket. She said her first thought was to put her foot over it and grab it up for herself but she didn't! She yelled at the guy and told him that he had dropped something. She was very proud of herself for doing that and I told her that I was proud of her too!
Sandy is someone that I cared for so much the very first time she came in. Sandy has worked as a pharmacist in the past. She was getting off work one night when her vehicle would not start. Her mother was watching her baby and Sandy had called her to see if she would come and get her. Mom said that her and the baby were in bed and suggested that she call another family member. Sandy pleaded with her mom to please put the baby in the car seat and come to pick her up. Mom gave in and on her way her and the baby were involved in an accident which killed them both. Sandy ended up on the streets as a heroin addicted prostitute. The picture above is from the first time she came in extremely high on heroin. She has a great deal of potential. She has became a good friend and I pray that she will be able to get the help she needs to get her life back on track. She has to attend many of the meetings that Donna has to attend so I am sure Donna will be helping her. She looked so much better and I was very happy for her.
Back to what was going on in headquarters....I had sent a text to Donna so that she would hurry to headquarters so that she could talk to Sandy. These two had used and prostituted on the streets together in the past. Andrew the 24 year old continued to eat what I had fixed him. Sandy and I sat at my desk and talked about a game plan. She had to leave before Donna got there. Andrew and I talked about what could possibly make his life better. It was clear that Andrew suffered from some mental illness. He said that he needed to get back to his family in Wilmington. I asked if there was someone that would definitely take him in so that he would not be transferring homelessness. He said yes so I started checking on a bus ticket for him. Another prostitute who is crack addicted came in the door! She was high as a kite and she knew Andrew so they had a reunion with her doing 99% of the talking. Donna showed up and ministered to this prostitute then finally we were ready to set out to the bus station.
When we arrived at the bus station we found the counter to be closed for 1.5 hours for lunch. Is this Mayberry or what? A police officer who was working the bus station saw Andrew and called him by name. The officer had given him money earlier in the morning to get something to drink. Evidently Andrew had spent the night around the bus station. I worked with the officer more that day but we were not able to get him on the bus because I got tied up with something else and did not get the message that they would accept him without identification. The officer was going to try to get him into a program on Monday to get him some help. Neither one of us felt very good about sending him without contacting family first. I will be watching for him this week to see if I can be of assistance. He really is a nice young man. I think that he has had a very challenging life. It is sad to see people living in these type of circumstances.
This is an example of how things go down at headquarters! I got home three hours later. This is really how the whole week had gone! Now tomorrow starts another week then Friday I will be heading for New Orleans for a week of hitting the streets speaking and learning from a number of awesome men of God at The Priority One Conference.
Back to what was going on in headquarters....I had sent a text to Donna so that she would hurry to headquarters so that she could talk to Sandy. These two had used and prostituted on the streets together in the past. Andrew the 24 year old continued to eat what I had fixed him. Sandy and I sat at my desk and talked about a game plan. She had to leave before Donna got there. Andrew and I talked about what could possibly make his life better. It was clear that Andrew suffered from some mental illness. He said that he needed to get back to his family in Wilmington. I asked if there was someone that would definitely take him in so that he would not be transferring homelessness. He said yes so I started checking on a bus ticket for him. Another prostitute who is crack addicted came in the door! She was high as a kite and she knew Andrew so they had a reunion with her doing 99% of the talking. Donna showed up and ministered to this prostitute then finally we were ready to set out to the bus station.
When we arrived at the bus station we found the counter to be closed for 1.5 hours for lunch. Is this Mayberry or what? A police officer who was working the bus station saw Andrew and called him by name. The officer had given him money earlier in the morning to get something to drink. Evidently Andrew had spent the night around the bus station. I worked with the officer more that day but we were not able to get him on the bus because I got tied up with something else and did not get the message that they would accept him without identification. The officer was going to try to get him into a program on Monday to get him some help. Neither one of us felt very good about sending him without contacting family first. I will be watching for him this week to see if I can be of assistance. He really is a nice young man. I think that he has had a very challenging life. It is sad to see people living in these type of circumstances.
This is an example of how things go down at headquarters! I got home three hours later. This is really how the whole week had gone! Now tomorrow starts another week then Friday I will be heading for New Orleans for a week of hitting the streets speaking and learning from a number of awesome men of God at The Priority One Conference.
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