Is everybody as confused on what day it is as I am or is that just part of growing old? I was getting ready this morning to join Mr Scott and our visits and realized it is only Friday, oops. Of course those of you who have been up before dawn and shopping, you all know what day it is. Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving with your family and friends.
We had another great week around the center. Saturday morning, we gathered for our monthly breakfast feast. Momma T, Sinotra, James all helped preparing our pancakes, bacon and delicious coffee. We had a big crowd of folks join us, some from the neighborhood, some from across the street and some from Longview. Yes, Gus joined us. He brought with him a full page article from the Longview newspaper about his time spent with us last summer and his adventures under the bridge. It was a great article about Gus and his dreams for the Longview area.
Following our breakfast, we joined Mr Scott and made our visits to our outdoor friends. Our first stop is to see Robert and Turner. Sometimes we have to go into Robert's camp to wake him up, other times Robert is waiting for us with his coffee cup in hand. Some of us gather some supplies and walk down the tracks, across of very scary bridge for some of us and then into the woods to see Turner. We have known Turner for several years now, at first he would never come out to meet us. A few months passed and he would walk to the van when we parked by Robert's camp, but he has never come all the way to the van, now that we can not park by the camp. This morning, we walked back to his camp and he told Momma T and Mr Scott, I will come out to the van. So a few minutes later as we get back to the van, here comes Turner riding his bicycle out to meet us! Amazing.
I had taken my truck and followed Mr Scott in the van. We got separated at one of our stops, so I went to Labor Ready and waited for the van. Here I sat, talking to the guys and waiting and waiting and waiting. Wondering to myself, this is hard. Is this what the guys do all day everyday. They wait for a call to maybe go on a job. They wait in line for food. They wait in line to wash their clothes. They wait in line to take a shower. They wait in line at the van to get underwear. They wait. I don't go through a drive through at a restaurant because I have to wait a minute or two. I get frustrated when the morning paper doesn't come and I have to wait. What does that say about us?
While I was there, talking to Dale and others, one of my tennis shoes soles was coming off. One of the guys said you need some new shoes. I said, yea I do, but can't afford a new pair. Another guy sitting next to us, David, said here take my shoes, I have another pair in my camp. He took them off and gave them to me. I said thank you but I can't take your shoes. He said, yes you can I want you to have them. What a moment of humbling of my spirit. Being offered a pair of shoes from someone who lives under a bridge. Wow.
While we were at Labor Ready, we were visiting with our regular friends and we had two different cars pull up. People got out of the cars and went to the back of the van to ask for items. I don't see Momma T ever get upset, but she came over and said that's not right. Dale and I were sitting on the back of my truck and Dale had just said, that is not right. We talked about new ways to help our outdoor friends.
This week, there was no school, so we did not have our homework activities in the center. But as we all know, if the children know we are there, they will come. Krysten was there and they came. Monday afternoon, I thought it was special, two of our high school helpers, took time out of their vacation to come and be with our children. Each day, the front of the center was full of jump rope, hop scotch, checkers and colorful chalk drawings. Thanks to all for coming by and helping out.
Thursday evening, we opened up the doors for our regularly meal. Ms Lisa and Krysten had bought chips, cookies, drinks, ham, bread and they made sandwiches for our meal. We put them in paper bags, but some wanted to stay around and eat, so we put the meal on plates and had a great time. We were able to hook up a TV and even had one of the football games on for us to watch. We had more of the community there than I thought. Some wanted to get out of the house for awhile, some needed the groceries we had packed up, some were really hungry. They said the buses were not running, so this was the only meal they had had all day. Thanks to all who came by and helped out. This is a tradition we need to keep going.
Prayers will be needed for our Haiti family as they travel back to us on Sunday. Prayers their flights are on time so they can arrive back in Shreveport on time.
Hope you all have a great weekend when it gets here! God is good! Amen.
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