An Atlanta Aspiration
Profile…
Name: Larry Keith Sadler
Location: Hurt Park, Atlanta
Occupation: Jewelry Entrepreneur
Interests: Music & Nature
We had an ‘assignment’ at training camp to serve somewhere/ somehow in the Atlanta community. Our ‘mission’ was to simply meet the people that call the streets of Atlanta their home. My group wound up at a place called ‘Hurt Park’. It was a nice sunny day so there was a lot of people crowded in a fairly small park surrounded by streets and buildings. As we were approaching the park, these questions started running through my head…
What the heck are we doing here?
How do I approach someone?
What do even I say?
These thoughts were interrupted abruptly by…
“I LOVE That Necklace… It’s so unique! What is it made of?”
Dear World- meet Larry Keith Sadler.
Larry Keith’s bold curiosity in my necklace sparked a conversation about jewelry. Larry Keith did not present a need for money or pity. He simply wanted to share his motivation for making jewelry and get advice on what materials would work best for his creations to sell. He had a plastic grocery bag, tied neatly in a knot with some odds & ends he had found on the ground and wanted to create jewelry with. We touched on subjects from polyurethane and guitar strings to fall colors and views of the East coast. I realized that this man was sincere in his passion, and I felt a tug on my heart to help him in some way. Before I could think real hard about it I blurted out…“Could I make you business cards?!”
“You’d do that for ME?!” Larry Keith replied.
I will never forget that smile of shock on his face, then tears, then Joy. He was blown away at the idea the idea of having his very own advertisement tool with HIS name on it. He also wanted to be a part in creating it. We spent the next hour and a half discussing details of what it would say, how it would look, and where they could be delivered.
People just want to talk. They want to be heard & have importance in…
Did I have any Idea I would leave Atlanta with ‘make business card for Larry’ on my to do list? Nope.
I honestly have no clue what possessed me to even offer. It was just laid upon my heart to do something random & personable for him & his dream ‘business’.
If Jesus had Photoshop, I’m sure he would have done the same =)
Will this change Larry Keith’s Life? _______________ Probably not
Will his jewelry creations do well? ________________ Probably not
Does a man living on the streets have
his own business cards, a story
& a feeling someone cares about him?____ Absolutely
So to answer my initial questions :
What did I do here?
Showed Larry Keith I care about him, his life, and his goals
How did I approach someone?
I didn’t have to. He approached me.
What did I say?
Larry Keith’s business card he inspired and will pick up at his local church, ‘Rescue Atlanta.’
Strive not to define people by the things they lack, but things that ARE. To me Larry is not a ‘homeless’ man. He is a positive man with a passion for beauty. The fact he does not have a home should not define him… or anyone.
