I wanted to share a few quick stories. There a lots to tell… but for now I will give you 2.
First off let me explain the setting.
I am living in a cheap motel off in Atlanta paid for by Brother Sean Rogers. In my past blogs I mentioned him. Brother Sean is a Roman Catholic missionary to the poor. He is an amazing man and humble to say the least. He took the vow of poverty 18 years ago and has since been a part of a plethora of different ministries and has thousands of stories that you would not want to miss out on. Some sad, some encouraging, some scary but all are impactful.
I will try to make these short and sweet.
Not long ago Brother Sean assembled a very small team of people to do a ‘Street Sweep’, attempting to connect with people in the most run down areas and test them for HIV. This happened in Broward County FL and was a pilot ministry you could say. The testing device is known as an oral sure test (OraSure). A quick swab of the mouth can show your results in around 20 minutes. Now mind you they did not have any sort of security with them and were warned by local authorities to not go down these streets overnight. Sean and his crazy friends persisted.
In the span of 3 nights they managed to test 61 people. Some were prostitutes, some gang members, hustlers, homeless, and even locals. The time that transpired during the testing period is where LOVE came in. These men sat and listened to stories about life struggles, dreams and fears. After hugs and tears happened each person was directed to a local case management if they turn out to be HIV positive. It turns out that 39 out of 61 were positive.
The local authorities on the matter insisted that out of 39, the odds of any of them showing up were slim to none. In fact 17 showed up and were treated and got into case management. Over the next 90 days, 16 out of 17 were still in treatment. This is an amazing statistic.
But probably the most heart stopping fact about these 3 nights is this. During that span from sun down to around 4am… they kept crime down by bringing LOVE to a community who hadn’t felt LOVE in a long time. Police officials revealed later to their amazement that the crime rate on those specific 3 nights were down by 82%. Astounding. How they know that is the 911 call rate. They average it out over the month and each night was a drastic drop in those specific areas of testing. I will leave you to dwell on that. Need I say more?
The second is an ongoing story. Brother Sean has gotten me into the habit of befriending some of the local homeless people. There are two in particular. Fred “The Magic Man” and Jarod. Magic is a tall lanky black man who lives across the street in the back of a furniture gallery. This gallery allowed him to build a wooden box with materials he found around town, and allows him to stay on the back loading dock with electricity. This guy Magic is my best friend so far. We constantly keep in contact with him and deliver food when we can. Amazing heart and you will see him on video soon.
They next guy is Jarod. This guy is 30 days away from a job and healthy life style. If you shaved the crusty beard away you would find a kind and charming early thirty year old white guy. We see him on a daily basis. He is a pest sometimes. He has the worst attitude out here and sadly enough he has the most potential in the shortest amount of time according to area statistics. Jarod won’t be alive much longer. Jarod chugs vodka all day. He cannot eat. His pancreas is deteriorated and liver almost dead. His mother contacts Sean to deliver items to him. Although he acts like a child he has shown some genuine character here and there. He left a note for us today saying “thank you for the food” in scribbled writing.
Honestly enough I don’t know what the answer is and I don’t know how to fix it. All I am called to do is love this person and show that in the best ways I know how. But sadly … if nothing changes he will pass on very soon. But he has to make the choice to change… we can only do so much.
These pics below were taken from today before we went to church. Magic and I have a good relationship. I first met him at Wendys while I was eating a burger. He goes around performing tricks for a few bucks here and there. I don’t give out money but I offered food and prayer. Ever since we see each other a lot and he is always in good spirits. He is just dying to be heard he says. He just wants people to see his acts and performances.
Pic 1 – his performing act
Pic 2 – Looking into the wooden box he calls home (cardboard roof).
Pic 3 and 4- Pulling out items he uses for his acts.
Now I am not an expert on numbers and statistics when it comes to the homeless population or even logistics on how to best make laws or ordinances on how to approach the issue. I am not claiming there is a sure fire way to get it done.
All I know is we need to go out and LOVE everyone. Starting with the forgotten ones. These people have stories and they have been put on the economy’s back burner for long enough.
Go out and LOVE these people. Don’t change their habits or their views. Love them … and God will do the rest! He saves.. not us.
I am so blessed to be where I am at and I am really excited for what God has for His Kingdom on Earth. I still pinch myself at the thought that he lets me play a role.
Cheers and much LOVE,
-gtm
