Story Time:
It’s All I Have…there has been a young guy walking the streets here that has caught my attention. The Wesley students told me his name is Brian. He is basically homeless. The first night I saw him, he had an overstuffed, green, Army duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His head hung so low I thought it would touch his knees. When I asked how he was doing, he stopped, looked me square in the eye and then grunted out a, “I’m fineâ€. Not very convincing. This morning he walked by and again I asked him how he was doing and as scripted said “fineâ€. Then he stopped, turned, and commented that he wished he could help me get out of the box but he didn’t have any money.  I smiled and told him that’s ok. He retorted, “My girlfriend after eight months broke up with me. I’ve lost my job, lost my house, and I don’t have anything.†I just stared on, not sure what to say. Then he dug into his pocket, revealed a lone dime and dropped it into my donation box.
I have a choice to come out of this shack. I’m intentionally being miserable. What do we say to those who seem to be out of choices and options? Do they find the hope they need? He gave all he had…and it was the gift that has touched me the most. I look forward to more conversations with him and to share the love of Christ with him.
Tattoo Man: Across the street is Donavan. Donavan is covered in tattoos and most likely not any older than 25. He arrived in Auburn ten days ago and some Christian guys across the street are allowing him to stay with them temporarily. He was quite a site as he headed to church Sunday morning with a Bible in one hand, short sleeve shirt and long shorts revealing all the tattoos and puffing hungrily on a cigarette. What a picture of God’s grace…His story: He is from Mobile and was part of the circus. Lost his job and made his way to Auburn. He needs a house and asked if in addition to repairing homes if we built them. We talked a bit about Habitat for Humanity and what their ministry is like. His girlfriend is supposedly coming down from Tennessee and she is four months pregnant. Donavan does not have a car so has been walking the streets looking for work. But he has a gleam in his eye when he shares about his new found faith in Christ and desiring to stay out of trouble. Donavan is very giving. He brought me a massive hamburger/hotdog plate, offered to cook me some eggs and oatmeal, and today shared a story of an infant with a hole in his heart needing medical assistance.  Another gentleman with little to give but a ton of love to share…
Yesterday I had a wonderful visit from a young boy with autism. I never would have known had his mom not told me. She was so good with him; patient, understanding, and also willing to give him lots of opportunities. Not only did he paint but we did several other things-first he noticed patterns and began to paint replications of other patterns. Deeply intrigued by “button tap†nails, we talked about their water proofing qualities and how they help keep the felt from tearing-then he learned how to hammer them into wood. He went into my “shack†several times noticing the plastic on the windows, the plastic stuffed into cracks, the felt paper not sealed on the roof, and how small my “box†was. He asked questions most eight year olds would have never considered. The thought that stands out is when the fire truck sirens went off. They are nearly deafening. And it was at a moment that I had a water hose running to clean paint brushes. He did not want to put his hands under the running water, then the sirens went off…with deliberate love his mom covered his ears and explained that sometimes he didn’t like running water. I could sense that the overstimulation from his senses could potentially send him into an autistic episode. He was great. But I saw the incredible tenderness of a mom willing to let him experience things on his own but doing her best to gently protect him as best she could.
Her love reminded me of our Father’s love. He allows us to make mistakes, to have full access to all the joys and pains in our world, but also has a gentle and gracious hand to protect us from the unexpected harm that can come.
I’m grateful to friends like the Spurlocks and the Fulgrams who have come by frequently to chat, to the friends who have provided meals and to all those who have called and emailed. I feel blessed to be here and to know the love of so many!
It was a beautiful day. As I write we are up to about $3500 so $6500 to go!
Blessings!
Comments are closed