Heart Of A Homeless Man...

One of my amazing homeless friends built this snowman. It's on the corner of Michigan and Pennsylvania Street . 

He says, "Everday I will put scarves, hats, and gloves on there until it starts to melt. If anyone needs the gloves or ear warmers please do take them."

 

This makes my heart smile. 

"We Don’t Rest In Peace...We Just Disappear...”

"We Don’t Rest In Peace...We Just Disappear...”, originally uploaded by jlosbon.

**These carts belong to Ron. He sleeps under this bridge. He earns his 'living' collecting cans and other pieces of trash that can be sold for a little bit of change. I don't know how long Ron has been on the streets, but it is the only way he knows. I've known him for over a year and have never once seen him stand up. He is always lying down, on the concrete, with his headphones in his ears. More often than not all you can hear is static coming from his radio. I don't think he can even grasp his situation. But, then again, it's his life. And who am I to judge. I rarely hear the man complain and can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him upset. Each time we leave Ron, he prays for us. His words are beautiful. Maybe he knows more than we give him credit for. God may be all he has, but isn't God really all we need? Ron, you are truly a beautiful soul and you are so very loved.**

Big Dave & The Cat Lady...

I want to introduce you to my friend, Dave. 'Big Dave' hold a special place in my heart, being that he was one of the first guys on the streets that I really got to know. My first couple nights of outreach, I was pretty quiet. But, as soon as I stepped out of my comfort zone and pulled up a milk crate and began asking Dave his story, everything started to change. He was no different than me, or my friends, or my family. He was a beloved child of God, a beautiful person...with a story and dreams and...and, now, he was my friend! 

Dave has been homeless for years and years and has some how survived some pretty situations addictions and heath situations. There is no doubt someone is looking out for him...and we've talked many, many times about how God is not done with him yet. It's a huge encouragement for me to hear him speak those words. I know there have been times in Dave's past where he was seemingly ready to just give up, lay down in his tent beside the river, and just quit. The last few months his attitude has been so refreshing. He has been trying and taking steps toward finding housing and programs to help him with this battle.

A few weeks ago, it seemed like it was never going to quit raining. The rising river forced Dave to leave his camp, the place he's called home for the past couple years. Surprisingly, this didn't effect his hope or positive attitude one bit. He told me that he knew if God ever made him move, it would be for good and he would not be returning to live in that tent. Fortunately, he has been able to stay with a friend the last couple weeks. So, he is off the streets for the time being and is really making an effort to find housing. Please, please pray for Dave to find housing and finally be able to get off the streets for good.   

Now, one thing I forgot to mention...and it may actually add to why Dave is one of my favorites. :) He is a crazy animal lover...like myself. He has a beautiful dog, named Bear, and a kitty, named Little Foot. With not knowing where he would be moving or how long it would be before he would be settled again, I got a phone call from a few friends who were helping Dave move his stuff. And...I ended up with Little Foot, who happened to be VERY pregnant. 

Little Foot had NINE kittens yesterday afternoon. They are adorable. This also happens to bring the total number of cats living in my house to...TWELVE! So, my claims to being a 'cat lady' are now a definite truth. ;) 

P.S. If you know anyone looking for a kitten, let me know! Pretty please! They will be ready to go to their new homes the end of August! :)

RIP Sweet Friend...

I literally just wrote last night about how much I missed some of my friends...and Wilda was one of those friends...(Missing My Friends)


"Wilda! Wilda! Wilda! I LOVE this lady. Sadly, she was the very first person I ever "lost". It was so hard to learn that sometimes you will see someone twice a week every week forever and then all of the sudden they are gone. I looked forward to seeing her every time I was out! I loved her amazing heart and spirit. She had tons of notebooks full of beautiful poems and kids' Sunday school lessons and blueprints for a home she hoped to one day have. She'd draw and write while she sat on the sidewalk in front of a Mexican restaurant selling items she had knitted, been given, or found in the trash. She would sit there ALL day long in the hot sun and then return to her spot on the front porch of an abandoned house every night just to get some sleep and do it all over again. Unfortunately, her "husband" was a bad piece of the equation and was a huge roadblock to Wilda getting on her feet...but as strong a woman as she was, Lewis was her weakness and she couldn't see that he was walking all over her. I pray for Wilda often...and even if I never see her again, there is no way I'll ever forget her!" 

Tonight I received word that Wilda passed away on July 22, 2009 after being struck by a car just off Washington St. and Emerson Ave. on the east side of Indianapolis. It's kind of of ironic how my words last night were..."Sadly, she was the very first person I ever "lost"." I guess that really rings true...up to this point, I've never had to face the death of a homeless friend. I think what breaks my heart the most is that no one knew about her death. But, there is no doubt that Wilda is at home with her heavenly father. This woman had such a beautifully strong faith...her love for the Lord just made her SHINE! So many people loved Wilda and she will continue to be missed. Rest in peace and God bless you sweet, sweet friend!

Missing My Friends...

I've been thinking about so many of my friends lately...and how much I miss them! Just wanted to share a few of them with you. I can't tell you how many people I've met out on the streets that have truly touched my life...I promise they've given me more than I've ever given them!

This is Juan and Denise. They recently moved to West Virgina and I haven't heard from them since the afternoon I drove down to the Greyhound station to say goodbye. I'll admit, they both have their struggles and have broken my heart a couple times, but I just can't help but love them. I hope they are doing great and are able to use this fresh start and keep themselves off the streets. This is my buddy, Rodney. He is such a sweet man. I haven't seen him since this winter, but last I heard from him he was staying in an apartment with a friend...I hope that is still the case. If you met this man you would just want to give him a big hug! At least that's the way I always felt. We almost always cracked the Bible open and he would share his favorite verses with me and I would share mine with him. We had tons of good conversations and he was always full of questions. Another thing I love about Rodney was how much he loved to help people...he was always taking "new" guys under his wing and setting them up with a few blankets and a spot next to him on the sidewalk. I miss this guy! Oh, Mickey! I've written about Mickey more than once and I could write about this man all night. He is such a beautiful soul. His heath is getting worse and I've heard his spirits are following suit. I really need to make it a priority to go visit him. After being released from the hospital he was placed in housing...Praise the Lord! He has been such a light in my life. I honestly don't think I've ever heard the man complain about anything! I'm so, so, so thankful for Mickey! For those of you who know him..."Oy vey!" :)
Here are a few other posts about Mickey --> "Update On Mickey...", "Music To My Ears, Literally...", and "Our Beautiful Friend, Mickey..."
Wilda! Wilda! Wilda! I LOVE this lady. Sadly, she was the very first person I ever "lost". It was so hard to learn that sometimes you will see someone twice a week every week forever and then all of the sudden they are gone. I looked forward to seeing her every time I was out! I loved her amazing heart and spirit. She had tons of notebooks full of beautiful poems and kids' Sunday school lessons and blueprints for a home she hoped to one day have. She'd draw and write while she sat on the sidewalk in front of a Mexican restaurant selling items she had knitted, been given, or found in the trash. She would sit there ALL day long in the hot sun and then return to her spot on the front porch of an abandoned house every night just to get some sleep and do it all over again. Unfortunately, her "husband" was a bad piece of the equation and was a huge roadblock to Wilda getting on her feet...but as strong a woman as she was, Lewis was her weakness and she couldn't see that he was walking all over her. I pray for Wilda often...and even if I never see her again, there is no way I'll ever forget her!

Off The Streets...

Hey guys! One of my good friends, Eric, who's been on the streets for quite sometime got himself an apartment this past weekend! Praise the Lord! He is, however, in need of almost everything to get him started. A friend of mine put together a list of what he needs most...so, here it is:

Dining Room Table Or Card Table & Chairs
Small Desk
Plates Bowls, Both For Eating And Storage
Towels & Washcloths
13 Gallon Trash Can
Dish Drainer
Cleaning Products
Laundry Basket
Light Bulbs (40w)
Broom And Dustpan 

If you can help with any of these items or have anything else you feel like giving, that would be awesome! Just shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. I'm so happy for Eric! He was one of the first guys I met doing outreach and have gotten to know him more and more over the last several months...He is currently in college and really trying hard to turn his situation around. I'm so proud of him and so thankful that he has been blessed with this apartment. Please keep Eric in your prayers...

Jacob...Isn't "Jacob" Afterall...

I finally got to have a conversation with Jacob...well, as close as we're going to get to a conversation for now. I talked, he wrote.

The first thing he wrote was this...
His name is NOT Jacob! What! He didn't seem to know how "Jacob" got started, but he was just rollin' with it. Haha.

I went out to eat with some friends the other night and had some wings left over. I figured I'd stop and drop them off to a friend. Jacob...I mean, Jude...was sitting up, which is rare, so I hopped out and asked if he wanted them. Usually he will give you that big smile, shake his head, and lay back down...but not this time, so I asked him if he wanted to talk for a minute. I ran and grabbed my journal out of my car and he didn't hesitate at all to write down "Jude Lopez". I apologized over and over for calling him Jacob all this time, but he didn't seem to mind, just tried to laugh.

I finally feel like I got to know a little bit of his story and a little bit about who he was. He's 28 and from Fort Worth, TX. He has a 2 year old daughter here in Indianapolis, but doesn't speak to her or her mother, which stinks. We talked about the track in Dallas/Fort Worth, faith, what I do with TDWM, our parents, the newspaper, our nicknames, experiences in the shelter, plans for the future, dogs, and tons of other stuff. Finally I asked what I'd been wondering the whole time...what happened to his voice? About 3 months ago he got knocked out in a fight and ever since then it has hurt too much for him to speak. He kept clearing his throat and I was like...ohh, is he going to say something? But he didn't. He said he did go to the doctor, but didn't say much more, so I guess I still don't know exactly what is wrong.

Right now, Jude says he is happy with where he is. He doesn't want to go into a shelter and he doesn't want to look for a job...and with his situation, I can understand that. But, either way, I'm still going to continue to love on him and get to know him. He really is a sweet guy...and I just can't get enough of his big smile! :)

A Gift From Bob...

I wrote a little bit about my friend Bob not too long ago...and now I want to share with you a gift he recently blessed me with.I was visiting with him last week and he told me he has something for me. He pulled out this 8x10 photo and told me that some guy came under the bridge asking to take pictures...I wish I knew who this guy was. I'd love to give him credit for his photo, but I'd REALLY love to thank him for being so sweet to my friend. Bob told me the guy stayed and talked to him for a couple hours and brought him donuts. When Bob handed me this photo I was so excited that he wanted ME to have it...it was the only copy he had! I asked him over and over again if he was sure, and he promised he was. He told me he wanted me to have something to remember him by.

As if I'd forget him...we've had some good conversations...and LOTS of good jokes. Hey, I bet if you ever meet Bob and mention me, he'll tell you about the "horrible" book I brought him to read! :) I'll admit I'd only read the first couple of chapters, but it seemed like an interesting book...Riding Toward Everywhere...it was a book about a guy who rode the rails, just a snapshot of his story. Well, turns out he was a bit of a "wild" guy...Bob couldn't believe that I would give him a book that talked about prostitutes and used the 'f'-word. Ooops! Haha, but we joke about it almost every time I see him.

The Big 1 & The Little 9...

“I found the big one and the little nine!”

As frustrating as my adventures in urban youth ministry are, there are just those moments that make every bit of craziness more than worth it.

After Christmas break, I took a whole new approach to The Surf...which is our 1st-6th grade group. I guess my new approach could be called...organization. :)

Part of that organization is keeping some consistency in the evening. So, something we do each week now is look up 3 or 4 verses that go with our lesson. A few of the kids have a basic understanding of the Bible, but for most of the kids it’s the first time they’ve ever looked up a specific verse or maybe even the first time they’ve opened a Bible.

One of our little boys, who is probably in 1st or 2nd grade, is incredibly hyper...and I’m not exagetaing anything, at all. He would run around and do back flips all night if we would let him. The last couple weeks I’ve spent a lot of time helping him look up our verses, but it’s a bit of a challenge to keep his attention. This week I helped him with the first two verses and tried to pick out the important parts for him to write down...he doesn’t like writing at all; I guess it’s too much like school. :)

I walked away to check on some of the other kids and then made my way back to Rahiem to see him underlining something in his Bible. I asked him what he was doing and he said...”I found the big one and the little nine!” That’s exactly how I’ve been explaining it to him over and over...find the big ‘whatever number’ and then find the little ‘whatever number’! My heart just melted. Even though he was underlining Ephesians 1:9, and not 1 John 1:9, which was the verse we were on. But hey, he got the big one and little nine part right and that is good enough for me.

I think it only took about ten minutes until I had to yell at little Rahiem to get off the pool table and stop doing back flips, but that’s okay. It’s nothing new. I’m just so thankful for that little bit of encouragement and joy God blessed me with...it was perfect timing.

That Stuff Isn't Really For Me...

As I walked under the Pennsylvania Street bridge tonight I started quickly scanning either side, looking for friends among the heaps of clothes and blankets and piles of empty to-go boxes and scattered pieces of trash. Sometimes it's hard to tell if what I'm seeing is a person crouched over under a mountain of blankets or just a conglomeration of mere "stuff".

The first person I spotted was, Bob. I've known Bob for a couple months now...and as far as I can tell, the farthest he's moved these past couple months has been from the one side of the bridge to the other. He sits in his spot all day, everyday...reading. I still remember our first conversation. He had recently lost his home and had been walking back and forth from Greenwood to Indianapolis every day. That night was going to be the first night he would actually sleep on the streets, before he had been staying in "his" house...until the bank finally locked it up. He wasn't interested in going into a shelter, as much as I insisted he should give it a try, he just wasn't going to go. We talked for a while about his life and family and him being a veteran...then we started talk about what I was doing on the streets. I always hear, "What church are you with?" I started explaining who I was and what I do which naturally led me down a perfect avenue to ask him about his faith.

Bob told me he grew up in church, but when he was 13 he walked away from it all. He started to shut the conversation down, so I switched topics and continued talking with him for a few more minutes. When I saw everyone hopping back in the cars, I figured it was time to wrap things up. I asked Bob if I could pray with him...which, if you know me, would totally push me out of my "comfort zone". I just really felt like I needed to ask him though. He ended up telling me no. Told me he thought "Someone else could use it more..." and that "All stuff wasn't really for him..."

Tonight Bob was out of books. I took him four books a couple weeks ago and he's read them three times already. I keep promising him some Frank Peretti books, because he loves the Sci-Fi/Thriller type stuff...just haven't been able to snag any of those yet. Jokingly, I told him I had a Bible in my bag that he was welcome to. There we go, open door. He starts telling me about his Catholic cousin and gay evangelical brother and how the red letters in the Bible really irk him. Here's the problem, according to Bob...How could it even be possible for someone to quote everything Jesus said word-for-word. I'm not sure where he came up with some of the timelines and statistics about literacy back in Jesus' day, but he was sure that it was impossible for those to be Jesus' exact words. The only explanation he would somewhat agree with me on was the fact that the overall ideas in Jesus' teachings are way more important than whether or not his words were written down verbatim. And I'll take that...I will take his half-satisfied, almost-agreement.

Wait now, here is the kicker. The man who told me two months ago that all this stuff really wasn't for him, tells me that us doing what we do and coming out every week has made him think that "...maybe we're right..." And you know, that may not seem like anything huge, but it sure brought a smile to my heart.

My prayer for now is that Bob would continue to ask questions and seek God...and maybe even let us pray with him soon.

P.S. If anyone has any good books I could pass along to Bob, that would be awesome! And if you'd like to come with me to deliver them and meet my friend, that would be even better! :)

Update On Mickey...

Mickey ended up back in the hospital a couple weeks ago after feeling like he was having yet ANOTHER heart attack! Come to find out, he may have even had another small stroke...the doctors weren't ruling that out.

But, that's not all...they found a growth on his spine that has affected feeling in his feet and may have something to do with him losing almost 100 pounds this past year and not being able to keep food down from time to time. He also has a rare strand of TB and is the 9th person in Indianapolis to have contracted it. He is being treated for it, but visitors sill have to wear those pretty "duck masks". :)

He will be having surgery in a month to try and deal with the growth on his spine. And there are talks of him being placed in some sort of housing so that his health can continue to be monitored. That would be a blessing in itself.

As unpleasant as his situation sounds, Mickey is such a happy soul. He lifts my spirits EVERY time I get to hear him talk or just see his smile. I feel like I could just sit and listen to him all day...like a little kid with their grandpa! :) He has some really neat stories about his life and family and careers and is so knowledgeable about the Bible. Mickey is much more of a blessing in my life than I could ever be in his...and I'm willing to be that a lot of other people who know him feel something similar!

News At Davidson Street...

I received a startling text message this morning from my friend Kim telling me that she had just received a starling e-mail saying there were emergency vehicles at Davidson Street -- one of the bigger homeless camps in our city. We have a number of friends living under that bridge, so we were obviously concerned. I went out and drove under the bridge to find...NOTHING! Everything was gone, it was bare...I'd never seen it so empty! Where was everyone? What happened!

I saw my friend Darvin moving his stuff back to his spot and asked him what was going on? Apparently a tent had somehow caught on fire and the city felt the need to extinguish more than the burning tent. The whole bridge...cleared out...the entire thing! Really! You're going to take people's tents, blankets, clothes, water...EVERYTHING! And do it when it's below freezing outside...

If you watch the clip from 6News & TheIndyChannel.com you can see them carrying it all off. My favorite part is the man on probation, doing this community service and trowing away everything these people have, "I gotta ask forgiveness for doin this. This ain't right..." Oh, wait, no...an even better part is Mayor Ballard's feelings of frustration "with groups who make life on the streets possible". Hmm. Guilty. I mean, I'd rather make LIFE on the streets possible, instead of making DEATH on the streets a reality.

But there is really no point in bashing the government or our politicians, it is what it is. And I will continue to do what I feel is right and I will continue to go where the Lord leads. I'm sorry, but I won't quit loving people because someone else doesn't think I'm going about it in the right way. That's just not going to happen. If someone is hungry or thirsty or cold or sad or mad or whatever...I am going to give them food or water or a blanket or shoulder on which to cry. It's that simple. When God breaks your heart for something or someone, there is just no escaping it.

Tonight Curly, Birdman, and myself went out with One Body Ministries to check up on some of our friends...especially those at Davidson Street. It was pretty bare at the bridge. We gave out some blankets and bottled water to a few guys. Mike and Carlton were awake, so I was able to chat with them for a little while. A couple other outreach teams had already been out and brought big pieces of cardboard and Visqueen to help block the wind and elements. I'm not sure where everyone took off to, but I hope we can find most of them tomorrow night.

I also got word that Micky was taken to the hospital on Sunday. I am going to do some checking around tomorrow and see what I can't find out. Please keep Micky in your prayers. His health seems to be going downhill and I just don't know that his body can take an entire winter on the streets. As far as I know, he has no intention of going in off the streets this winter.

I don't know what is going to happen at Davidson Street this winter, but I know I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure the next time the news crews make a visit down there it isn't to report a story about one of MY FRIENDS who has frozen to death!

It's Just A God Thing...

I am simply...BLOWN AWAY!

Have you ever had one of those moments where you KNOW God is completely behind EVERYTHING that is happening? A moment when you realize that there is NO WAY that a specific chain of events could just be "coincidence". The last few days smacked me square in the face with thoughts like those.

Yesterday I was running and rushing around trying to work on that never ending to-do list. There wasn't too much going my way. My car isn't running, on top of that a tire is flat, I couldn't get the doors to the van unlocked because it was so cold, I got to the store and realized I left my debit card at home, when I pulled out my checkbook to pay my ink pen exploded ALL over my hands, and by that time I was supposed to be home 5 minutes ago to meet my best friend. Laura and I went to watch a move and got out later than expected. It was time to meet up for outreach and I still needed to run to the store. My phone starts ringing and I was sure it was going to be someone asking where I was, but it was Kim letting me know she was running late. Thank goodness, me too. I hurried home and threw my warm clothes on and the phone rings again. This time Kim was calling to let me know that the guys weren't coming. That left just us girls...and "outreach rules" say girls can't go out alone. Well, if you know Kim or me you could guess that we were going anyways. :)

We made it to the first camp and ALL the street lights were out, it was DARK! Really? Someone sure was trying hard to keep us from the streets that night...but, I hopped out and ran over to a few tents and hollered for some of our friends, it always makes us a little more comfortable to have a couple guys around that we trust. Mike, Eric, and Scott jumped right up with us. We hit a few more camps after that and decided we were going to head downtown to see if you could find anyone wanting to go in for the night -- it was bitter cold.

There didn't seem to be anyone out. We drove around the circle and spotted a couple guys who looked like they might want a cup of hot soup. I jumped out to go talk with them and as we walked back to the truck Kim came running around the corner telling me that we were taking this girl to the hospital now, so hurry . I had no idea she had even gotten out of the truck.

Mary was her name and Kim saw her struggling to carry an overstuffed duffle bag and a couple smaller plastic bags. She was in some serious pain. Come to find out the poor girl hadn't been to the bathroom in 8 DAYS! Ouch! Oh, and it happened to be her birthday as well...lovely way to spend a birthday, right? We got her to Wishard as fast as we could and sat with her until she was admitted. The doctors practically kicked us out of the room, so we headed back to the dat House to unload the truck. As far as we knew, that was that. Maybe we'd see her again one day, but maybe not. What we were certain of though, was that God put us exactly where He needed us that night. We hardly ever go to the circle anymore, because no one is allowed to feed there (and we won't even get started on that)...but God obviously pushed us in that direction for a very specific reason.

Here's where it gets good...

This morning I got up extra early and visited the 8:30 service at a church in my neighborhood. Well, Indy Metro, the church I attend doesn't start until 10:30, so I had time to kill. I stopped at MoJoe's and got a yummy latte and then started to head toward the bridges to see if I could talk any of the guys into coming to church. Here I am, driving down the street and all of the sudden I see that HUGE black and purple duffle bag...it was MARY! I hurried around the block so I could pull up beside her and asked if I could take her anywhere. She just wanted to get into a shelter. I told her she could come to church with me and then we would find her a place to stay. After church we ended up going out to lunch with some friends…and here is where it gets good again...

We asked Mary what kind of food sounded good and she said Italian, so we decided on Buca Di Beppo. Well, I was driving, so I dropped everyone off at the door and went to look for a parking spot. As I'm driving I spot a couple guys who looked familiar. I had to do a double take, but it was Eric and Josh, a couple guys from under the bridge. I honked and waved. Eric ran over and I asked him if I could give him a ride. So, I dropped the guys off at the library and went back around the block and continued looking for a parking spot. Okay, so there is no way this ISN’T a God thing. I saw the guys because they were walking up the street that Buca is on...We went to Buca because Mary wanted Italian...The only reason Mary was with us was because she was walking near the coffee shop where I stopped to get Chai...and the only reason I stopped to get Chai was because I was early for church since I miraculously woke up early enough (and I’m not a morning person) to make it to an 8:30 service. I mean, I could keep going...

Anyways, it was a great lunch. And back to my promise of getting her a place to sleep...the only shelter I could get her into didn’t do check-in until 4:00. I took her back to the office and got her a coat and some warm clothes and gave her the Handbook of Help, which lists all kinds of service providers (A good friend of mine called it the "Homeless Tour Guide", haha!). I walked her into the shelter and made plans to come get her in the morning to take her back to the hospital for her surgery.

This little snippet of the last couple days doesn’t even begin to explain the ways God is at work all around me. I’m just so glad that He is letting me be a part of it…that He has a purpose for me and can use me in small ways.

Please be praying for Mary if you would. I’m so thankful God brought her into my life. She is a sweet woman and has quite a story to tell. God bless you, Mary!

Music To My Ears, Literally...

I just love seeing answered prayers.

I wrote a little about Micky a while back and how he REALLY wanted to have one "last chance" to play the piano. He's been in pretty poor heath, but you could never tell that by his spirits. He will tell you that he knows his time is coming, but he feels as though its a blessing. And I can totally understand that when he says that he is excited to go home and be with his Dad...with his HEAVENLY FATHER! Really though, what could be better? Nothing! But, I'm not going to lie...this man has had me in tears more than once! He is just such a beautiful soul. It's heartbreaking to see him under that bridge, pretty much waiting to die.

This video is from a couple weeks ago. The Walls family was kind enough to open up their home and let Micky come down and play their piano. He played tons of beautiful Christmas songs and we all sang along and drank hot chocolate. Seriously, something straight out of a move. It was indescribable. I'll tell you I'm not a big fan of Christmas music, but I'm willing to bet I won't forget that day or those songs he played...and that Christmas music I'm not so fond of may just carry some special memories from here on out. I really wish I could explain that afternoon to you...it was simply of God! Praise Him for that!

Keep praying for Micky if you would. For his comfort and safety this winter, and also for a continued feeling of peace that he so frequently expresses. Or, you could just come out and meet him yourself and see just what I'm talking about! Seriously! :)

"Chatting" With Jacob...

By far, my favorite part of outreach is getting to talk to people! I love hearing stores and making friends. I've "met" Jacob a couple times under a bridge on Pennsylvania Street, but...he doesn't speak. The first couple times I just figured he didn't know English or something? Through friends, I eventually learned that his name was Jacob. Kim and I have joked around about who would get him to talk first. :)

Last Wednesday was the first time I'd seen him in a couple weeks and I was pretty excited. I just asked him if he remembered me and he smiled his BIG smile and shook his head yes. So, I continued..."Your name is Jacob, right?" He shakes his head yes. "Would you like anything to eat?" He smiles and shakes his head again.

After Amber and I went and fixed him a plate, I told her I was determined to get this man to speak to me. I started right back up with the questions. "Are you from Indianapolis?" and I just got a smile. Finally I said, "You know, you've never talked to me..." as he kept smiling, I asked why and he pointed to his throat. I felt awful at first, thinking this man was mute or something and I'm sitting here poking and poking and asking, practically begging to hear words come out of his mouth.

With a few more questions, I learned that he CAN talk, but it hurts him to do so. I obviously didn't get details. But, wondered how anyone knew his name if he didn't talk...apparently he had a short conversation with a good friend of mine and told her his name and he was on the streets because he lost his job.

I asked if he would talk to me one day and with that big, beautiful smile of his he nodded yes. We also made a deal that if we didn't get to talk, he would just write me a note...which is cool too! I'm excited to get to know Jacob and his story!

TDWM On Channel 8 (WISH-TV)...

Our Beautiful Friend, Mickey...

I've been home for a couple hours now, but my toes are still freezing. It was so cold and so windy tonight, but I'm thankful that we were able to make it out to the streets. I FINALLY got to see Mickey tonight. It's been months since I've seen him; and the last thing we heard before we lost touch with him was that he had a heart attack and was in the hospital. We searched and searched and searched, but no luck.

The night we first met Mickey was unforgettable. We got a call from Plainfield United Methodist, who also does outreach on Wednesday nights, asking if we had any blankets. There was a new guy under one of the bridges who had nothing...he wasn't prepared at all to be sleeping outside. As Kim and I sat down to try to get to know this new face, the first thing I noticed was his clothes. Not your everyday homeless guy get-up. He had on a nice collared shirt, dressy pants and shoes, and a peacoat. It was his second night on the streets. Not second night this time around, second night EVER! He told us incredible stories about his life. He is a really neat man...born in Russia, retired school teacher, Jewish, has a handful of children, concert pianist, and it went on and on. None of us wanted to see him stay out there another night, but he said he knew that God wanted him there. So we continued to visit him and tried to get to know him a little better each week for the next few weeks...but it wasn't long until he dissappeared.

A few weeks ago, I had taken some of the High School kids from the Riverside neighborhood downtown to do outreach, while the rest of the "grown-ups" went to the bridges and camps. We all ended up back at the DAT House looking for more stuff...coats, blankets, gloves, and things of the sort. It was then that Kim told me that Mickey was back! NO WAY! I was really glad to hear that...well, not glad that he was back under the bridge, but glad that he was alive! He really did have a heart attack and after he was released from the hospital he visited some friends and family up in Michigan, then made his way back down to Indianapolis.

Honestly though, he is looking rough...the streets and his health are really taking a toll on him. Tonight was the first night I actually got to see him and talk to him since he's been back. He's been asleep a couple of the other times I had come under the bridge...but, he also had ANOTHER heart attack last week! He's talked about "the end" since the day we met him, but he is talking about it a lot more these days. Mickey is certain that it's almost his time. He tells us that he feels blessed to know that...it gave him a chance to make peace with himself, with God, and with a few people...and he is ready to go. I know reading that may sound sad, but if you could talk to him and hear it from his mouth, I promise you would smile as big as we were tonight! I'll tell you that he flipped my night upside down...God sure spoke through him tonight! It's funny how that happens...EVERYTIME, everytime I'm having a crappy day or am in a bad mood or just being a jerk for no real reason. It's almost like God is saying, "Yeah, go ahead. Just TRY to act like you have ANYTHING to complain about. Seriously!" He's funny like that! I wish everyone could sit and talk with Mickey...I can almost promise you would get something incredible out of it as well!

One thing that he did mention tonight was that he would REALLY love to be able to play the piano one last time! (Okay, that part was sad...even with his big beautiful smile.) We are working on making that happen...so pray with us on that one, please!

A few of us are going to try and take him out for lunch Saturday afternoon and hopefully hunt down a piano somewhere downtown...if you've got ideas, those would be super helpful!

Spanky...

Despite the fact that it is barely 25° degrees outside this evening...I'm really glad I was able to be outside hanging out with my friends on the streets!

A lesson I learned quickly when I started doing outreach was not to get too bummed out when we "lose" someone...people are ALWAYS moving around...ALL the time...so it's impossible to keep in touch with everyone you meet out there. Once in awhile we "find" someone out of the blue. Well, it's never an accident...God always seem to put us where He needs us...and sometimes it turns into a nice surprise!

Kim and I met Spanky back in July...and as I walked under a bridge downtown tonight to visit my friend, Rodney, I was introduced to this "new" guy...Rodney was like, "This is my friend, Jena! I'm famous, she will tell you!"...and he does this almost every time I see him. (I was looking at pictures on Flickr one day and someone had taken a picture of him out panhandling...I told him about it and joked that he was famous because he was on the internet...now he tells everyone...it makes me smile!) So, naturally, I asked him what his name was and he says, "Spanky". I got pretty excited...Here is a little bit of what I wrote back when I met him this summer...

"I would like to tell you about Spanky. He promised that was his real name, so as far as I know, Spanky really is Spanky. We bumped into him tonight on Meridian Street. He told us he dances in front of the bars and sometimes that is how he earns money; he was actually dancing when we approached him tonight. He definitely got a smile out of all of us. What really bothers me though, is what happened to him and his friends last night. Spanky and his friends sleep in a parking garage downtown and he woke up last night to someone kicking him in the side, once he realized he wasn’t dreaming and that someone had really just KICKED him WHILE HE WAS SLEEPING, they did it again. He told us he asked them why they were kicking him, but that is about as far as he took it since he is a pretty small guy and he didn’t want to get into a fight. Then he told us he was really scared about things going on in town this weekend. He mentioned that in the past years, during this same weekend of festivities, he has had other homeless friends both SHOT and STABBED, for no other reason than hatred. I’m really uneasy about all of that. I’m not sure how someone can have the nerve to kick a sleeping man, let alone stab someone just because their lifestyle seems strange or bizarre. And this sure isn’t the only story I’ve heard about violent acts being carried out against the homeless people of this city, but this is just fresh in my heart and in my mind." [Rude Awakening...]

We looked for Spanky in quite a few parking garages downtown for a couple weeks after that...no luck. He tried to explain to us where he slept, but we couldn't find him.

But, back to tonight...Rodney told me he found Spanky laying in an alley and he was really, really drunk! He said he "drug" him under the bridge and had been taking care of him for a couple days! Rodney is such a sweet guy...I just love him! We did our best to get Spanky whatever he needed...socks, gloves, a meal...but unfortunatly no underwear. He made sure to tell me he was "free-ballin' it", haha! But seriously...Spanky needs some prayers. He is supposed to be going into rehab on Tuesday. He told us he would find us when he gets out and that he would be a different man. We let him know we were going to hold him to that. So, it looks like I'm going to "lose" Spanky again...but this time I hope I DON'T see him for a while...pray that he can stick it out in rehab and get back on his feet and off the streets!

As Promised...In December's Newsletter...

If you received a copy of TDWM's December newsletter and were looking for more information about me and my involvement with the organization...You are in the right place...

In case we don't really know each other, I'll catch you up real quick on the BIG things God has done in my life...

CLICK HERE!

For those of you wondering how I got involved with TDWM and things of the sort...

CLICK HERE!

Now that you are up to speed, I'd love to share an important letter with you...so, you know the drill...

CLICK HERE!

Thank you for your continued support of TDWM! I look forward to hearing from you!

Jena Osbon
946 E. Pleasant Run Parkway N. Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46203
(574)727-5362
jlosbon@gmail.com
www.jlosbon.blogspot.com

P.S. Please, feel free to look around the rest of my blog! :)

In Need Of Your Support...

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing to sincerely thank you for all the support, thoughts, and prayers you’ve provided in my life this far. I’m also writing to invite you to be a part of the next steps in my journey with the Lord. I have received a wonderful opportunity to come onboard as a full-time staff member with an incredible organization called Tear Down The Walls Ministries. TDWM’s mission is to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ with Indianapolis’ homeless population and at-risk urban youth. My main responsibilities include: mentoring TDWM’s high school interns, organizing and facilitating weekly youth group meetings, homeless case management and street outreach, as well as managing phone, e-mail, and social media communication. I am very excited to see how God is working right here in Indianapolis, and how He is allowing me to be a part of it.

These past several months have been exciting and difficult ones to go through. The Lord has been challenging me to follow after Him in every aspect of my life. He has been asking me to chase after Him without worrying; reminding me to simply walk in His footsteps knowing that He has a plan and will continue to guide my path. I feel that this opportunity with TDWM is a vital piece in my walk with the Lord. I have spent a great deal of time volunteering with TDWM and have come face to face with so many people who are frequently thought of as the lowest and most hopeless in our society; but a lack of possessions, less-than-ideal living situation, or past and present struggles do not make anyone less deserving of God’s amazing love. I’m learning to look at the world through the eyes of Christ and reach out with love in all circumstances. I am so excited for this chance to be the hands and feet that help bring the powerful love of Jesus to people who have felt or been told for so long that they are beyond hope or that they are not good enough to be loved. I am so thankful that God has given me a heart able to reject this world’s view of inner-city troubles and those who are hurting or struggling. I am confident that God is going to continue to break my heart for serving those who are constantly shoved aside and continuously overlooked.

As a staff member I am responsible for raising my entire salary. So, needless to say, I am taking a giant leap of faith, but I am completely confident that God has called me to this position and I trust that in following His plan all my needs will be provided.

I am asking you to, first, please partner with me in praying for TDWM and all those who are served through the many programs and services provided. I’d also like to ask you to pray for my effectiveness as part of this organization as well as my personal and spiritual growth.

Second, please consider supporting me financially in this ministry opportunity through start-up or monthly contributions. No gift is too small, nor will any amount of support go unappreciated. Anything you can commit to will bring me closer to my goal and continue to make this opportunity possible.

Finally, think about offering your time, energy, or resources to stand alongside TDWM and myself. There are an infinite number ways that you can make a positive difference in this city, in someone’s life, or even in yourself by being willing to take a step outside your comfort zone.

If you are willing to partner with me and/or TDWM on any level to help extend genuine love and quality time to both the homeless population and at-risk youth in Indianapolis, I have enclosed a Partnership Commitment Card for your response. There are a number of ways you can be a part of this with me, so please do no hesitate to reply with whatever decision or commitment God has laid on your heart.

I have been so blessed by the situations in which God has planted me and the people He has placed around me. It’s almost impossible to explain how much work God has done in my life and in my heart to mold and shape me and bring me to where I am today. I know the thoughts and prayers of great friends and dearly-loved family members had more than a lot to do with that. So, as much as I need your financial support, and I really do, I also really need your prayers.

I want to thank you again for being a part of my life. I’m excited to continue to share with you where the Lord is leading me and what He is teaching me through all this. Please don’t hesitate to keep in touch with me as I continue to journey this path along which God is guiding me.

Because He First Loved Us,

Jena Osbon

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If you are interested in hearing more about TDWM and/or my involvement, please do not hesitate to call, e-mail, or reply via postal mail. Again, anything you can commit to is greatly appreciated and I am thrilled to be able to share this step in my life with you.

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Jena Osbon
946 E. Pleasant Run Parkway N. Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46203
(574)727-5362
jlosbon@gmail.com
www.jlosbon.blogspot.com

All donations are tax-deductible and checks can be made out to Tear Down The Walls Ministries.