The outreach for the day: feeding 200 of our closest homeless friends.
The army to help us that day was a fresh faced group of volunteers. This was their first day to serve the homeless. They had shown up wide-eyed with some excitement…. but mostly fear (you know the look… the plastered smile and too much nodding as you explain how the event is going to work… while internally freaking out…b/c what if one of the “least of these” asks me a question… what will I say… you know you’ve been there) There is nothing quite like the first time you walk up on around 200 very homeless looking folks.
And this group had already expressed to us that they were EXTRA nervous and had never ventured into the inner city before.
I gathered the volunteers up and explained the outreach specifics through what I called my MEGAPHONE OF POWER. (I was/am so mature). I didn’t need a megaphone, the volunteers were 5 feet away, but it made me seem in charge and it was powerful. (I also didn’t need the fanny pack I wore but that too made me feel powerful… and in charge… and so I wore it)
At the event that day was a street guy that we called “Bones”. ( I have no idea why we call him that). Bones is in a wheelchair due to the fact that he lost one leg from the kneesdown. He is NOTORIOUS on the street for being wild, loud and saying mildly to extremely inappropriate things at the top of his lungs. In fact… that’s actually all that he is known for. To that day I had not known Bones ever to be appropriate.
Which is why… you are going to call me an idiot in about 2 paragraphs.
As I was speaking into the Megaphone of Power, Bones rolled up behind me.
He began to make gestures behind my back… no doubt mocking my every word. I could smell the alcohol and knew that Bones was in a particular mood.
As I was speaking he tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and he was grinning ear to ear. He batted his eyes at me (not lying) and asked me:
” May I PLEASE say something to these AMAZING volunteers?” Read More
