Root beer floats for 70

Last night we made 70+ root beer floats and served them to people downtown. I was a little suspect of the idea, but it turned out to be a big hit. It was nice to see people's faces light up - many of whom probably haven't had such a treat in a long time. Jane dipped the ice cream, and James (the intern from England) and I poured the root beer. We went through two big tubs of ice cream and eight 2-liters of root beer.

We are part of a group that makes and serves food to underserved people once every other week. We meet at the church building and put together 70-100 sack lunches of peanut butter sandwiches, chips, and a cookie. It seems Jane usually makes the sandwiches and I put them in ziplock baggies. Then people usually make some type of main course at home and bring it. We then set up four tables in the plaza area outside the city library. One table is for the main course, one for dessert or fruit or whatever, one for drinks (coffee and water or lemonade), and one for toiletries, socks, and whatnot. Someone said we served 72 hamburgers (one per person) last night, and 4 people didn't get any and had to settle for the sack lunch.

I'm sure there are people who say what we do is frivolous, and that's okay. I realize not everyone is homeless who comes to these gatherings. I know some of them are addicts of various kinds. We may be enabling and not necessarily helping in the big picture. However, for one night every other week, there are many regulars who look forward to the chats and a home-cooked meal. The floats were quite a treat, and while none of us really put a whole lot of effort into the preparation or serving, it was nice to simply be in the moment together, regarless of which side of the table we were on.

So, is this what it means to be "missional"? I don't know. Is this what Jesus would do? I don't know that either. Is it in the Bible? Again, it's hard to say for sure whether what we do as a group of people who are part of the same church is meaningful or respectful or worthwhile in any way. Yet it's what we do. It's not fancy, it's usually poorly planned and gets quite chaotic at times, but it always seems to work out. Sure, not everyone is blessed every time, but someone is.

All in all, I'm glad I am simply part of the group. If it had been up to me I would have nixed the float idea. But it turned out to be really good. 

Lost in the space beneath my skull

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. I actually considered just ending this misery of minutia and letting the blog die but.... well, here I am again. Like the stray cat that just won't leave, because where else would it go? So, I will try to remember some of the thoughts that have passed through my mind over these last few days.

HOMELESS
The last time we served food on the street downtown I talked to two different guys who had recently been beat up and had their stuff stolen. One guy had the tent he'd been sleeping in ripped to shreds. These were both somewhat desperate guys, and you could tell they were worn down by life even though they weren't all that old. As I chatted and listened to them my heart sort of sank a few degrees. I just cannot imagine that life. However, I guess it made me feel like we were doing something even a little significant. Once again, I am seeing my role as just being a sort of presence there to smile, listen, learn names and speak them. I don't know if there is such a thing as a ministry of familiarity, but it sounds intriguing even if this is the first time it's ever entered my mind.

AUCTION
In a similar vein, I am in the middle of doing an auction at my place of employ. We have decided to do them online now instead of physically onsite with an auctioneer. There are pros and cons but either way requires the same work and detail. I have one customer who is being especially difficult, but there's another one that was more impactful. This guy - probably about my age or a tad older - has pretty much all his possessions stored here, and he's going to lose them. We tried to work out an arrangement but he finally came in and just admitted that he was never going to be able to pay his bill and maybe it would actually be better for him to just cut his losses and move on. I probably agree with him, but it was a sad exchange. He almost seemed relieved to be losing his "things." I felt bad because I imagine it's not easy reaching that conclusion. On the other hand, I can see the freedom in no longer being tied to "stuff."

WORK
Speaking of work... it continues to be a mixed bag. As I've stated many times, I really do like my job, I just have a hard time playing with others. An electrician showed up at the office yesterday to run the wiring for the kiosk they are going to install here. He was asking me all these questions, and I couldn't be much help because I haven't really been told much at all. I have a hard time dealing with people refusing to talk to me, though I can understand why they don't want to and I'm not all that sure I would believe a lot of what one of them has to say anyway. I don't blame them for not wanting to talk to me because I know I am difficult to deal with. I wouldn't want to talk to me either. I wish I had a better handle on my emotions, but if I did then I probably wouldn't be working here in the first place. Still, I am frustrated by being kept in the dark. I've been told my job will not be eliminated, but based on other things I've heard and been told, something does not add up. You don't spend the kind of money these kiosks require without getting rid of human workers. THAT is what they are made for! So, who knows.

OTHER
There are some other things occupying my mind and heart that I'd rather not discuss at the moment. On the bright side, though, is the growing sense that bad things are not necessarily bad. Much can be learned from the journey, and history shows some of the greatest things in life have come from detours. So I feel like I'm starting to enjoy the trip a little more. I like this little quote I ran across some time ago. I used to keep it on my desk at work:

Soggy supper for the homeless

We just returned from our every-other-Wednesday night of serving supper to the homeless downtown. It poured down rain. But they were still there, so we were too.

There's a small group of people at the new church we've been attending who make and then serve supper for the homeless outside the main branch of the public library every other Wednesday night. We went once before (I blogged about it earlier) and it seemed to be a good fit for us. So when the time approached tonight and it was raining (storming, actually) we wondered what they would do. We decided to just show up at the church anyway.

They said they'd actually never been rained on in all the years they've been doing it. So we got everything ready. We made sack lunches with peanut butter sandwiches, chips, and a cookie; and then they had two big crocks of bbq and mac & cheese. When we came to the realization that it was not going to stop raining, someone had the brilliant idea to just mix the bbq and mac & cheese in a soup bowl with a lid. So we put the buns in the freezer and set off for the library.

It wasn't raining for a brief period when we left the church, but after driving a couple blocks to the library it started a near downpour just as we arrived. Jane and I were actually the first ones there, and a group of people were waiting for us under the canopy out front. They cheered when we got out of our car!

For various reasons we are not allowed to serve the food under the canopy, so we all got soaking wet. It was worth it though. People got a warm meal, and I suppose they enjoyed some comradere under the canopy. It was kind of sad in that there seemed to be more kids there tonight.

Anyway, we came home drenched to the bone, hopped in a warm shower, and now it's time to veg a bit. We've got it pretty nice. I'm glad we went.

Our first go at a "go"

The church we've been attending lately - and which we really like, btw - has several groups called "Go Teams." The name comes from the church name (come2go). I don't know how many different ones there are, but one ministers at the prison, another works with troubled teens, one goes to nursing homes..... and maybe some more. Well, one makes and serves food to the homeless at the downtown library every other Wednesday night. So that's the one we decided to check out. Last night was our first time.

It seems to be a great group of people serving in this ministry. They ranged in age from early twenties to sixties. Many are a bit on the hippy-ish side. The guy in charge actually looks a lot like Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead during his gray-haired days. They were all super-friendly and made us feel so welcome. I mean, we've been the "new people" at several different churches, and this was by far the best experience we've ever had. It was nice.

Anyway, we started out at the church building putting together sack lunches. They were also making nacho fixin's. Around 7:30 we headed over to the library. We set up several tables with water, coffee, nacho stuff (meat, cheese, tomato, sour cream, salsa, beans, etc.), cookies, and then there was a table with an assortment of shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant, socks, and things like that.

I take it there are many regulars because people immediately started lining up. It was estimated to be around 70-80 people. They got a drink and a plate of nachos, then when they were done they all got a sack lunch to take with them for later (it had peanut butter sandwiches and snacks). Everyone was super nice and polite. I served the shredded lettuce and sour cream; Jane did the salsa (probably just so she could say "salsa").

I think it lasted just over a half hour, and there were actually a couple people who didn't get anything other than the sack lunch before we ran out of food.

It was a bit odd in that we had seen quite a few of the people before. Most were generally older, and there were a number of women too. One was even pregnant.

So, we did that. It felt good to actually be included in a group and to do something we feel competent at. I think we will probably continue to help out. I guess there are three couples that are there almost all the time, and then several others who come when they can. Hopefully we will be regulars pretty soon.

Safehaven, sleepover, snowstorm, superbowl

My it was a busy weekend. Quite a lot going on. Jane has a cold, but we survived. Here is the rundown of the transition from January to February...

SAFE HAVEN
We served and ate lunch with the veterans of the Safe Haven home on Saturday. This was the 2nd time I have helped out with this group, and Jane's 3rd. It is a 25-bed facility for homeless veterans on Fairfield. Our involvement started when Jane's branch office did a lunch for them. She told a friend, and her office started doing monthly lunches. Apparently we are involved in it with them. They actually get very little help here, so it seems like a good place to pitch in. Jane made 10 lbs of mashed potatoes. I kind of just hung around and chatted and ate with the veterans. It was a little odd in that I actually knew one of them. He didn't remember us though.

SLEEPOVER
We had all 3 grandkids for a sleepover on Saturday night. Drew Carrie had a date night (Komets game), so we watched the kids from around 5 pm Saturday until church Sunday morning. They had all been sick last week and still had sniffles, but they were all really good. Caleb didn't sleep so well, but A & B did. Caleb now likes to pull himself up on things, he just can't get down so well. Anna was a big help, and big eater. Bennett was a little grumpier than usual. I think he is still sickest of all three. It was fun, but boy does it wear us out. :)

SNOWSTORM
We had quite a lot of snow this weekend. I don't know yet officially, but I'd say from Saturday night through Sunday night we probably have around a foot of snow. It was really wet and heavy too. I used the snowblower on the driveway Sunday morning, again Sunday evening, and I need to go do it again this morning before leaving for work. Everything looks very pretty outside. I believe there is just a travel warning though - meaning you shouldn't travel unless going to work or for an emergency.

SUPER BOWL
Super Bowl 49 was last night. With all the snow we did not make it to Mike's party. Jane made pulled pork and we bought a veggie tray and cheese assortment. So we had our own party in the basement. It was a good game, but the Patriots beat the Seahawks 28-24 with a last second interception at the goal line. I was rooting for the Seahawks, but was satisfied that it was a great game.

Now it's Monday, so back to the old grind. I am not looking forward to going to work and dealing with all this snow. Life goes on...

Sharing the warmth

A small group of 7 from our church took another bundle of items to the homeless of Fort Wayne this morning. It was downright freezing cold. I didn't get there in time to get a picture of the pile before it was unsorted, but here is how it looked before loading up the van. I've probably told before how everything has to be taken out of the package and all tags removed. That way it gets used, rather than taken back to a store for money.

There always seem to be a few first-timers every time they go. This time our entire Middle School Sunday School class went. It's only 2 kids and their teacher. But still. They put together little packets with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, a wash cloth, and some other stuff as a class project, and wanted to help deliver them too. Nice.

After praying, the group just drives around town looking for people who look like they're homeless (and, yes, most of the time they either are, or they're poor enough that they take something). There are a couple of spots where they know people hang out. When it gets around noon they head to the Rescue Mission and there is usually a nice crowd of people there.

This doesn't solve homelessness or anything, but there will be a few people in our area who will be a little warmer today. Hopefully they will know someone cares about them too.

Romo helps a homeless man

A story here about Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo taking a homeless man to the movies. Perhaps the best part is not that he bought him a ticket, but that he asked the man to sit with him (even though he smelled).

I have been amazed at the number of people I've heard/read who think this is no big deal, or that are actually criticizing Romo for this... You know, because he makes 68 million dollars a year (or something) and this is ALL he did. Well, so how many homeless people have you or I invited to attend a movie with us? I know I haven't. And most of us could probably afford a movie ticket. Most of us could probably even afford to be a little nicer to others.

That was one of the things I always admired about my son and his friends when they ate pizza with the homeless in Indianapolis. It wasn't so much that they bought them pizza... it was that they wanted to spend time with them and try to let them know that they had value... that someone gave a damn about them. That's what I like about this Romo story.

I don't know if Romo is a Christian or not, but wouldn't it be great if the church could be known more for doing things like this, rather than being known for all the things we are opposed to?

Homeless links

Got a link to The Homeless Guy's blog. I don't know much about him, but thought Isaac might be interested. Also, here is an interesting post on the National Homeless Population Count. Wow. (ht: Jordon Cooper)