Hey, Indiana!

When I woke up this morning it was like the house came alive! There were men lined up to take showers, residents making brunch for the homeless and at least 200 people on the yard and surrounding the house. I sacked lunches to hand out and set up the dining room until Bible Study, but once Bible Study was over we opened the doors and people flooded in.

I was on service duty so my job was to clean up the spot and prepare it for the next person. I tried to smile and greet the men and women as I cleaned but I did not expect to become a crowd favorite. No matter how far away or how close I was to the tables I had people yelling my name to the tune of “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!” They all wanted to know about me which was funny because I only wanted to know about them. Tony even asked me how long I would be here so we could talk more later and another man offered me a raise! It was so fun but such hard work!

James was my 1st new friend this morning. Once he knew I was from Indiana he could not stop talking about the Jackson 5 and singing me their songs. He even nicknamed me Indiana. James is 53, from New Orleans, and has only been here for a week but he sure loves the Lord. His mother had 18 kids and so he was taken from her at the age of 2 and was placed with a great foster family. He told me that he had tried everything (primarily cocaine) growing up except Jesus and that once he did he decided to do it with all his heart. He even use to be a musician in many clubs and supposedly was the best athlete in New Orleans but gave it all up to preach. His Bible knowledge would pput most pastors to shame! He came to the house to heal because he said he would rather die in Atlanta than go back to his friends and family a drugged up mess.

Bernard was my brunch serving pal. He does not live in the house but has a heart of gold. He volunteers almost every day and also serves at his church because he just wants to help people. As we laughed and picked fun at each other all morning I could not help but smile, especially as he kept stealing the sausages he was serving. I think 6 for the people 1 for him was the philosophy.

Watching the homeless serve the homeless is such a humbling experience. Plus, just because they might be in the shelter now does not mean that they stop looking out for their friends on the street. They know everyone by name and treat each other with more respect then we often treat our fellow Christians at church. There is so much to learn from them!

I spent the afternoon organizing and sorting donations of clothes and wow were they pathetic! We discussed at lunch how we eat what we feed the homeless. If we won’t eat it they should not have to but it also causes us to strive to make the best food with the best ingredients. The same lesson should be applied to clothes. Please stop giving away tattered, work out, stained, smelly, yellow armpit clothes! They do not want them and they do not deserve our leftovers and trash. They should be looked at as our friends because that what they are and Jesus does not look at them any differently so why can we?

At CIY I picked up a book called Red Letters where it talked about 2 monasteries that were about to close since the leaders were close to death and no new people had joined in quite some time. The two priests got together one day and one of them asked what their last words would be to keep the monastery open and he said “the Messiah lives within the walls”. This changed their whole attitude as they started looking for Jesus’ in the eyes of other monks and their whole dynamic changed because of it. Here they kind of do the same. They talk about how they saw Jesus’ face in these men and women they let shower and in the 300 served and etc. It sure gives everyone a better appreciation for others when looked at with such high regard!

Ann and I did dishes and from her love story to her life as a seminary student she is simply stunning. I saw her the night before at the worship service and loved her energy and joy of life that was so evident in even the way she walked. She grew up with an alcoholic father and turned to the party scene herself and found herself married and with child by her junior year of high school. She attributed her young looks with the fact that she found peace in her past and joy in her every day. I hope to be like Ann someday!

I might have found my next stop. While making dinner with Nelia she told me how her and her husband Calvin had built a community in Evansville, Indiana. It helps with children in the extended community and incorporates tons of art. Perfect!

It is time to take a break from depressing economic news because people are still donating in large numbers. While cooking dinner someone walked in with left over BBQ and apple cobbler! Also the sandwiches we bag up and hand out had been made by outsiders. I hope they realize how much they help! Our dinner tonight included a smorgasbord of options since they were donated from a restaurant in town who decided to not throw away leftovers but give them to us. Since we only eat what we would serve we do not eat sweets and boy was it hard watching squares of pound cake being tossed out! We also do not eat meat unless it is donated, and even then it will most likely go in the soup for soup kitchen on Wednesday.

Johnathon also brought attention to a petition letter he had created and he asked for all of us to sign it. It was in regards to a soldier who was imprisoned for not going to Afghanistan. I understand they are peace loving people who sent words of encouragement to the soldier for making a stand and petitions to the jail to release him; however, why are we getting involved when the soldier knew before he signed in that it was a risk? I did not sign it.

I got to be involved in the community meeting and it cracked me up. Many hours worth of conversation just to get everything on the table can immediately turn uncomfortable if you let it. They discussed who was not allowed on the property anymore and for how long, who spends to much time on the internet, who is using the “love line” (aka Telephone), who is not talking to each other, and who drives too fast. I know it is necessary but watching people squirm and tattle tale during the meeting was just funny!