After driving by Lincoln Park and not seeing any homeless people there I figured it was time to go back to check on Antonio. He was still in the same position as when I first drove by but he awakened quickly when I stopped. I told him I had something special for him and he got up and took the bag I handed him through the window. He was pretty happy when he saw what was in the bag. He had on a different pair of jeans than last week and they were way too big for him, but if you're wearing what you find in dumpsters or in the street you take what you can get. Anyway, I'll check back with him next week to see how the pair I gave him fit. I couldn't stay there on the bridge any longer and I didn't want to take his picture while he was changing!
The next three people I was able to help were all on the 'other' side of Washington Blvd from downtown. One was a woman named Sharon who I found in a very, very narrow alley that runs parallel to Washington Blvd. She was busy rearranging the stuff in her carts. If she had a house you'd day she was house-cleaning. I'm not sure what you call it in this case. Perhaps, nesting is the best term.
The final two encounters were with men I found asleep on the sidewalk. One was George on Central just off Washington and the other was Mick who I found on Maple St just off Washington. I asked George (I think his name was probably Jorge) if he was hungry and showed him what was in the bag. He was happy to have it but was still sleepy and wanted to go back to sleep (it was about 10:00 a.m by now). It was kind of weird how both of these men were in almost the exact same position. Mick is the one in the picture and he woke up quickly when I started talking to him. He was also very hungry and started eating from the can of soup immediately. I sat down on the curb next to him and we talked for awhile. He had on a dirty pair of socks and some sandals. I gave him a new pair of socks but he wore size 13 shoes and I didn't have any that big. I did gave him another shirt to wear though. He said he needed "everything". He knew it was the 4th of July and asked me if I voted. It turned out that he was a Vietnam Veteran and he was very angry with our government and life in general. He asked me what I was going to be doing this morning and I told him in a hour or so I was going to be in church. He said, "I don't believe in God." He told me this a couple of times at least. I also noticed when he held the can of soup in his left hand that his fingers didn't grip the can. He held the bottom of the can with his little finger (actually a knuckle) and the top of the can with his thumb. It turned out that he had been wounded in the war and this was a permanent injury. I listened to him talk for a while and finally said, "Let me pray for you before I go." He reminded me that he didn't believe in God and I gently said to him, "I know, but I do." Wouldn't you know, he bowed his head when I prayed with him. God is Sovereign no matter who believes or who doesn't believe. Later, when I was in church, the service was very 4th of July oriented. There was a big push to remember God's presence and guiding hand in our country's history and the people in our congregation who were either serving or had served in our armed
forces. I'm sure the ones who were in our church and saw action were quite aware of how fortunate they are. It is good to remember our veterans and the role they have played and continue to play in our freedom. But this Sunday morning, I couldn't help but remember this one homeless veteran who I served on a curb downtown on Maple St. Please pray for all of our veterans. --Until next week. John
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