Little Boy Blue...

He was so young that I suspected he might have Medicaid.  In fact, I checked his date of birth to see if he was over 18.  Turns out, he was 22.  After his paperwork was completed, one of our student volunteers called him back to be triaged.  When I wandered down the hall to check on things, I found him hunched over in his chair crying, with our volunteer on her knees beside him.

While he was in a room waiting on the doctor, I went in to meet "Matt."  I asked a few questions, and soon he was weeping - hard... like shoulders-shaking-and-fat-tears-running-off-his-nose hard.  I listened as he poured out his heart about a lost childhood and a strained relationship with his now-divorced parents.  I couldn't help but think this was an 8-year-old boy in a 22-year-old man's body. When I asked about his faith, he told me that he no longer had any.

These are the situations that antibiotics and a Good Health Card can't fix. These are the places where we dare not tread without the power of the Holy Spirit. This young man was reaching out to strangers because his community had failed him.  I spoke with him about Hope and God's pursuing love, but mostly, I just listened.  It was hard stuff to hear.  Our doctor spent a lot of time with Matt as well, and she took the time to treat him with dignity.  As we both stood next to him, I couldn't help but think that we really weren't being doctor and director, we were both just being who we were: moms.  We were mothering this young man who desperately needed parental love.

After we both prayed with Matt, the most amazing thing happened: he smiled.  Because that's what God's love does: it breaks through all the crap of this world and brings us hope in spite of our circumstances. Our situation doesn't change, but we move through it, maybe past it, and realize that although we are changed and shaped by our circumstances, we are not held captive by them.

And sometimes, you need a mom to remind you....

So Much to Learn...

As I pulled into the clinic parking lot, I passed a group of folks standing outside the Meyer Center waiting for the social services ministry to open up for the afternoon.  I noticed a woman, “Barbara,” whom I recognized from the clinic.  After parking my car, I walked around the building to speak to her and see how she was doing.

She told me that she was excited because she had spent some time with her teenage daughter (This is something we had prayed for together after she shared with me that her daughter had admitted to her that she was doing drugs.  When Barbara tried to talk her daughter into getting help, it strained their relationship and they had not been speaking).  She said that her daughter didn’t have money for food, and so Barbara had spent what little money she had to buy her a meal.  She explained to me that she had to leave her “baby” with no way of knowing if she’d have food to eat the following day, but she was trusting God to provide.

At about this point in her story, another woman approached us… another homeless woman who was also waiting for the Meyer Center to open and who had overheard our conversation.  She reached into her bag, pulled out a sub sandwich and said to Barbara, “Here, take this sandwich to your daughter.  I know it’s not much, but you are welcome to have it.”

And I was dumbfounded.  And ashamed.  This woman, who had nothing by our world’s standards, gave generously out of her nothingness.  She gave away probably the only thing of value that she had.  She didn’t pay all her bills first, place the appropriate amount in her retirement account, treat herself to Starbucks, and then donate the leftovers.  She saw an immediate need, and she immediately responded.

I have much to learn from those I serve…

DIY Wannabe

OK, first let me say that I am NOT a DIYer (although I certainly wish I were). Almost everything I've ever tried to do myself ended up in shambles. But every once in a while - after I've forgotten the last failure - I get the itch to try again. And every once in a blue moon, I achieve DIY success!!

I got this idea off of Emily C's pinterest page, and couldn't wait to give it a try. It had all the makings of success for me: it could be accomplished in one afternoon, it was cheap, and it didn't involve a sewing machine.

Here is what my kitchen "catch-all" drawer looked like on Friday:

After a quick trip to Lowes, $6 worth of Poplar board and $6 worth of Gorilla Glue, here's what it looks like now:

I think I am most proud of the fact that this little project was one that Jack and I did together (he's great at measuring and sawing);

If you're wanting to give this a try, the super-easy directions are here.

Now, it's off to tackle my bathroom drawers!....

Mission Waco Health Clinic

I liked her purse. She was articulate and attractive. I must admit, I was a little intrigued as to why she had come to the clinic. So, I went into the patient room to talk with her. Turns out, she used to be a substance abuse counselor at the Freeman Center until she lost her job in February. Now, she is technically homeless, and she and her two kids are living with her sister. She almost cried when she told me: “I knew about this place because I’ve referred people here. I never dreamed I’d come here myself.” One unfortunate event that snowballed into homelessness…

He was a young 46. He was polite, and seemed well-educated. He told me that because of a bad decision to drink and drive, he ended up in jail. And because he didn’t have the money or means to bond out, he spent almost 4 months there. He lost his motorcycle and his job. Now, for the first time in his life, he’s homeless (staying at the Salvation Army), jobless, and with no means of transportation. One very bad decision that ended up with a man on the streets…

And there you have it: two very tangible reminders that “There but for the grace of God go I.” How fragile our situation is. How very easily our safety nets can be torn to shreds. One small snag can begin an unraveling beyond our control.

But we serve a God who has Good News… not just about our life after death, but about our situation TODAY. We serve a savior who has the power to pull us from the miry clay and deliver us to abundant life NOW. The gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t just about where we go when we die, but where we’ll sleep tonight.

Thank you, Lord, for the compassion you have to see our need, the power you have to meet our need, and your faithful promise to always be with us. Let me be part of your good news that brings healing and restoration in this life as well as the one to come.

Sweet Dreams

Last night, I dreamed that Paul had come back to life. He was the same ole' sweet Paul, and I couldn't take my eyes off of him as he sat across the couch from me. We had a great conversation (I don't remember about what, I just remember that I couldn't stop smiling).

It was so real. His voice was so real. The feel of his bald head against my cheek was so real. The gratitude I felt to have him back once more was so real. But, even in the dream, I knew that it was temporary... that soon I'd be without him again.

I am so thankful for my "moment" with Paul. It is worth every ounce of hell I feel today as I yearn for him even more...

I BELIEVE in a changed life

I've written before about my friends, Hope and Naz, who are fighting to keep Naz in the US (if you haven't read their story, you can do so at www.wesupportnaz.com)

TODAY is Naz's hearing. Please pray.

God's plans, though always right and righteous, are seldom logical or convenient.