For about two years, a clean-cut gentlemen with a colorful personality named Wayne has been attending Food for Life and building a relationship with Paul. On Tuesday night I spent some time getting to know a little bit about Wayne's World.Alabama is the place Wayne called home prior to coming to Greenville. His childhood was a difficult one, with parents who struggled with addictions and a father who was abusive, primarily to his mother. While living in Alabama as an adult, he maintained a full-time job and had a small home and a wife. His job involved working for a family who hired him to be a household assistant, a jack of all trades. His wife came to the Greenville area because her family lived here and wanted her with them, and Wayne left Alabama to follow her with hopes that he could keep his marriage together, even though he saw it drawing to a close. He soon realized that his marriage was not going to be salvaged, and during the process of walking through his divorce, he lost his job and his home. He then found himself living on the streets, with hopes of one day getting off of the streets and back in a home.
Wayne has been homeless for as long as Paul has known him. He finds employment on a day by day basis at Labor Finders. This is a temp agency that employs by the day and pays by the day. The daily payment appeals to many street dwellers who feel a sense of fear about having to wait for a paycheck that will take two weeks to acquire, which is the case with all new full-time jobs. This the is the cycle in which most homeless people live their lives. People, like Wayne, will make just enough money after working for eight hours at Labor Finders to pay for an evening meal and a hotel room. However, because Labor Finders provides only temporary work, he may find himself the very next day "without a ticket," unable to work, and consequently back on the street without money or food.
When I asked Wayne if he had a prayer request, he shared that he fervently desires for Christians to pray that he will be able to get enough work to stay off of the street and eventually have the ability to live in a house rather than a hotel room.
My personal prayer request on Wayne's behalf is that he will be convicted and delivered from all sin that keeps him in bondage and that Wayne will become connected to a good church and a mentor family.
An additional prayer request that is of great importance is for a woman named Donnis. She is separated from her husband and expecting a baby in six weeks. She makes very little money and has two other children. She is currently living with her brother and has almost none of the items necessary for caring for her new baby girl. She has plenty of clothes, but apparently has little else. She is in need of a crib, bottles, diapers, wipes, and all baby items other than clothes.
We were pleased to serve 70 meals this week with the help of 18 volunteers.
~Charity
