Nothing unusual happened last night, which is good, everyone was orderly and if fact seemed to appreciate the food and the cold tea. The numbers started out real slow but by the time we served the meal there were over 85 people. If you count the volunteers eating and the plates to go, we served 110 meals.
My job last night was to keep the hall clear between the room where Paul was preaching and the kitchen. Many times individuals congregate in the hall and end up making so much noise that it competes with the preaching. So a little policing was in order. During this time I could hear Paul preaching inside and the volunteers in the kitchen singing hymns while they work. Everyone was having church.
One homeless individual was in rare form this week. He would be a nice guy if he would lose the booze. He spent his time trying volunteer in the kitchen and if you tried to talk to him he ended up crying. It seems that he just has to keep moving so he can forget his situation. At 50 years old, he probably realized a long time ago that his situation seems to be hopeless living under a bridge. Paul spent a lot of time with him but he doesn’t listen well. He just wants to keep moving.
Clean up went well because we had a lot of help. Many of the volunteers were regulars so they knew what to do. Usually there are a lot of questions but not tonight. There were a few people from GE and a good showing from The Evangelical Institute. We are grateful for all of volunteers who allow Paul to minister to the homeless each week.
~Marc
