 NO, she is not dead. She is high on - no telling what. If this was a video, you would see her rolling around in the dirt… talking crazy…Cussing God and everyone around her… The woman in the picture was screaming obscenities... I leaned down to see if the she wanted help. I touched her arm - she was burning up… She was unresponsive to my words… I stood and said to my cohort - "This is Crazy" not intending for anyone to hear but him,,, The woman on the ground - still rolling around and cussing responded… "I'm not Crazy… YOUR CRAZY - your all CRAZY!" The mood in the camp that day was intense… There was an eerie sense of evil - a sense of blackness… What you don't see sitting just to the left of the picture is a woman - over 65 years old - so high on drugs that her breast are exposed - not on purpose… not because she is trying to be sexy… There was nothing sexy about this scene… But totally oblivious to her surrounding and her condition. Her 'wife beater' t- shirt is soaked with sweat… She was mumbling… "Give me some pot - give me your wallet - give me your cigarette - ( wee were not smoking) take me with you - give me a joint…" When I turned around and the woman in the dirt was gone… She up and ran into the woods. This is the sad picture of homelessness. I don't see scenes like this often - But the image of that day will last in my mind for a long time. Mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction plague our streets and the 200+ homeless camps in our city alone. I know that the poor will always be with us… But I am convinced that we can help the ones that fall through the cracks to get our of the dirt… and live a productive life. Nashville has some amazing organizations that The Project Nashville has partnered with. These groups help people just like I have talked about today. It is our calling to get these people in the dirt and introduce them to the help they need. Won't you volunteer and help The Project Nashville give loving help to those who need it most?
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www.theprojectnashville.com is looking to sign up 100 volunteers in 100 days… Yep - that is one a day… Actually we would love a thousand in a 100 days… OK lets do that! A thousand volunteers for www.theprojectnashville.com in a 100 days… Bottom line is we want you. It's easy… Sign up (at the bottom of this page) and we will send out a needs e-mail once a week… All you do is… Look at the current needs - Find one that you can help with - Call the offices - (615) 828-0075 and we will give you the details. Look - Find - Call That's it… if you don't see a need you can help with - wait until the next e-mail and you might find a different need that you can help with. Its that easy. We will not call you unless you call us. We are simply looking for people who want to help the poor and homeless of our city. So sign up today as a volunteer. and thank you JR Davis. Did you eat out last week?
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Amerigo's Italian restaurant - The Patterson House - Monell's Dining? Or perhaps Shoneys - Capt. D's - Cracker Barrel… Who did you take - your sig-other - your family - a friend? and… How much did you spend? Over a $100… $50… $35… This isn't another post about giving money to your local homeless charity… but more of a challenge , HERE IT IS Go pick up a homeless person and take them to a nice restaurant. It will be a meal you will not forget. I did just that, last night. Now granted, I work with the homeless community so I may have an advantage - but taking a Street Person to a restaurant will not only bring joy and normalcy into their life - even if only a few hours - but it will bring incredible joy into your life. I will admit that I was a bit apprehensive entering the place - and considered that possibility that I might get kicked out and banned for life… I decided to go to a restaurant that had an outside patio. Whats more I introduce my street person as a celebrity and the waitress immediately took the bait and seemed pleased to be serving a famous person. After all, my street person has been interviewed on TV with a reporter on a story about the plight of the homeless - He also was featured in a documentary on homelessness. So I wasn't really telling a lie… And… if nothing else… he IS a legend in his own mind… We didn't get asked to leave. What I found to be fantastic, was to see this person sit back and relax, enjoying in the beautiful people sitting around us… and taking a step out of the dirt into the real world. He has been on the streets for 15 years and never been to this popular area with Posh Restaurants. He asked me if this is what it felt like to hang with me… "Yep" I said "I like to come here and just chill" He told me that he liked hanging out in my world… We talked about the possibility of his leaving his reality and joining "our" reality. … and he told me that he wanted to. I asked candid questions about his sobriety and how that will affect his success in transitioning back to a life with his family and teenage children. He really wants that life again. He knows what he has to do… and … He knows that The Project Nashville will be there for him along the way. We talked about his life and his dreams and I encouraged him to keep shooting for the stars. and in a way that I can't really explain… we bonded as brothers. Brothers in this hard world of pain and suffering and homelessness… and Hope… The waitress brought the ticket and I spent the same amount that I would have with my wife at Sunday Lunch… It wasn't much in the scope of life - and I suspect that we will do this again … soon. I smiled the whole way home. and I know it will put a smile on your face if you take this challenge. . Do IT! You will not regret it. I did…
I wanted to use… and nobody was there to talk to me… I sat at my halfway house… looked around… and all I saw was addicted men… Most of them sneaking off and using… Me? I don't know how they pass the weekly drug test - but they do… and that's non of my business. I want to recover - survive - live… That's why I'm here in the first place... but I wanted to use. My back hurt s from working on the job. The job I finally got… On my own mind you... But every muscle in my body is screaming for relief. Yes, some strong aspirin would help but I can get stronger drugs from my dope man… and Yes it cost much more than a pill in a bottle… Money I don't have… He will spot me for it just this once… I'm sure he will spot me. You simply don't know how much pain I am in. I just need some relief… A man can only take so much… And I'm not kidding myself - it will feel sooooo good. And my body will stop hurting… And my loneliness will go away for a few hours. I want to use… Who can I call? Who will understand? I don't want to talk to another addict… How can you trust them… They want to use too. There is no one to call that understands MY reason to use. No one person - because I have no friends…other than my drug friends. … and perhaps you... I know that this will put me out of my halfway house… But that is no biggie - I've been on the streets before and I will survive. And what's more - I'm a man, I'm responsible for my own actions. I just need to use one last time… and then I won't use again… Do you believe me? Do you understand? Do you really?,,, When I get back… can I call you? My son Johnathan invited me to "The Feeding" a few years back.
But I never had the time… Correction - I never MADE the time… But in January of 2014 I joined him on a chilly Monday night in downtown Nashville. It was awesome. The group www.peoplelovingnashville.com have served dinner to the homeless for the last 7 or 8 years without missing a Monday. I recruited a few volunteers from TPN and have been joining them for 9 months now. So… it finally hit me why jesus fed the 5000. Answer - it was a hook - a tool - a gimmick - to gather people and share with them the love of God. OK - gimmicks are frowned on in many cases but think about it. Jesus saw that people were hungry - so He used His resources to feed them. In that "feeding" He was able to supply an immediate need - while telling them about a cool new path in life they could walk. I have a friend, George Medley, who does the same thing in Denver every week. He opens his warehouse every weekend and hands out bags of food and clothing to the poor in the city. Whats more - for about 2 years he gave away a used car every week - He would have three hundred people show up just to win a car - and then he would tell them outright… "I used this car to get you to come here to my warehouse - so I could tell you about a man called Jesus". George used a hook- a tool - a Gimmick… This is what the Lampa family is doing every Monday night. Using a dinner to gather people to show them through action - the love of God. Perhaps we need to find more ways to gather people into our lives - Gimmick or not - Lets continue to "Reflect the Love of God" in helping our fellow man. Today is a national holiday and men, women and children on our streets still have a pain in their gut that they know as hunger. The Project Nashville volunteers will be helping www.peoplelovingnashville.com
as they continue to feed the homeless - rain or shine, snow or sleet, tornado or flood… evert Monday they are cooking and serving. Today they will be on their mission to feed a couple hundred homeless people on the streets of Nashville. As for me? I can't really say that I actually help out. I mean, they need people to serve the food - hand out clothing - drinks and forks etc. However my self appointed job is to simply mingle with the crowd and talk to the folks. Sometimes I bring a cigar or two and I use it as a hook to get them into a conversation. (sorry all you non smokers) But a fine cigar in the hands of a man on the street can last two weeks - at least that is what they tell me. "It aint like it used to be" I heard two homeless men talking. "back in the old days on the streets a man could find a place to sleep and not fear that his stuff would be stolen…" From the conversation I gathered that today one has to tie his shoes to his hand so they can feel if they are being lifted… Yes the homeless will eat a great meal tonight thanks to the Lampa's and volunteers… and some of us from The Project Nashville will be out there helping… Me? I'll be mingling. |
JR DaviswalTActivists for homeless - inmates and the poor of this world.
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