Working for the Weekend

This weekend we had to a week's worth of ministry into really one day.  Saturday on the street was good, bigger than normal.  Mostly the same faces. Dr. Love came by and drew an amazing chalk Jesus on the sidewalk.  Some regular's played chess.  Josh, a guy we met the first week that Jenny really connected with, showed up and hung out with us.  He talked with me and some of the students about what it means to be born again.  He is very hard to follow and it is obvious that he isn't mentally sound.  I also talked to Six more about his life and past.  He has such an unbelievable story and continues to dream and move forward. He and some of the other guys that help out are officially "volunteer staff" with COTS.

Next we took the group to the CNN center for lunch. Then we brought them to Centennial Olympic Park and explained to them the idea behind the homeless walk. We told them to meet us at Woodruff Park at a certain time and to not ask cops or Ambassadors for directions.  Six went with one of the groups, and told us later that a security guard downtown stopped him and the group. He thought Six was leading them into trouble or trying to hustle them and Six had to explain that he was with COTS and supposed to be with them. 

We went back to the office for a bit and hung out with Josh some more.  He called his dad and started asking questions about when was the first time he was hospitalized and medicated (he says he hasn't seen his dad in years).  Then Jenny had a chance to talk with his dad on the phone which was such a blessing.  We all got to learn a little more about him from a clearer perspective.  His dad explained to Jenny that Josh was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia four years ago. He has been in hospitals and treated, often against his will. His family is trying to help him, but he refuses to acknowledge that he has a problem.  He continually told me that he is "normal" and he is afraid if he goes to the hospital that doctors will misdiagnose him.  He walked with us to Woodruff and Jenny spent the whole 40 minutes trying to convince him that mental disorders, just like physical illness, is a real problem, and to listen to doctors. But he doesn't see the reasoning, and doesn't want anyone telling him what is wrong with him or any doctors telling him to take medicine.  It just made me really sad and frustrated.  On the one hand I was so excited to know more of his story from his parents.  But now to know that he has been fighting, or rather denying, this diagnosis for four years is really discouraging.  Josh is 22. He is my age and actually does have a family that wants to help him.  Most guys we meet on the street are older and have strained or severed family relationships.  Josh's life could look completely different with a few simple steps.  But you can't force someone to acknowledge that they have a mental disorder.  

When we got to the park (one group making it a mere one minute before the deadline) we hung out here for about an hour, playing chess and talking.  Safe House had a group so I saw Julie and Trell and little Jordan. It was good to see them and really fun to play with Jordan again if only for a few minutes.  I also saw Kennedy. One of the students from the last group, Grant, had met Kennedy three years ago and has been praying for him since.  Grant came back to COTS every year but didn't see Kennedy again until this year.  Kennedy just recently got a job, which is what Grant has specifically been praying for.  That was cool for me to step into that story and just feel encouraged in the middle of a long day.  

After Woodruff we went to Underground for dinner and a little down time.  Before heading back to debrief,  we stopped and talked to Jeff, Reggie, and some of the other guys that sleep in front of a church.  Letting the groups chat with these folks, I mostly hung back and ended up talking to Six a little more.  He told me more about the gang that he was a part of and how it operates.  Six says these guys still want him around and have even offered him a nice paying job, but he doesn't want to be in that life anymore.  It just struck me that there is this whole other world going on all around me that I don't know anything about or even realize exists.  It blows my mind.  Working on the streets I am tempted to think I'm seeing the full picture that most people miss, but I'm not. And as Andy likes to say the guys we hang around are the "domesticated"-- guys that are used to drive-by ministries and other people coming in from outside.  But there is more to this city and more to people's stories that I get to see most of the time.