This post has nothing to do with our adoption, I just felt like I should put it up.
Seven o'clock, Thursday night. Worship, then serving the Homeless Under the Burnside bridge. There's something for everyone: Hair cutting, Prayer walk, Walk-abouts, Table host, Serving food, clothing station, Dignity station, Foot washing station, Disney duty... the list goes on. You try to sign up for the thing that you would say, "I'm not doing that" or, "Definatly not that" to. You do those so you can stretch yourself and grow.
I was working at the dignity station. Handing out shampoo, soap, tooth-brushes, tooth-paste, comb's, razors, floss, lotion, and my favorite part, giving manicures to those who asked. Now I know, painting nails, that sounds really stupid! But it's amazing how much these people enjoy it, and how grateful they are for complete strangers to come take care of them and just talk to them. They love know that there are people out there that care enough to come do they're nails, or, wash they're dirty feet, or to cut there hair. I did the nails for all guys. My favorite encounter, was the guy who wanted gold nails. He sits down, and I wash his hands and he pics out what color he wants. "I want a gold color" he says. We do a yellow, and then a gold sparkle-like top coat. I ask him his name (typical conversation starter) and we begin to talk. He tells me of some of the recent events of his life, and we talk about that while I'm painting. it was amazing how much he was willing to share his story with a compete stranger, just because their willing to listen. Then, I ask him his story. He says he was in a band, then one of the band members died and he had a nervous break down, for him, the economy started getting bad he lost everything. He's been living on the streets for a couple months - one year. After that he asks about my story. I tell him of course (but you all know me so i don't need to go into detail). I finished his nails, and he thanks me, gets up and leaves.
Later, He brings out the buckets he uses for drums, and starts playing, in the middle of all the noise. It was the buckets that caught my eye later. You see on the way back to the car after all this was over. I look over to the left, and see several people sleeping against the wall of a building, and i notice one of them has a stack of buckets in front of them. Roby. Under the old dirty blankets he uses as sheets, that was where he would be staying tonight. It dug into me. I complain about stuff I want and don't get, and ask my parents for other stuff, and I keep getting all this crap I don't need. Then there's Roby, who had a good paying job, and now has to make do with what he can get. How selfish I feel!
Another guys nails I did, had just had his feet washed and what not, he comes over and is looking at all the stuff we had set out, and I ask him, "Do you want your nails painted?" and He's clearly either drunk, or he's not all there, but as I sat there talking to him, It was like talking to a little kid. He washed up his hands in some hot water, and I was about to let him dry off his hands with a towel, but something kept me from letting him take the towel and letting him dry his own hands. I sat there drying his hands as he just smiled at me and laughed. He was happy about everything! He wanted purple nails, with gold sparkle on top, and (we also had lotion and little hand massages for people who wanted it) he wanted a massage and lotion, and he just loved it! It's hard to think about leaving them out there in the cold to just sleep and fend for them selves.
I'm not going to go into detail on this one, because this was the hardest one by far. I did the nails of This "guy in a girls body" as his "brother" put it, and They just kept talking about "I need to get prettied up for the boyfriend I might have tonight" and that was so incredibly difficult, that i was about to get up and excuse my self for a moment. We now people like this exist, but we just try to ignore it and act like it's not there. Let me tell you, I think living like that and ignoring what is reality, is like acting like someone your not. I'm not saying it's a bad thing because it's totally human nature to act like that, I'm just sharing my opinion.
Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful time, it's just really deep, and opens your eyes to what does happen in our world.
