Fake Sugar, Real Life

Last saturday at the homeless kitchen we were running out of sugar. This is a big deal. The homeless love the sugar. They pour obscene amounts of it in their coffee to get a sugar buzz. So @DanielJayBryant directed a couple of us to the closest store (not the best part of town).

We got in the truck and headed around the corner from the feeding kitchen at around 10 a.m. As we turned the corner we saw a man laying on the side of the road, near the bus stop. I noticed his face. A face I will never forget. A face of death.

He appeared to be a homeless man by the way he was dressed. As we passed by, I could tell that he had been dead probably all night. What was going through his mind when he died? Was he waiting until the feeding kitchen opened the following morning? Was he waiting near the bus stop to go see his family? Was he sick without someone to take care of him?

I will never forget the empty shell of a person that I saw that day on the side of the road.

The story does not end there. We drove around the block to the shopping mart/liquor store/bathroom (evidentally). We went in to get some Sweet n' Low. This was not an ordinary shopping area. It was falling apart. Outdated food on the shelves. Disgusting floors and walls... I remember telling the person that was with me, "Man, I have been to 3rd world countries and not seen places this disgusting".

As we were waiting to check out I heard our cashier yell across the store, "hey so-and-so, get a mop, someone peed on the floor up here". Wow. Right by the register. A woman, probably not in her right mind, decided to urinate on the floor while in line to check out.

Why did I tell you these stories? So that you know that these places and these things are happening right down the street from where you live. Not in other countries. Not in hidden dark alleys. Not in the middle of a forgotten place. Right down your street. We went to get Fake Sugar, and saw a bit of Real Life.

Get involved with "this area" of town. We are here to help these people. To give them a voice. To bring a bit of our abundance and love to "this area" of town. Come enjoy the crazies, the dirty, the lazy, the prostitutes, the drug addicts. Come see through these things and see that they are broken people. Just as broken as the suit-and-tie who sits comfortably in the pew infront of you.