Sometimes I Write

I was happy to help my friend Nikki redeem her cooking reputation today. Every Wednesday Karen cooks a big meal for the 7 or 8 streetkids in the Wednesday Bible study group. Since the Goldman’s are gone for the week, Nikki volunteered to cook. Evidently, there was some cause for concern by the staff and streetkids alike since Matt and Nikki have shared her cooking disaster stories with everyone. No worries friends – she did great! She was very busy lastnight putting everything together for today. Here’s one of the things I love about her…she tried to make atleast one favorite dish for each of the kids in the group! She made roast, cheesy broccoli rice casserole, green beans, pistachio salad, homemade rolls, and two homemade pies – one apple, and one pumpkin. It was awesome! How did I help? I peeled and sliced the apples for the pie. Nothing glamorous, but I helped. I also did the dishes after lunch. That counts for something doesn’t it? 🙂 There’s something so comforting to me about two women in a kitchen cooking, talking, and laughing as they prepare to serve a meal together. Nikki did all the hard stuff, so I was glad to be there to help her with all of the last minute stuff. It was also funny to me that we’d both turn and look when someone called out our name – happens a lot.

I’ve been thinking all week about what I am thankful for and what I’m going to post tomorrow. It’s going to be a nice relaxing day at home, so I know I’ll have time to blog a bit. Benny and Zoe are going to make us all breakfast, then we’re going to put up the Christmas tree. That was probably my favorite Thanksgiving memory from my childhood. We’ll also watch the Macy’s parade, then the Broncos are playing the Cowboys. I’ll be baking homemade pies to take to the family dinner in Buena Vista on Friday. Tomorrow being Thursday, we’re staying in town to be with our friends on the streets at Shakespeare’s, then we’re feeding them at the park as usual. It’s nice to know this is one of the few weeks of the year some of them don’t have to look for food – there are lots of organizations, and churches that come out a few times a year to feed the homeless. I wish they cared like that throughout the whole year, and I’m thankful for the ones that do. Some of our kids will have eaten “Thanksgiving Dinner” a few times by the time they reach us at Shakespeare’s tomorrow night.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving wherever you are and whoever you’re with. Travel safely or enjoy your time at home. God Bless you!

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I love Saturdays.
In the summertime I get up early and head out to garage sales for some much needed Niki time. I usually make myself some chai to take along and grab a banana or bagel and I’m gone – just me, my change bag, and my bargain hunting skills. Since moving to Denver, Jennifer and I have made it a Saturday morning ritual to go to ARC, Denver’s version of Goodwill. Every Saturday everything in the store (except 2 tag colors) is 1/2 price. I have an eye for good used stuff and usually come home with a few treasures for my family. Max’s favorite jeans came from ARC, cost me a $1.99, and they look brand new. I have completed a couple of book collections and even found supplemental materials for homeschooling there. Aaaahhhh I love a bargain! I’m a good treasure hunter. I wasn’t born that way, my dear MIL taught me everything she knows! 🙂

Then Autumn hits and garage sales eventually come to a halt. ARC is still there, but I don’t get up quite as early. Saturday is our day to get things done around the house. Not general cleaning, but special projects. If we don’t feel like doing those projects, or money is tight, it’s cartoon/movie day, and catching up with friends through email or on the phone. There have been many Saturdays the kids stayed in their pajamas the whole day just watching movies, wrestling with Benny, and playing with their toys on the patio. Friday is our fieldtrip/Library day so they have plenty of videos, books, and stuff to keep them happy and busy.

Now winter is upon us and the days are colder. Early Saturday mornings are spent cuddling as a family in our king size, and watching cartoons together. I make oatmeal, pancakes, or cinnamon coffee cake for breakfast to warm us up, and then we get busy doing our own things. It’s great! It’s not as Norman Rockwell as it sounds, but it’s relaxing and fun. We also spend Saturday getting ready for Sunday. House cleaned, menu planned, clothes ready for the next morning, etc. (Thanks again to Flylady!) It makes Sunday mornings run smoothly and we’re all relaxed and unrushed, which is a far cry from what it used to be like around our house on Sunday mornings.

I love Saturdays!

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If you haven’t noticed, my blogroll is growing. That doesn’t mean I get to read everyone listed there everyday, but I try to check them out a few times a week. I’ve been a little lazy getting some friends posted there, so let me highlight a few of them for you…

Matt Wallace is one of our friends/team members with Dry Bones. He’s a new blogger and a really funny guy!

Tams is a youth ministry friend of ours in Texas. She’s fun and hilarious – definitely check her out!

Dana Qualls is a friend I’ve never met, but I know her daughter and I love her blog. She’s a very thoughtful lady.

Lauriebelle is my friend/ex-sister-in-law/doula/encourager/and many other hats…I love her dearly!

Peachtea Pots is my new kindred spirit friend in Georgia, and I’m dying to know her real name!

Check these people out (and all of the others listed) when you get time. I don’t know ANY boring people! God bless you all, and thanks for stopping by!

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Thank you to everyone who has left encouraging comments here, sent us emails, and called to see how we’re all doing. We know we, the kids, and the ministry are covered in prayer. We’re so thankful!

At our meeting this week we talked about some of the numbers related to the ministry. We have always said we count our successes by conversations, not conversions. You can not be numbers oriented when dealing with human life. You can never save enough, help enough, influence enough, etc. The purpose was to compile a short list for a meeting that took place yesterday afternoon with the downtown business people in regards to the homeless youth and who is doing what with them. This information was compiled with other organizations in the area that work with troubled youth. I thought after yesterday’s post, we (and you) could use some positive news, and maybe catch just a glimpse of what we do. Some of the numbers are encouraging, and some less so. This isn’t an exhaustedly complete list, but it will give you an idea.

Daily outreach – kids that we have contact with each day while on the streets (outreach) – 20 to 30 kids

Street youth at our weekly pool hall night at Shakespeare’s (Thursdays from 6:00 – 8:00) – 60 to 90 kids (average of 75)/ week

Street youth that eat a meal with Dry Bones every Thursday night (8:00 – 8:45 at Common’s Park) – 80 to 100 kids/ week

Street youth that attend Bible studies with Dry Bones – Wednesday’s meal and Bible study from 12:00 – 2:45 (these kids are seeking and open to learning about Jesus) – 8 to 10/ week

Thursday afternoon coffee and Bible study (kids that have made a commitment to Christ) – 5 to 7/ week

Street youth that attend church with Dry Bones staff or volunteers – 10 kids/wk

Street kids that we are in contact with that come to us after “failing” or being kicked out of other programs – in contact with approx. 35/ week ongoing

Street kids that attend Celebrate Recovery on Friday nights with DB staff – 4

Street youth that we come into contact with directly after leaving jail/prison or halfway house – 3/week

Street youth that DB connects into counseling services – 3/month

Personal attention – Going with youth to appointments including court dates, doctor’s visits, Urban Peak, etc. – 25/month

Street kids that we come in contact with that are transient (traveling through and stopping in Denver or on the streets for a short period of less than one week) – 2 to 5/week

Monday night Coffee Nights (currently not having because of Hannah’s coffee shop closing and our ongoing search for a new location for such an event) – 40 to 50/ week

Volunteers – 30 people / month

Area churches that support and are involved with Dry Bones – 7/month

Denver and area Businesses supporting Dry Bones on an ongoing basis – 13/month

Kids we are in contact with each week that are waiting for program openings, paper work, and so forth (i.e. – Section 8, inpatient drug rehab, shelter programs, etc.) – 40/week

Helping former (or current) street youth maintain enrollment in school – 6 currently

Kids we have played some role in getting off of the streets that we continue to maintain ongoing contact and relationship with off of the streets – 45

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Lastnight Benny called home from downtown. Matt and Robbie had found one of the streetkids dead near the river. It was a somber and difficult night for the Dry Bones staff and the kids we work with. There are so many thoughts racing through my head. The main question I have is WHY? Why don’t people see the needs right in front of them, preferring to help those who are easier charity? Why do the business men and women of downtown Denver just want the homeless away from their businesses? One man said he wanted them off his street, once told they’d just go a few streets over he replied, “good, they won’t be MY problem anymore”. Not all of them feel this way, but more than not. Why can’t we reach the street kids faster? I know it takes time to form relationships, but I want to help them NOW! Why do some get a break, and others die alone? Why isn’t there enough money to build places to help the homeless get off the streets, yet the city needs a new stadium every so often, and money to spend on other entertainment venues? Why isn’t life more important to us all? Sure we fight against abortion, and euthanasia, but we forget about the homeless and the people dying all over the world from disease and starvation. It all seems so overwhelming to us, doesn’t it? Where do we spend our time and money? Afterall, it only goes so far. With a heavy heart, I’ll share the email I received from Matt this morning. Please pray for us, the Dry Bones Team, and the homeless kids in Denver. Pray for every person who is involved with Dry Bones in any way, from the people who support the ministry financially, to the local volunteers that show up week after week at Shakespeare’s, to the companies and businesses that send donations of clothing and food, to the prayer teams that have us on their lists, to the youth groups who come in the summers to experience DB and then go home to be worldchangers. We are more grateful for our partners in this ministry than we can ever express. Just pray…

From Matt Wallace:
Below is just a story and my thoughts from an event that happened last night:

“Hello Officer Johnson, this is Captain Black. . . . Yeah, we’ve got a D.O.A. here by the river . . . . Yep, I’m sure he’s dead. . . . some kid . . . . these ministers came and told me that there was a dead guy in the park. . . . . they led me down there, we searched through the bushes, and we found him.”

Tonight was one of the toughest nights on the streets yet for me. Every Thursday night, for the past four years, we’ve rented out a pool hall. We invite all of our friends, the street kids, to come inside for free pool and an opportunity to feel normal. Nothing about tonight felt normal for me. It was one of those “first-ever-experiences” that I would just rather not ever have had.

Three street kids, good friends of ours’, came running up to Robbie and me at the pool hall.
“We were just down by the Platte River walking on our way over here and we found a dead guy.” These kids were scared out of their minds. Scared because they didn’t know what to do. Scared because they were afraid that they were somehow going to get in trouble. And scared mostly because, well, it could have been them. “I think he must have overdosed or something. . . . . we touched him and he was . . . cold,” said one of the kids. Robbie and I offered to go and handle the situation. We knew that there was an off-duty police officer working security at some apartments nearby. We told the kids that we would go talk to him. From here, the night seemed to get darker. The three kids took us to a lookout and pointed in the general direction of the body. Robbie and I then went by ourselves and found the off-duty policeman. Captain Black drove us through the park down to the river. We got out and began walking towards the water through the tall dead grass and overgrown bushes. With a lump in my throat, butterflies in my stomach, and adrenaline flowing through my body, I said, “Don’t think that he will be here on the trail. I think he’s probably up in the bushes. The kids said that he was in his squat.”

After a few minutes of searching, the beam of light from the officer’s MagLight lit a small pile of clothing. When we rounded the big bush and looked down, there he was. He was no old “homebum” like I thought he would be. He was a young kid. He was a street kid. I knew his face. I’d seen him walking down the street within the past month at least twice; though I never even knew his name. His face now white, his lips purple, his body curled up into a tiny ball. So THIS is where life ends? Beside a nasty dirty river? In a squat uninhabitable for human life? Overdosed on heroine? Dark? Alone? We made our way back up to Captain Black’s car. We called on-duty police officers. The fire department, ambulance, and homicide showed up. The atmosphere soon lit up like an episode of C.S.I. . . . only real. We filed our reports and left the scene. I’m sure there will be no murder convicted. It’s hard, in a court of law, to convict absentee and abusive parents, drug lords, heroine itself, and even the Prince of Darkness.

We met back up with our 80 plus street kids, now at our weekly meal in that very same park; the flashing police lights just in the distance. The mood was somber. The kids asked quiet questions. One of the kids who had found the body pulled me aside. I asked him if he was ok. Staring at the ground, he said, “Yeah.” He was not telling the truth. I asked him what he was thinking. He said, “I’m tired of my friends dying.” I asked, “Did you know that kid?” He said that he didn’t, but could have so easily. He knew that that kid hadn’t been in town long enough for him to know him. He began listing the names of his friends that he knew were “next”. I asked him if that could have been him. . . He looked up at me and said nothing. This time, his eyes spoke the truth. He walked away.

My teammates surrounded me. I cried. I too am tired of my friends dying. It’s a part of the business I’m in. In four years, I know of at least 10 of my street friends that have died. I’ve been a part of one of their funerals. But I’ve never even seen a single body. Tonight. Tonight this was too real. The image of his face will be with me forever. Back at the pool hall, Nikki was having a conversation with a young girl. She was crying. It had been another bad day. She says to Nikki, “I’m tired of people being she**ty. . . I guess it doesn’t really get better for people like me.”
I so desperately want these kids to know:
There is a LIFE where your friends aren’t killing themselves slowly and taking you with them. There is a LIFE where love is real and is not dependent on sex or filled with abuse.
There is a LIFE where everyone around you isn’t held captive by drugs.
There is a LIFE where you don’t have to sleep beside a river or underneath a bridge or in a stormdrain.
There is a LIFE where you really can trust people.
A LIFE where people don’t stab you in the back day after day.
There is a LIFE that begins NOW and goes on forever.
There is a LIFE that is filled with a supernatural LOVE.
There is a LIFE that doesn’t end in the cold, dark, bushes beside the Platte River.
There is more than this so-called living.
There is LIFE.

Tonight I feel the gravity of living in desperate times.
LIFE must be lived.
And we have got to show the way to LIFE.

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