Monday, February 25, 2008

 

I love it when my schedule allows me to stay for lunch at the Mission.  Not that it's one of the fanciest eating establishments in town, bit it is one of my favorites...especially now that it has been renovated and expanded with the addition of the new Curtis Center.  The picture at the right will give you some idea of the changes that have been made, including a double serving counter.

 

But what really appeals to me is that when I go through the lunch line, I discover that many of the guests whom I seek to serve here at the Mission are, in fact, cooking my food and serving me!  And they do it with such grace!  At every meal I realize that our life here at the Mission is the fulfillment of the Apostle Paul's homiletic on the words of Jesus who said, " I have come not to be served but to serve."  Mark 10:45.  Paul expanded on those words and emphasized them in his letter to the members of the Church in Galatia, saying "Be ye servants of one another."  Gal. 5:13.  That's one of the lessons that we all learn here at the Mission.

 

I think it is that selfless concern that we share for one another here at the Mission that makes life here a unique microcosm of the fellowship that Jesus shared with his disciples and which he expect us to share with one another by being servants, one to another.

 

In that light...let me invite you to join me for lunch someday...at your convenience...to be my guest and to come and share this People's City Mission experience.

 

 

About one hour after Jo left, our fire alarms sounded!  The Mission was evacuated.  Everyone went outside in the cold.  It wasn't a fire emergency...it was a water emergency.  An eight year old boy, resting on a top bunk and playing with a plastic "magic wand", poked the wand into the red glass center of a water sprinkler in the ceiling! 

 

Yes!  Sprinkler water started gushing out, flooding his second floor room, the hall, the adjacent rooms.  At one time the water was 3 inches deep on the floor.  Then it began seeping through the ceiling into the newly remodeled HIS Center where we have 100 bunk beds!  Finally the fire department was able to shut off the water and the clean up began.  Service Master brought in fans and all their equipment.  The boy's family had to sleep in the Chapel that night.  We were able to find room for the men.  But the water emergencies were not over!

 

At 10:30 that night, a water sprinkler pipe broke in the ceiling of the Curtis Center day area.  It was improperly installed and had frozen.  Offices, the day area, the Tranquility Room were all flooded.  The damage was even more extensive that the earlier flood that day.  The demolition team started tearing out the ceiling and insulation on Thursday morning. 

Supernanny Jo Frost was very generous with us.  One of her crew, Tim Allen, came to the Mission on Friday morning to share make-up techniques with our women.  Then at 2:30 in the afternoon, Jo came a second time to talk with our mothers and fathers about problems they were having with their children.  We took photos of our guests and their children with Jo.  She brought copies of her book for our parents.  She spent another two hours with us.  It was a wonderful afternoon.  Again, we were all impressed with Jo's compassion, common sense, approachability, and openness toward our guests.  We were so very honored to have Jo Frost at the Mission!

 

Just after she left, the fire alarms sounded again!   Our building was evacuated.  The fire trucks came.  It was a glitch in our sprinkler system.....caused by the two previous events that week.

 

Friday evening and Saturday were Dare to Share at Pershing.  The youth collected a record amount of food...23 tons!   Thank you to all those who donated canned or boxed food.  We feel so very blessed.  The food is now at our Distribution Center where it will be given away to those in need.

 

I spent all day Saturday in Nebraska City at the Disciples of Christ men's meeting where I was asked to speak on behalf of PCM.   I was inspired by the men in attendance.  Often, when you are asked to be a part of a program, you gain so much from the others in attendance!  It was a great day. 

 

Then Sunday, TSP (The September Project) performed a concert in our recreation building for our guests.  TSP is a Christian rock group that performs in various locations.  They have found that they are drawn to perform in homeless shelters, as they find they can feel the spirit of the Lord at work in Missions around the midwest.

 

Well,  that was the week that was! It is very unusual for us to have that much "excitement" in one week.  But here we are, ready for whatever God has in store for us in the new week.  Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

But, oh no!  Two children just locked themselves in the elevator while their mother's back was turned!  Here we go again!