I was able to take a hike yesterday all around a huge area where a teacher friend (here at my new school) said an entire colony of homeless people live. Last week, on beginning to explore it by car, or find the general vicinity, I stumbled upon a security guard who told me a sad story. He said that several establishments (businesses) were tired of these people begging for money or food, and using their facilities for their bathroom and decided to cut down much of a forest they were in behind his building.
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| This was not what I found, but very similar |
I cannot begin to fathom this, toward people that cannot get any lower than they are, or can they? He motioned that they just moved farther back, but yesterday I found that they seemed to not be where he pointed. I did stumble upon a small community of between 8 and 10 people though, one seeming very very agreeable to a few of us coming back to bring hot soup, a bonfire, Christmas cookies, and many necessities that we can get our hands on for them. I gave, without a split second of hesitation on their part, a sleeping bag and comforter that we had extra and several pairs of Dory's old soccer socks, which cover the calf.
My nephew, Dominic Evans, who is in his second year with Christ in the City in Denver, told me that they always always need socks, gloves, underwear, and hand-warmers that they just throw into to bottom of their sleeping bags. My Fourth Grade students came up with many other amazing ideas, like an outhouse, a firepit and wood, hair and beard trimmer kit and haircuts, water, books (that they can then use for the fire - HA), and many other things.
I found that this camp relied on propane ("about $17.00 per month) to fuel their warmth. This is a bitter snap right now and I hope to help them get more. I just can't imagine the bathing and bathroom part, brushing the teeth, getting any laundry done. I badly want to buy a house nearby and start a day center minimally, like from 10:00-4:00 where they have companionship, warmth, a great large hot meal for lunch, cleaning opportunities like showering, shaving, and laundering, and just a warm welcome place to take a nap.
I also want to get one with land -- there's a lot around there -- and farm or garden a lot there! Hopefully even get some or many of them into a full time community with me there, 24/7, where they are family. AI am dying to garden, farm, harvest, and can everything! When I worked the Appalachian Project I asked a 94 year old woman what the Depression was like. She said, "Why we didn't even know there was a Depression! We had everything we needed right here! We had a couple cows, chickens, our garden, canned things, drinking water from our pump, everything.
That always stuck with me and I buy canning things at every turn. A teacher friend who commuted from the country about an hour every day from the country caned everything for her family's whole winter in a huge garden. How cool it that! Msgr. Mottet loved to, and Tony Gallenstein, when he lived as one with the poor!
Pray for guidance! Beg the harvest Master for more workers in the field, as Jesus said to do, please. Dorothy and Peter, please pray for me! St. Peter Claver, St. Martin de Porres and Martin de Porres, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Vincent de Paul, please pray for me!! St. Francis of Assissi and St. Pio too! And especially, Mary St. Joseph, who embraces the homeless whole-heartedly! Come, Holy Spirit, come!
