Monday July 2: Late in the afternoon we started bringing in folks and brought in 13 people.
Tuesday July 3:
Wednesday July 4:The ladies enjoyed a great holiday picnic by the ladies of Summit.The ladies than watched the fireworks from the parking lot and all had a good time.
Thursday July 5:One of our guests was pretending to watch modules.She told us that she didn’t need to work on the Money Management class because she has a 7 million dollar home and so knows all about Money Management.No real answer on why she’s not staying at the 7 million dollar home.
Friday July 6:One of our singles became very argumentative with the Guest Assistants and then staff in the morning.She wanted to do her own thing.
Weekend:We have lots of drama in one of the moms room with a mom who is having her oldest child (12 years old) do most of the parenting.He does a fine job but really mom needs to step up and this is causing conflict with her room mate.We had a couple of positive drug and alcohol tests over the weekend and those guests have moved on.One of our moms was having difficulties because her ex was drunk and could not return their child to the shelter.We gave her the night in the mom room and the issue was resolved the next day.
General comments: Some of our guest assistants are feeling anxiety over working and are finding new and interesting excuses not to work.We are having many conversations with these ladies in the hopes of calming them enough to get them to work.
I feel tired and perplexed though overall this week was a total success. I realize that I still have a lot to learn about following Jesus. I long to do this well, always, but so often fall short. I remember that I have a terrible temper that sits chained down within me that is fighting to be unleashed in some unknown way and that scares me quite a bit.
The book this week was called Sacred Honor. It was about General Colin Powell. He has long been one of my heroes and I have read books about him before but this one added a bit more flavor to what I know about him. Awesome leader.
Angel couldn’t sleep.Several times she got up and went to the bathroom just for something to do.Each time she came out she saw the sleeping lumps of women on each bed.Envy filled her soul at these women who could sleep so soundly.What was going on here?Her thoughts raced through the last few days.She had gotten away with the lie.These people believed that she was at the hospital having an operation.They didn’t even ask much about it.That one guy that handed out bottles of water prayed for her recovery, but they trusted her.Maybe that was the most distressing part.Angel had lied often.The fear of getting in trouble or being rejected plagued her and in that state of terror she always lied.Until today though, there was no guilt over the lies.Angel climbed back into bed, pulled the covers over her head and sobbed quietly.
A quiet ring of the cell phone tore Hero from his bed.Quickly he raced to the phone across the room so that it would not wake Corrina.He feared it was too late, but she was a sound sleeper.Pushing the answer button on the phone as he quietly pulled the door shut he answered.There was no one for a moment. John pulled the phone back to see if he had just missed the call, but there was still nothing.He again put the phone to his ear. “Hello, this is John.”The number had not looked familiar, but many had his number.Suddenly he heard the sound of weeping and then the screen showed that the caller had hung up.Hero looked at the phone and stared blankly at the time trying to understand what it meant.After a moment it dawned on him that it was only .He had really only been asleep for a short while.He wanted his brain to shut down and go to sleep.He only had a few hours to sleep.Then he thought about the weeping call.He looked at the recent calls screen on his phone.The call came from a blocked number.Most likely the hospital, he thought.Maybe they will call back.Carefully John plugged the phone back in and went back to bed.
Even in the middle of the night, the shelter seemed loud. Traffic raced up and down the street in front of the shelter.Sirens could be heard near and far.
The guests who were responsible for keeping the shelter safe at night, guest assistants, watched the action across the street.A prostitute was escorting an old man to one of the rooms of the hotel.Two guys entered another room.Like cockroaches all of the people milling around disappeared every time a police car drove past.
There were two guest assistants on duty, as usual. One was barely twenty, the other, Judy, looked older than her years from the harsh treatment she had endured while living a street life. They stood there reflecting on their memories of when they too were living that life.It wasn’t really all that long ago.In other ways, it seemed like a lifetime had passed.They heard laughter and then from somewhere else angry shouts and a haunting, desperate scream.But nobody across the street seemed to notice the sounds.The guest assistants climbed up on the small wall protecting the large sign that marked the Shelter to look up and down the street.They couldn’t see anyone in distress.
Suddenly, a bell rang and they both nearly jumped out of their skin.Somebody was at the back gate and needed a bed.Together they quickly moved through the dining room. They both had been welcomed into the shelter in the same way a couple of months earlier.They hurried, needing to be doing something, to talk with someone, to be active if for no other reason to get that scream out of their heads.
As they opened the back door, an emaciated woman was shaking the gate with all her might and murmuring angry sounds.She again rang the bell and uttered some more irate words.The guest assistants watched, wondering what to do.The woman’s bony hand moved her hair back and her head slowly moved up as she noticed the two women.Angry cursing rang out from the skeletal face and horrified the two guest assistants; they quickly shut the door and backed themselves into the dining room.
“What do we do?” The younger lady looked frightened; she looked to her partner for reassurance and advice.
“We aren’t going to let her in.” Judy said decidedly.
“Do we tell her?”
“I don’t know. She is freaking me out.”
“Do you think she has a demon or something?”
“I don’t know about all of that, but I have seen that look before, that’s meth.”She had seen a lot in her five decades, that’s for sure.
“I’ve never seen it from this side of the fence.” There was a thoughtful pause, and the younger one said, “Did I look like that?”
“I didn’t know you then, but most likely you did.”They could hear the tormented woman threatening them and demanding to be let in.Silently they looked at one another. Judy thought quickly, her street-honed instincts kicking in. “Look, go to the phone there.I’ll open the door and tell her to go away or we’ll call the police.If she goes away, great!If not, you are already at the phone.”
They followed the plan and though they were new at the whole prayer thing they both prayed.As the door opened it shed some extra light on the path between the dining room and the gate.Again, the desperate look in her eyes horrified Judy, as she weakly called out, “We’re not letting you in.”Silence filled the air.“Go away or we’ll call the police.”
“Call them, I don’t care you got to let me in. I am a person and I need a place to sleep.I’m tired.”Her harassed humanity began to show itself for a moment, and Judy could now see that she had been hit by something or someone.There was matted blood on one side of her head.The older guest assistant began to question her decision, pausing for a moment.
Then the woman at the gate resumed her barrage of curses.She grabbed the gate and began shaking it wildly trying to pry it off of its hinges.Judy signaled to the younger assistant, and the police were called.
Monday June 25: One of our moms was being verbally abusive to her baby.When talked to by staff the abuse was turned toward staff and the shelter as a whole.Over the course of short amount of time she gained a partner (one of our singles) and the two hurled insults and threats for approximately 30 minutes before they left.Meanwhile, a couple of ladies who had been asked to leave over the week stopped by to threaten a few of the guests. One of our singles was asked to leave for a multitude of reasons and gave us quite a story and many legal threats on her way out.One of our singles created a scare in her room with her mental illness.Her behavior continued to deteriorate until finally she was asked to leave.She refused any kind of spiritual or mental health help by staff and/or volunteers.
Tuesday June 26: Today was filled with assorted mental health as well as drug use issues.We had a bit of a verbal battle between two of our phase II guests.
Wednesday June 27:One of our singles if very involved with the occult and was practicing some of her witchcraft on one of our guests.She hopes to someday get a job doing this in the future.
Thursday June 28:
Friday June 29:CPS came looking for a woman who is no longer living here.We did several random breathalyzer tests and everyone tested passed.
Weekend:We worked with a woman who was at hoopfest and was abandoned by her friends.We had lots of challenges with a lady who continued to change her name and her birth date.She appeared sober so it was more of the fact that she was trying to hide her identity.Ultimately she was asked to leave.
General comments: The Crisis Shelter Staff did a great job watching the shelter while I was on vacation.It was a blessing to step out for a few days and not have to worry about the shelter.
Current Crisis Shelter Purpose Statement:
The Crisis Shelter for Women and Children exists to increase the impact of our ministries of rescue, recovery and restoration by partnering with staff, volunteers and donors.We will do this by meeting basic needs in a safe, clean, temporary shelter, with instruction and guidance for life transformation in a healing environment
This has been a rough quarter in many ways. But I finished on a vacation and am ready to see some real strong growth in the 3rd quarter (See my plan below or on the yourheroquest Facebook page). I am two books behind for the year on my reading but I am not counting the book that I wrote. My running milage is a behind but it is still doable. I can not put off the goals there for long.
The book that I read this week was called Life Without Limits. With God all things are possible. We can reach the ultimate, only with Him. I long to live in His plans. I will continue to push myself and challange myself in a multitude of ways.
I was able, during my vacation, to get in two seperate guy times with the boys. One I took the boys to play baseball and the second was going to see a movie that also included taking Grandpa Schaus. The boys were able to hang out with two men that they respect. It was special.
Monday June 18: One of our singles was stealing from her room mates and was asked to leave.She was offered an opportunity to stay in our Phase II (5pm-8am) option however she chose to simply leave.We started working with an elderly woman who has an abusive son who comes around often.She sometimes does not know where she is and we reassure her that she is at a safe place.We are working with several agencies to find her help, beyond us.
Tuesday June 19:One of our singles was exchanging drugs through the fence with her man.When confronted she worked to hide the drugs.One of our guests had abdominal pain right before the shuttles were to leave for UGM Graduation.She left by ambulance.We are starting to have trouble with elderly woman’s son (Monday).He is showing his abuse to other ladies as well.Spokane police came by to check on one of our guests who has a suicidal history.She is doing ok but they were following up on her.
Wednesday June 20:Two singles checked out in the middle of the night.One had just gotten some bad news so it is likely that they left to use together.One of our singles had several needles in her tote and we have had two toilets clogged with needles.She also has an appearance of being high.She was asked to leave.Three separate unrelated ambulance calls.Two of the three returned later that night.The other came back on Thursday.
Thursday June 21: Lots of unrest around the shelter.However, at chapel several ladies accepted Christ.
Friday June 22:Lots of little dramas around smoking in the room, ladies not doing chores, etc.Most are mere distractions.
Weekend:One of our guest assistants abused her power and was consistently in others rooms, on other guest beds, giving preferential treatment to select guests and generally causing trouble. She was asked to leave on Sunday as this came to light.One of our moms has a lousy attitude and refuses to clean her room.She was given much grace but ultimately asked to leave regular shelter. Our phase II or overflow are options for her.
At the kids were sent to brush their teeth while John retrieved his Bible.They shared reading through a passage of Scripture.Right now they were working their way through the Psalms.When they finished the Psalm for the evening, John prayed and the kids all made their way to their rooms.Corrina and John would make their way around to each room and tuck in each of the kids.
“Good night, my children. Sleep the sleep of the loved!”John always made this pronouncement in a booming voice.It made the kids giggle.Any day they could fall asleep with a smile on their faces was a good day in John’s book.
John enjoyed reading for awhile before deciding to check email one last time for the night.He also enjoyed spending some time on Facebook each evening.This was one way that he could keep up with his extended family.Most of the time he did not think about how far away they were; but when he read their posts he missed them all.He would follow the ups and downs of former guests who had friended him back when they were at the shelter.Nothing excited him more than to hear of their successes as they reported on new jobs, or kids getting well.The downside was that nothing distressed him quite like hearing of their struggles and pains.Often times he thought about unfriending those who were living in total rebellion.Their language and their support of issues contrary to God’s ways hurt him deeply and he wanted to avoid the hurt.But he resolved to stay with them.Their lifestyle would lead to pain, they would remember his love and then he could again attempt to share His love with them.If he cut them off, all opportunity would be lost.He prayed for those who requested prayer and even some who were rejoicing in their corrupted lifestyles.After a few moments, John updated his status.After getting ready for bed, John again returned to his book.
When Corrina heard him brushing his teeth, she too got ready for bed and they read next to each other for a while before they put the books down and talked.This was the one moment of the day where the two could talk without having to explain details for the kids.
John shared his hurts and disappointments and his dreams.Corrina smiled and encouraged him not to give up.
Corrina shared her frustrations with homeschooling the kids as well as the moments of success.The two discussed politics, religion, friendships and extended family until they finally turned out the lights and fell asleep.Another triumphant extraordinary day for John Hero was complete.
