December OSS Update

December 30, 2011September 7, 2012 ~ Denise ~ 2 Comments

Patrecia in Bulgeria has been patiently waiting for me to give an update on how OSS has been going, so really this post is a long overdue one for her. 🙂

The OSS (Operation Soup and Smokes) crew have continued to go to the park every Monday to serve the homeless, regardless of the weather or the Holiday for over a year now. We have a new helper who have joined us within the last month or so by the name of Susan and her cooking has been popular! 🙂 We are really happy to have her with us!!

Currently we estimate we are serving between 150-200 a week. There are some weeks when there aren’t as many. But usually, we easily have averaged over 120 a week for quite a while.

There are a few of the regulars that had moved into Transitions that seem to be doing well. Some have moved out. The winter shelters are now open so there is more activity on the streets.

We’ve seen many different people come and go, however; we haven’t seen the number of homeless shrinking. In fact, it is growing.

From talking to those we meet and learning their stories it might surprise the casual observer to know that they probably encounter a homeless person more often than they realize. Mention the words homeless person and you envision a person in multiple layers of clothing, dis-leveled, often reeking of alcohol or sleeping on a bench or a ex-con with a drug problem. I mean isn’t that the vision that was always portrayed for us? Yes, today’s homeless has some of that; but more often you have circumstances that have some living in their cars, lost their jobs, can’t find a job, some working part time jobs or any jobs they can find but still not able to afford a place to live. Some have had a major illness that financially left them homeless. The reasons for being homeless are unending it seems. There are men, women and children living on the streets, shelters, tents and cars.

It can be discouraging at times when you look at the whole problem, but it is also so rewarding to be a part of just showing people you care.

All of us know that there are those who will and have tried to take advantage of us – that is on them. We will still serve.

All of us know that there are those that pass in front of us in the serving line that are going to try to get off the streets, mess up and end up back on the streets again.

Doesn’t stop us from encouraging them to keep on trying.

Personally, I’m so glad Jesus didn’t/doesn’t give up on me for all the times that I screw up!

That’s the least we can do.

Oh, and give them a little something to eat. 🙂

PS: If there is someone that I’ve mentioned in any previous posts that you are wondering about, please comment and let me know. I will reply and let you know if I know anything about them. Thank you for keeping all of us in your prayers!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…well maybe…

December 9, 2011September 7, 2012 ~ Denise ~ 4 Comments

Day 1 of putting the tree up….

Day 2…..

I don’t know if we will even be able to get the ornaments on….

We are still working on keeping on the branches and the lights!

That’s a wrap!

December 3, 2011September 7, 2012 ~ Denise ~ 3 Comments

We have some new additions in the house….

We adopted two inquisitive kittens at the end of October. Well, actually they were a birthday present for Alex. We went to adopt one, and came home with two. Siblings, a male and a female.

Makes Christmas gift wrapping interesting….

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I haven’t even attempted to put up the tree or decorations yet….

I’ll let you know how that goes…. 🙂

Knock, Knock, Knocking at the door

October 18, 2011September 7, 2012 ~ Denise ~ 5 Comments

Had two visitors come “a knocking” going “door to door” a month ago. I knew right away what denomination they represented. I could have guessed what they were going to say even before they opened their mouths.

I knew they were Jehovah’s Witnesses, when I saw the groups of two, by their appearance, their demeanor, the ever present briefcase, and it was confirmed when the Watchtower came up out of the briefcase when I answered the door and said hello.

( I remember well the training, when the person answers the door, keep talking. )

Usually if JW’s come to the door, I don’t get in a discussion, I know from previous experience, they have an answer for everything….it may not be right…but they have an answer, and they are going to argue it.

That day I thought I’d try a different approach. I thought I’d talk to them a while and then tell them I was a disfellowshiped Jehovah’s Witness who was confident in my redeeming relationship with Jesus and see what they would do.

It went sort of like this.

Older Man: “We are stopping at people’s homes in your neighborhood talking about the state of the world (gets out the latest issue of the Watchtower, and points out the topic). Who do you think is in control of the world?”

Me: (who has been silently praying and at this moment is wondering should I freak him out and say Jehovah) “God”

Older Man: “Why yes, that is correct.”

Younger Man: (shaking his head and agreeing) “Correct”

(I was half-smiling to myself. I well remember the “we know more than you” attitude and posture from door-to-door days. Some are not even aware of it, others quite so, it is something that comes with the teaching engrained that ‘they are the only ones that are correct’)

Older Man: (Gets out his New World Translation) “I’d like to read a scripture.”

(Now here I was thinking I’d like to run and get my Bible, but here is where Cody decides to try to sneak out between my legs, so I grab him and push him back in the door.)

He quickly flipped from one scripture to another, and I was listening closely to see if he read one that was changed. He ended up with the scripture about going and making disciples. Matthew 28:19

I said “yes, the Great Commission.” I thought the younger man’s head would pop off, it jerked up so fast. The older man said, “why yes.”

Then I said, you’ll notice that scripture says “be my witness, not “to witness”. We are called to be a witness by how we live and how we talk and how we treat our neighbors, not just going door to door. The younger one kind of smiled and said your are right we are called to be a witness by how we live.

Then the older one started to talk about how a recent poll showed that theirs was the largest growing religion, not Baptist like most believe. I believe I said “you mean denomination, not religion” and I asked “where are you getting your facts from, as I doubt that”. He hesitated and then started to mention some southern source.

By then, I thought this really isn’t getting anywhere. I could tell the “spin was on” with the older gentlemen. So I figured now was the time to see what he would say if I said that I was a disfellowedship JW.

So I told them.

I told them I was raised as a JW, and that demoniation was not for me. I was a disfellowshiped JW.

I told them, “Look, I don’t have a problem talking with you, but I know you probably have a problem talking with me. I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover, and I know we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. I know that my sins once confessed have been forgiven and that Christ died for me and I have a personal relationship with Him. I know what the Bible says about judging.”

The younger guy said I appreciate you telling us. The older guy just wanted to know if my parents lived around here. I told him my mother wasn’t living, and my father did not live in the state.

(Who knows, maybe they have to keep track now if they run into one of “us”.)

Then he said, “well if you want to come back let me know”.

(It was later that I realized, he didn’t tell me who “he” was, guess he was thinking he wouldn’t be running into me again.)

I told them “That wouldn’t be happening. I have a personal relationship with Jesus, and I know Jehovah.” Then I added, “Because you know Jehovah, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one you know. (they are not taught that) It’s in the Bible, and the Bible tells you the truth if you read it from cover to cover not just your magazines and books.” (I looked right at the younger guy when I said that. For some reason I felt like he was the one that needed to hear that.)

I should add the older man packed up pretty quick after that.

Afterwards I thought of more that I could have said.

Isn’t that they way it always goes.

But then I figure I am only asked to plant a seed. So I planted a seed, what kind of soil it falls on and what happens next isn’t up to me.

One person plants a seed, another adds some water, another some more, and so on. If the soil is fertile God will make it grow.

When it comes to JW’s you need to plant a seed of questioning what they have been told. A seed to read the Bible to search for themselves. A seed to search for the truth.

I pray I plant seeds in fertile soil.

Wrapped Up in Love

October 16, 2011September 7, 2012 ~ Denise ~ 6 Comments

Cooler weather has me getting out the afghans and comforters…

So, I started organizing the top of my bathroom linen closet…

I pulled out some more of the afghans that my Grandmother made.

Now, I had pulled out some afghans earlier when my cousin and his family visited in September. (note to self…future blog post) I wanted to make sure that they had an afghan that my Grandmother had crocheted. I have an assortment that Grandmom made for me and some that Grandmom made for my Mother. They seemed pleased to be able to pick out some to take home, and I know Grandmom would have enjoyed that too.

Afghans were always something I associated with my Grandmother. She was always crocheting or knitting. Mostly crocheting.

Afghans were draped across every chair and sofa in her house, and across every chair and sofa in my house growing up, and I think in every home of my Aunts and Uncles. There were lap afghans, and large afghans. There were patterned afghans and scrap afghans, (those that were just made from the left over scraps of yarn).

Then were were the slippers.

If you had cold feet, there was always a warm pair of slippers that could be easily whipped up to warm your feet. I still have a couple of pairs of slippers that she made. I wear them occasionally to bed if my feet are really cold, but I don’t walk around in them, because if they wear out, I know then they are gone. Sentimental, I know. But she isn’t here to replace them. She’s been gone since 1994. I have her pattern, and I can make them…but it just isn’t the same.

The very first afghan she made for me was a blue and white chevron pattern. It matched the colors of my bedroom. That afghan went with my oldest son when he moved into his apartment. Blue is his favorite color. It is only fitting it should go there.

I have a pink and white pattern that is long and covers me from head to toe. She made that to keep me warm. (She made long, huge afghans for all the tall members of my family. We have some “tall drinks” in the family!) The colors were to match the colors of our home at the time. We had the 80’s colors of pink and blue. I still use it at night, it is nice and toasty. I don’t have those 80’s colors anymore in the house though. 🙂

Do I have a favorite afghan? Hmm. I can think of memories of each of them.

I have a fond memory of one in particular. It is the white one with roses. I saw this particular pattern in a magazine and showed it to her. She had not crocheted this pattern before. I asked her if she would try it. She said she would. I remember her making the squares and laying them across her bed in an arrangement and showing them to me to ask what I thought. She had changed the pattern slightly. The centers were supposed to be yellow. She had changed them to be black, and was going to edge the whole thing in black to “make it stand out”. She also had used left-over colors of yarn she had in the flowers. She had changed the color palette of the pattern to something she thought she liked better, and wanted to know what I thought. I thought it was beautiful.

I can still mentally see us standing in her bedroom that day. Sigh.

It isn’t the warmest afghan, but it is one wrapped up with love. I found it in the closet, cause there were some places that needed mending. I’m mending them. I think it belongs out again even if to serve as a reminder of that time.

You can be warm wrapped up in love.

I still think it is beautiful.