mission report

i bet that y'all wont believe what i'm fixin' to do now? yep,................that's right,.......................i'm going to do a report on the missions here in jax like they do with the big hotel chains. just like travelers are particular about what they spend their money on, and the amenities that they get, so are the homeless, but with a different twist.
because the homeless have little money, if they have any at all, they are not looking for amenities like a large swimming pool, or a great weight room. deep inside every homeless person there is something hidden away, but we all have it, no matter how gruff we seem. it's called a heart. it works the same as any heart does in normal people with exception that the hearts of the homeless have been made more tender than some others, because of the cards that they have been dealt in life.
the highest quality effect that we look for in a place to stay is the fact that they seem to want us there. how much joy the residents have, and how far they extend it to others, and each other.
the quality of food has a major bearing on our overall view of a place. does the food look appetizing? is it portioned for a man? is the hot food hot, and the cold food cold? am i offered more than water to drink, and does it have ice in it? is this a nutritious meal, or just something thrown on a plate? do i have all i need to enjoy this meal with including a napkin?
contrary to what most people believe the homeless are not happy as a pig in the mud. most of us had really rather be clean than smelling like a goat. showers are very important to most of us, and the chance to swap in clothes is greatly accepted. most of us feel better when we are clean, and the quality of the shower is very important. is the area that we are supposed to get cleaned up in, clean itself?
the bed is important to us also. how does it look, and smell? is the room around this bed clean? are the floors and walls clean? does this room look like someone cares about it?
we judge from a lot of different angles. christian or not, were concerned when somebody cares about our soul. we concerned if they think enough of us to supply edible food for our morning meal, and we are concerned how they send us off on our days journey.

now there is not but three missions here in town. they are the Salvation Army, Trinity rescue mission, and the city rescue mission also know as the new life inn. in a city with so many homeless people this is not near enough to help all those that are in need, and everybody that is homeless has needs that are not being met.

                                                                     Salvation Army

the salvation army has changed over the past few years. the used to help the homeless with over night lodging, but now the concentrate more on helping to house the criminal. it good that somebody is housing the criminal population, but i really believe more impasis should go back on the homeless. i know that there is more profit in dealing with the criminal aspect, but has it really become an issue of money? has the S.A. sold out the common man for a few dollars? are the really "doing the most good?"
i've heard reports of a couple people staying over night, but it's few and far between those that stand in line to get in. the are still good for an evening meal every night though.

                                                                     Trinity Rescue Mission

back in my former days of being homeless, trinity was the bomb baby. 10-12 years ago there was no place better to stay, and nobody has a better program to offer either. the food was all fresh cooked, and it would have been hard to find a better Sunday lunch in a restaurant than they were serving at the mission.
well,.............it really pains me to say this, but those folks at trinity are just worn out. nothing is the same as it was. they don't really care about people like they once did. this is evident any where that you look. let's take a brief walk through.
you check in five at a time. then you head straight to the showers, after you swap out clothes if the have any. there are six showers going with a piece of a bar of soap in each. you have five minutes to shower if your lucky. after all there is a guy keeping time on you that really can't tell time. he is constantly yelling at you to hurry up.the showers are a mess. the tile is all cracked up with tiles missing and mildew growing on it.
the next thing you do is attend a chapel service at six- thirty. this service can last forever. it depends on who is running it, and how long winded that they are.
then after you endure all that it's finally time to eat, and you line up waiting to get fed. it takes forever to get a plate, because the is only one or two men serving the meal. when you finally get you meal it's not hard to realize that it's all re-heated donated food. nothing is cooked fresh. everything is a donation. the main coarse almost every night is re-heated k.f.c., or pizza. all the hot foods are cold, and all the cold foods are warm. usually, if there is any bread to eat it's tuff or stale.
the beds aren't that bad unless you get one of the wooden ones with bed bugs.  yep,..............that's right,..........i did say bed bugs. unfortunately, i got one, and woke up bitten from head to toe. i'm serious when i say that. i had to get cream from a Dr., and it took me three days to get rid of them.
the only other down fall is that the get you up at 4:15, and back on the streets you go. you can stop by a table in the hall, and grasp something sweet and stale to start your day with. if your lucky enough to get a cup, then you can have some juice.

the whole deal with Trinity is to get men to come to Jesus. the have a program in place that should start a man on the right foot headed toward Jesus. the program is a complete failure in my opinion though. it's more structured around work than God. most of the men get up around five, and don't go to bed until around ten at night. they are always doing something, but most of the day consist of work. you have an hour Bible study in the morning, and an hour class in the afternoon, and then there's the nightly chapel service. of that normal 16-18 hour day, only three hours goes to Jesus.
the men are irritable from lack of sufficient rest, and not getting the right nutrition that they need. they have little contact with the rest of the world. the only time they get to go outside is when they have free time if that ever happens, or doing the yard detail in the mornings.
the whole program is run by a militant czar who thinks he is Jesus. his name is mickey, and he respects nobody else's opinion that don't line up with his. any act of insubordination as he sees it will not be tolerated, and the results are leaving the program, or starting over. mickey steeped out of the slums of alcohol and cocaine to rise the top of control of the mission.
i wonder why he is still in charge? i've been to trinity baptist church a few times, and they are pretty upscale. the have a full choir with live musicians. the whole crowd seems to love the Lord, and it just wreaks from them. you can feel the power of God sweeping through out the entire building. it's such a warm, and peaceful feeling to know that you're in the presence of God.
i can remember feeling that presence in the mission before, back when Bro. Gene had control. he was a true man of God. his mission was people. he loved people, and wanted the best for them. now, it's hard to feel anything at trinity other than depression and fear.
i wonder if the church really knows what is going on at the mission? if i were to make a bet i would say probably not. the same Jesus that attends trinity church is not the same one represented at the mission. the one at the mission rules with fear, and is too cheap to buy napkins. the mission Jesus feeds with stale leftover food. i wonder when He feed that 5000 if the bread was stale, and the fish old? maybe it was like the water that he made into wine, it was of an excellent quality. i know that it wasn't like mad dog!!

trinity needs to step up to the plate on their representation of Jesus. nobody want to serve a busted down, broke God. why represent something that's not true. Jesus owns the whole universe, and He is not broke!!

i will tell about the city rescue mission tomorrow. i need to stay there once more before i form a concrete opinion on their hopitality. as far as i can tell from where i stand right now they are a five star mission, because they care,and aren't afraid to show it.