First thoughts

I’ve been living here at Jeff St. for right at a week now. I came here with few expectations, but most of those expectations have been exceeded. The staff here is more fun than I’d guessed. The homeless folks are more normal than I thought. The residents are less scary than I expected. I’m getting up earlier than I’d hoped (6 AM).

Despite that last unfortunate realization, life has been good. I really am enjoying serving and getting to know the homeless and formerly homeless (the 30-some guys who live here) who we see every day. Life here is always interesting. For instance, I just got interrupted by one of the residents who is a Cuban guy who speaks very little English. Despite that detail he’s one of my favorite guys to see around. He always gives a warm greeting, usually in English.

I guess most surprising has been how easy it has been to begin building relationships with the guys here. All the guys living here at Jeff St. have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. I’ve had very little interation with such folks in my lifetime (at least to my knowledge). Yet I’m quickly learning that mental illness does not equate to being “crazy” or “psycho” as we might sometimes describe such folks. In fact, many of the guys seem quite normal. Among them are science buffs, sports fans, and avid readers. But still I must realize that these guys are just like me and every other human being in that we all have our problems - some are just more obvious and detrimental than others. We all need help. God is the ultimate Helper and salvation is the ultimate cure. I just pray that the Lord will use me to point others to Him and to His remedy.