so many dads…

March 1990 Jackets for Jesus Letter

This Post Covers 3 Pages – The 1990 Letter is in the next 2 Post

Father’s Day on the streets is always a challenge- so many dads… so many children… so very far from home.  We were a small group of workers last week with a HUGE amount of food.  Jodi and the team in the kitchen do such an amazing job of loving people with warm, delicious, nutritious food.  This week it was lasagna casserole, emmmm….

2 of this week’s workers: Amanda- one of our regulars and Thai- on her first trip to the streets both shared that they’re just 22 years old- maybe one was 21, the other 23, either way… 22.  Listening to them talk about their college degrees, their hopes and dreams, their music… couldn’t help but think that 22 years ago- in my mid 30’s –Jackets for Jesus had already been serving the heart of the city for over 2 years.

March 1990, when I wrote the letter I’m posting they hadn’t even been born- now they’re amazing, and I’m not exaggerating, amazing young adults with huge hearts and huge dreams giving of themselves in service.  I’m so very humbled to work alongside great people like this.

Violence was common in the early years of our work on skidrow.  Came across this letter in my desk today and thought I’d share this window into what it could be like in the middle of the night in a place we had yet to earn the trust of people fighting to stay alive.  Written in WordPerfect -well before Word- and printed on an old dot-matrix printer connected to an honest to goodness print-spooler… makes me feel old just remembering all that stuff!

The face of urban poverty has changed but the fact that it remains says an awful lot about us as a culture… as individuals… if you’ve grown frustrated with the pace of change in the world, why not start with yourself?  Jackets for Jesus is an incredible place to learn how to serve others, to break down the barriers that divide us as people and to give your life in love.  It worked for us last week.  It’s given me a healing point in the middle of places people want to turn away from for nearly my entire adult life.  I recommend it still.

You’re Invited!

Eric

This Post Covers 3 Pages – The 1990 Letter is in the next 2 Post