There are a few more stories I would like to share. These are stories from members of our team and myself…
My most precious moment from Saturday has been on my mind ever since…There was a little boy in a wheel chair that came to the bus with his mother and grandmother. I instantly noticed him and asked them if I could help them get their soup and drinks since they were pushing a wheel chair. They went to the location under the tent where they would eat and I brought them three soups and iced tea. This little boy was so sweet. We believe he may have had cerebral palsy. I wanted to take him home with me and be able to love on him like I would my son Brennan! I was able to help him eat his lunch, my mom brought him some chocolates and he and I talked. He was 10 1/2 years old, his birthday was in October, his favorite color was blue and he liked Spiderman. :) We had spent time coloring on the sidewalk with the other kids and sadly this was something he obviously could not do. I asked him if he could spell his name and he spelled it to me while I wrote it on the sidewalk in blue sidewalk chalk. His name was Yimbert…:) I then wrote my name on the sidewalk as well. I asked him if he would like his face painted and he smiled and said he would like a spiderman on his arm. How sweet is that…:) One of the things that we have each really struggled with is the kids. You have now heard two stories of children on the street either homeless or in extreme poverty. These are two of many…it was really hard to see so many kids.
Jo was very touched by the people that we saw at multiple stops during our trip. The bus has a routine schedule so every Friday they go to Harlem for lunch and the Newark projects for dinner. Every Saturday they go to the South Bronx. The purpose of this is so that people know where they can get food and many people come to multiple stops. There was a man named Rafael that was in Harlem on Friday and the South Bronx on Saturday. There was also a man named Angel that was waiting for us at both Harlem and the South Bronx when we arrived at the stop. Angel sat on the bus with us at both locations from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. He had developed a deep friendship with the folks on the NYC Relief bus. One of the NYC Relief bus leaders would take Angel to movies, dinner, etc. and was taking him to the Social Security office on Monday morning to help straighten some things out. Angel was maybe forty years old and was born with some learning disabilities. At some point when he was younger his brother beat him with a baseball bat causing significant brain injuries..it truly saddens me to think about that. Angel is just the sweetest person that really enjoys being around the relief bus. We drove him home on the bus yesterday and I can tell you that we are all sad to see him go…
My mom shared a story that touched her at the beginning of lunch in the South Bronx. She was serving the iced tea from the bus and had this moment where it was as if time stood still. She was looking out on the sidewalks and saw all of the activities that our team was involved in. My dad was talking to an older couple whom he carried soup for, others on our team were praying with people, some were playing with kids, others were handing out clothes, hygiene items, information on shelters, rehabilitation programs, etc. Mom described this as a really incredible moment taking this all in…
Kathleen shared how it touched her having Mary and Anna working with us who were bilingual. There assistance in communicating with people was essential and a true blessing! Kathleen also was able to talk to one of the folks that worked with us, named Edwin, in the South Bronx. Edwin shared that he was taking a mission trip to Cinncinati to serve in the inner city.
Eric shared a story about a man in the South Bronx who had a very bad cut on his arm. Eric talked to him about getting some help and then Eric came to get my mom who is a nurse. They gathered supplies and the two of them went out to bandage the wound. Mom explained to his wife how to care for the wound after they left so that it could heal. The man told my mom and Eric that he loved them…
Andrew shared how much he enjoyed see the kids happy and enjoying themselves at the bus.
We have arrived back in Indy safe and sound. This trip has truly been the experience of a lifetime. It has been a life changing few days… Thank you so much for all the prayers while we were gone!
To be able to love them was amazing…
