A Whole New World

Maybe most of you could relate to this. I’m sure there have been certain nights when you’ve received little sleep because you were just too darn excited about something or anxious and were thus deprived of rest. Well, that’s how I was the first night at the mission. I woke up super early ready to experience my first full day there. It would definitely be an interesting one.

As I got up while most of the others were still sound asleep, I quietly gathered my blanket and sheet and made my way over to laundry to drop it off. Since my bag and clothes were still in the 72 hour lock I decided to wear the same clothes from the previous day but this time take a shower. The sweat from the clothes was still there but at least I’d be clean. Luckily I was able to snag a towel from the laundry room and found a bar of soap so in my eyes I was fully prepared; unfortunately not for what I was about to see.

As I made my way inside the bathroom I could hear some yelling which I wasn’t able to decipher. I turned a corner to try and get closer and for a split second I was just staring at something I’ve never seen before. A man was laying on the floor obviously having a very bad seizure. The yelling I heard was from a man standing next to him shouting “Seizure!” At the same time he was yelling he was going through the man’s pocket and searching his wallet for money. The only thing I could think of at the time was to go get help. I ran to the front office and told the staff what was happening. Other than that, I felt pretty much useless to help the man which gave me more feelings of uneasiness. Later that day I would find out that the man passed away when the ambulance came.

After I finished my shower I made my way around the mission since breakfast wouldn’t be served for another two hours. I noticed some men were sleeping in the main waiting room; I figured that these were the men who were not so lucky to get a bed from the previous night. I was glad that at least they didn’t have to sleep on the streets. One thing that I noticed during my stay was that the mission hardly ever kicked people out nor were they strict on who they let in. It didn’t matter your story; whether you were homeless, starving, just a little short on luck, or just traveling like I was, you were welcome at the mission; no questions asked. That made it easier for me.

When breakfast time came we again gathered in the waiting room. This time I sat in the first row. As we were called I noticed a new group of young people serving us our meal. There would be a new group of volunteers for each meal of the day. I said a quick thank you and made my way into the cafeteria. I wasn’t too crazy about the meal though; orange juice, some sweet bread, but mostly grits. But I was hungry so I made myself enjoy it. An entertaining thing you’ll notice about mealtime is that people walk around the room playing a little barter game. During meals, men would march around the tables shouting, “A breast for a thigh!” or “Biscuit for a waffle!”, and if anyone was interested, they’d make the trade. After breakfast I sat down in the courtyard for a bit to try and get a better feel for the place, and especially the people. A couple of curious men came up to me and asked who I was. Most of them had been living there for years. A number of them told me that I should join the “Program.” I wasn’t sure what that was but I told them that I’d check into it. One thing that caught my attention was a group of younger guys gathered and hanging together in a certain part of the courtyard. They were separate from the rest and were all about my age or a little older. Since I was feeling a bit uncomfortable in the spot I was at I made my way over there to sit down. I began talking with a man named Lawrence who was about 30ish years old. He began telling me more about the program. What I learned was that at the Mission they had a “Life Recovery Program.” He was telling me how it had changed him as a person and how he got right with the Lord again. Another guy joined in and borrowed a cigarette from Lawrence. He seemed curious to see me there so I introduced myself. They had both been in the program a couple of months and kept trying to convince me to join. They said that it was better than to live at the mission as a transient. I’d be housed in a smaller dorm with the same guys every night, I could keep my stuff there without worrying about it be stolen, they had TV and video games, and I’d be assigned a chaplain who would be my personal counselor at the mission. After our conversation, I told them I was happy to meet them and I decided to check out a little more of downtown Nashville for a bit before lunch. I also wanted some time to think about whether it would be a good idea to join the program knowing that I was not intending to finish it.

On my way to the library, which was where I planned to go, I took a different route to see if I could save some time. After about four blocks of walking, I found a Christian bookstore which made me really excited. Back home, I always liked browsing through those stores. Unfortunately, back home in CA they seem to be going out of business more and more. It was refreshing to see this one and see it so close to the mission. As I walked in I began checking out their bibles and chose one that I would read for awhile. Mine was still kept from me in the locker. I wanted to find a verse that would cheer me up and help me not feel so lonely. I began scanning the psalms and then jumped to the second book of Corinthians. I read the sixth chapter about being satisfied in all circumstances of life. I kept thinking about all the hardships and persecution the Apostle Paul went through in his ministry and how he could still proclaim “as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing yet possessing everything.” That definitely gave me inspiration for the day.

As I began to watch the customers walking in and out of the store I could tell they were not from the area. This part of the city was very run-down with many abandoned buildings and few businesses. This store was like a world within a whole new world. Across the street was a prostitute leaning against a fence, a man passed out with all his earthly belongings surrounding him, and a woman whose face had aged prematurely sitting in the sun. At that point, yet another uneasiness crept up on me. I kept thinking about how happy the customers were at picking up the latest Beth Moore book or buying a new study Bible for their book collection; all a bit out of tune with the sad world sitting right outside. This made me think of the famous line in the New Testament where believers are said to be “In the world but not of it.” This scene taking place before me looked more like they were of the world but not willing to accept that they were actually in it, at least not with certain people. I shortly left the store and quickly made my way back into that other world across the street; not because it seemed so much more attractive to me, but hey, it was serving lunch soon!