RUCKs and REMFs

My church teams up with Room at the Inn (RATI) and many other churches in the Charlotte area to provide winter shelter for homeless men, women and children.  My family has been involved in this effort for years.  We typically help prepare the food, bring in clothes/blankets, clean the area, etc.  These are all essential and vital aspects of the ministry, but in military terms I have to say that these are still REMF-type contributions.  To be honest, in all the years I’d been helping our church host RATI I’d never actually seen the homeless folks we purportedly served.  Yesterday afternoon MGoat informed me that they still needed someone to sign up to drive the vans that would take the homeless folks back to center city CLT at 0530.   That’s how I found myself southbound on I-77 in the gloom and pouring rain with 5 homeless women I’d never met before.

My radio was on NPR.  They asked me if I’d mind putting the radio on 100.9. I did.  Gospel music poured forth  The good Pastor John P. Kee from New Life Church was getting after it, so everyone got in the spirit and I got to join in an outstanding impromptu gospel choir for the next half-hour as we sang, “We gonna make it, anyhow!”

As we drove along, I realized that in 20 minutes these women would spill out of the mini-van into a cold, steady rain with everything they have hanging off their bodies in worn rucks and plastic grocery bags, but right then they were greeting the morning like a chorus of really happy angels!

They thanked God and Jesus for the hot shower they got.  They thanked Him that someone did laundry for them.  They thanked Him for the wonderful meals.  They even thanked me for simply driving them down the highway.  They kept saying, “Yes Lord!”

When we got to the debarkation point, they all piled out.  One of my passengers strapped a ruck on her back, three grocery sacks on her arms, several plastic bags on her wrists, and grabbed a roll-along suitcase.  She also somehow held on to the breakfast plate she’d brought from church, stating, “Cain’t be wasting no groceries!”

Around us other vans were arriving from other churches.  Men, women and children were disembarking into the cold rain in similar circumstances…. all rucked out with a full load of burdens physical and otherwise.

I glanced over and saw a mother and child standing there in the rain, rucks on.  I would say I damn-near cried, but that would be a lie because I damn did cry.  So I’m writing this simply to encourage all HIM to move to the front lines whenever possible.  It made my day in ways I didn’t expect.  Aye.

 

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Gnarly Goat

Despite news – and fake news – to the contrary, the people of the USA are great. We come together from all sorts of backgrounds and environments to feed, house, clothe and treat the least among us.

SS Minnow

GGoat…I too have heeded the request to tune to 100.9 on my trips ferrying our guests for the evening from the Crisis Assistance Ministry to our church as part of the Room in the Inn ministry. It really does do a soul good to see and talk to some who are way down on their luck, but still able to praise God and know that He will see them through the tough times.

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