Des Moines...Seattle...??

What do these two cities have in common? Nothing really. Geographically...nothing. Topographically? I don't think anyone is going to mistake Des Moines for Seattle anytime soon. Nothing in common. Zippo. Zilch. Nada. So?

Yesterday, on the corner of 14th and Douglas in downtown Omaha, where we meet every Sunday at noon to hang out and serve and be served, these 2 cities were linked together for me. For us. For those of us who have listened to and answered the call. Yesterday, Sunday 1-21-07, two different fellows, heading in different directions for different reasons. Alan going to Des Moines to hook back up with a buddy for work and a place of his own. A way off the streets and out of the shelter that had been his home for a year. A wet shelter. Meaning that on any given night, chaos was in abundance. Now, a chance to get work and a new start. Out of this craziness. This for $28. Twenty-eight stinkin' dollars. Been to a movie lately? Had popcorn? A large drink? That is about what it cost for Alan to get from Omaha to Des Moines IA. His new beginning. And Pete. Pete chased work from Seattle to Trenton New Jersey. God forsaken Trenton New Jersey (probably a lot like Omaha Nebraska!). Let me tell you...if a guy travels all the way from Seattle to Trenton NJ for work, I hope it's worth chasing!! Well, it didn't pan out for him. So he tries hitchhiking home. Gets to a truck stop outside of Omaha. Ends up in a different shelter just outside of downtown Omaha. Yesterday, Pete shows up at our normal Sunday gathering spot. Very respectful young fellow. Ex marine. Kept calling me sir. This guy is about 6' 2" and he's calling me sir? Something wrong with that picture. Anyway, Pete needs to get back to Seattle. It's his home. I don't think he really disliked Omaha, but I really didn't get that it was a destination for Pete. Did I mention that we got about 8 inches of snow overnight? We really weren't totally sure we'd get out of our neighborhood, nuch less get to our spot downtown. Oh and Pete's wife is pregnant. Due any day now. His stress level might be a little high? $173. The price of a bus ticket from Omaha to Seattle. How were we going to come up with $173? If Pete had planned better, we could have gotten it for $120 with the 7 day advance purchase...at least that's what the Greyhound ticket agent lets me know. Anyway, we send out an email to people we know...spammin' for a little extra! And you know what? They come through. $20 here. $25 there. Pretty soon, we have about enough committed that we know we can make this work. I call Pete last night at the shelter and we arrange to meet at the bus station at 5:30 Monday morning. I arrive at the bus station in downtown Omaha at 5:30 so he can catch the 5:45 bus to Seattle...no Pete. I have the Open Door Mission phone number in my phone, so I ring 'em up. The mission vans are not running...mechanical issues. I hang up and here's Pete getting out of a car. Someone gave him a ride. Once again, God has provided an opportunity. A chance to show His love. We are all put here to do just that. To be a witness of His undeserving love. His unbelievably gracious love. Pete kept thanking me for what WE did. I told Pete...don't thank me. Thank Him! He deserves all the praise. We are simply the means to the end. The hands and feet. The blessed ones who listened. Because when we listen, we have to act. And when we act, we are so truly blessed. You think the folks that gather on our corner are blessed? Well, they are, but it works both ways. They may be on the receiving end of one of His many blessings, but those of us who show up every Sunday are blessed beyond belief. To see the face of a young ex-marine who is on his way home to see his wife give birth to their first child? I only wish we could have all been there to send him off. No way should I have been the only one to experience that. What God is doing in the lives of those we are hanging with is nothing short of amazing. We are so blessed. And the nice thing about Pete was that he knew that the Lord put us in his path. Same with Alan. Alan knew that this came as a blessing from God. The really cool thing here, everyone played a part. It all added up. In the end, 2 lives changed and affected by God's grace and mercy because everyone was willing to give a little. All because of a little gathering spot on 14th and Douglas streets in downtown Omaha. Wow...God is so good and I love Him with all my heart. Thanks for giving a little and making it mean a lot...

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

..."it mattered to those two"... :)