Mission Helps Team at Ft. Myers

Mission Helps Team to Fort Myers Rescue Mission

Dave Weaver, Tim Lynch, Jonathan and me

The work team is joined by a dear brother from the mission who had been in a terrible accident when the semi truck he was driving had to avoid someone pulling out in front of him. He ended up in the water somewhere with his load of watermelons floating past him. His leg is scarred from being tangled in barbed wire fence as he tried to free himself from the wrecked truck. His brain, his doctor said, was squashed down into the lower part of his head! The doctor told him he would never walk again, but it wasn't long before he was walking out of the hospital! He was a big help to the guys on the team. 

Here is the old bus that used to be used to serve meals to homeless people. 

Inside it are double bunks all the way along for nights when there is an overflow of homeless people because of bad weather. 

On the right is a dear Ukrainian man who struggles with his English and who was so delighted when we spoke to him in Ukrainian! He came from Kiev eight years ago, hoping to earn money to help his son through college. With economy downturn, he was among the immigrants who are first to lose jobs. Now he has no work and feels very hopeless. Jonathan asked him if he has a Bible and he said he did, and that he has read in it. Pray for this precious man. In this picture he is playing checkers one evening with another man.

I should have taken this picture when most of the bikes were still there. Would this be called a bike parking lot? Further to the right is an area where they repair the bikes. Many of the men ride bikes to work or to get wherever. A bike is a big blessing when many men have DUI's or no vehicle.

While we were there, a middle-age couple came to visit. The man was telling how he had come to this mission years ago and stayed here while he worked at a job. With the first paycheck he bought a car. Then he started to get on his feet, got married, now has children and is living with hope and Christ in his life. He and his wife wanted to share about the mission and raise money for bicycles for the guys. 

Below, Jonathan got a quick snap of two homeless guys walking up to the welcome sign and gate to the mission. The building behind the sign is the chapel.

 

On my birthday, Monday,  Jonathan wanted to take me out to eat, but we had hardly had time to help much yet, and I felt guilty to leave already, so said I'd be fine to just eat in the cafeteria. It was such a gift to me to just be with Jonathan here at the mission! However, the guys decided they weren't hungry at supper time, and they kept working in the cooler part of the day. Meanwhile, I, who need to eat small meals very regularly, began to go to pieces! Finally I went over to see if the cafeteria would have some of that delicious spaghetti left, but it was locked and everything put away. I began to see that perhaps I should have let Jonathan take me out somewhere! When will I learn my lessons?

Finally, Jonathan remembered that I had a few little sausages left in the frig from breakfast, so I ate cold sausages for my birthday supper! HA ha! Next time, I will let Jonathan take me out to eat!!!!!

Later, we all bought burgers or onion rings at the little snack shop, and then....

 

 

Jonathan steered me back over to the cafeteria where there was a lovely icecream cake waiting for me! Bro. and Sis. Wooten, the cook, and the Mission Helps team all sang "Happy Birthday" to me and helped me eat that delicious icecream cake! They were all so very sweet to treat this very weary mother so kindly!