Today was one of those days when the good and bad come running together.
We work with alcoholics here, many of them homeless. I spent my time today split between praying for the men and women we work with, going to the city offices of social services to get support for a project we're working on related to Christmas and these men and...calling the police.
It's been while since I've this deeply felt so sorry for the men we work with. Two older gentlemen, one a real polish dziadek (grandpa) have been living in the apartment of another of the men we work with. The owner of the apartment has now gone to the hospital, blinded by cataracts and with a completely destroyed liver that has really ceased to function.
That man asked Piotr and I to get the other guys out of his apartment and change the lock. Piotr when over and changed the lock once the other guys had left, but they came back to quickly and setup shop again. Piotr called me to come help him get them out. I'm not a little guy, but I'm also not a violent one. We obviously, and for good reason, decided to let the Police handle the situation.
But that's the moment when I feel worst. Watching these older men have to be man-handled, threatened, and paraded to the police van is no fun. The Christ in them that's been there since the beginning (they look like their Dad to me), is screaming out that this is not the way a man should be. And I feel more than a little powerless to change the situation just then...as they're taken off to sober up in a holding cell.
These men have had pride in the past. They've had courage. They've done brave things. The older of the two today was actually in a special part of the army during the fight with the Germans. But you can't tell that now....now, with his pants down around his ankles, with his hat thrust on his head backwards - he looks buffoonish. And my heart breaks for him.
Pray with us for these men. We'll get a chance to sit and talk with all of them again soon. Pray that He'll work in their hearts to find change that will last all eternity.
cb
3 comments:
I will definitely be praying--what a heartbreaking story, but I'm so glad you are there ministering where it is so needed!
My family and I are sharing a presentation at our church this coming Sunday in honor of Reformation Day (Martin Luther's 95 theses). We chose to highlight Jan Laski, the great Polish reformer, and I thought of you!(-: I wondered if you have any special insight or info about Laski. Also, sadly, the Reformation appears to not have had as much of a long-lasting impact in Poland as it did in, say, England because of how entrenched Catholicism was there and also, apparently, because of the Poles' animosity towards Germans and Lutheranism. That's all that I could glean. Do you have any more insight into why that was?
God bless!
Hey Lauren,
I'm the worst person to ask about it, hehe. I do know that the animosity towards 'all things German' exists in many people till this very day. And yes, Luther is not spoken of warmly even in the religion classes taught by the Catholic Church today in Poland.
I'm unfamiliar with Laski, but then again, I'm not a highly educated man. At least, I'm not as highly educated as I'm probably supposed to be. I'm glad you all chose him, though - the contributions of this country to the world throughout history are so often overshadowed by stereotypes and dumb jokes!
Blessings on you and yours,
corey
Thanks so much for your help, Corey! Even though you hadn't heard of Laski, it was quite interesting to read your perspective, given your great familiarity with the Polish people. My sister put up a post about our presentation on Laski, if you're interested: http://onebrightcorner.blogspot.com/2010/11/jan-laski.html
My big Polish family loves to tell Polish jokes among themselves, but the very same people have all the pride and love for their native country that any one person could have!
Thanks for all you do over there!
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