I've been carrying around a few days' worth of belongings in my backpack because I've spent a night at Issachar and a night at Treasure House...soo I just paid for an iced coffee and whipped out a pair of underwear stuck to my wallet. Classy.
I've also been proposed to twice in the last two days. Here are some proposal tactics not to use:
Creepy random man 1: Hey miss! Can you do me a favor?
Me: It depends.
CRM 1: Would you marry me??
CRM 2: You look like my second wife! I've only been divorced three times.
Me: Is that so?
CRM 2: Do you need help finding a husband? I can help you find me.
Gregory, you should probably get a move on it...the homeless and high Denver men would like to marry me.
Okay. For real now...I only have eight more days in Denver. I fly out July 31st...arriving in the good ol Omaha airport at 2:30ish in the afternoon. The past couple weeks have been filled with many different experiences and adventures. My weekends have included a bunch of intern time. We all went out for one of the girl's birthdays...and probably should have been kicked out of the fancy pants Cheesecake Factory. I think our laughter and conversations are better suited in a bar/coffee shop setting where we aren't ruining someone's hot date.
On Saturday, Joshua Station was given a bunch of free tickets and food vouchers. Zoos are kind of depressing...it made me sad to see them all caged up in glass. And camels are disgusting when they haven't fully shedded their excess fur.
We headed to Estes Park on Sunday and spent a little time in the mountains and walked around the town coveting everyone's saltwater taffy that was crazy expensive.
Monday, we left Joshua Station at 6:30am to go on a helicopter ride. A super rich guy with the most posh office ever started a ministry called Prayer One. He invites people doing ministry in Denver to take a helicopter ride over the city they're serving in - and be able to pray over the city. It was a beautiful experience to be linked to different ministries serving really varied populations and fly over the city with them. Some guys who used to be a part of the crypts and bloods - two huge gangs - are now doing ministry side by side. It was such a profound experience for them to go up in a helicopter and pray together for the people involved in gangs they are now trying to love and serve, giving back a bit of what they have taken away.
Tuesday, I woke up at 5am and rode my bike with Connie, another intern, to the Denver Rescue Mission. I hate mornings but there was something beautifully peaceful and refreshing about waking up and riding my bike down an empty street while everyone was still sleeping. We arrived at the mission and were welcomed with open arms. The guys at the mission love so well. We knew some of them from going to Scum of the Earth - the church they also go to. So we were busy busing tables and having conversations with the guys eating breakfast. I met a man who looked so identical to Barack Obama that I would purposefully make my way back to his table just to catch another glance at him. Connie and I were sure that Obama was checking in on the Rescue Mission. I was extra nice to him, just in case :) I met so many fascinating people and heard all sorts of stories. My favorite (besides Obama of course) was a man who just wanted to tell me how much Jesus loves me. Sometimes I think I'm serving to bring good news to someone who needs it...to be Christ's body. But time and time again, the people I'm supposedly serving have prayed for me, loved me, and shared the story of Christ with me. And every single time, I have needed it.
The past couple days, I've had the chance to hang out at Ezra - the art studio for street kids. I found my way up to the third floor of this beautiful canary yellow house and spent some time doodling and talking with the kids and Bruce - one of the directors. Bruce shared with me his vision to expand the art studio to involve different creative avenues, liiike photography :) He told me his vision to have a dark room where kids could learn to process film and print their own photos. My eyes got really big and I was sitting at the edge of my seat as he talked about this dream he had...and how he was just praying for more staff to come on and lead the photography part. I told him I was interested and we spent the next few hours dreaming about creating a dark room and thrift-store shopping for old film cameras. Perhaps I will find my way back to Denver and start doing a photography ministry :) This morning I got to go with him downtown to the corner of Colfax and Broadway. We met up with a bunch of street kids and brought them coffee. Those kids are tough. I haven't been really intimidated by the homeless men on the corners or the women at Treasure House...or the random folks at the bus stop...but going into the world of these kids was intense. The streets have really taken a toll on their souls. I sat next to a guy smoking weed and we talked while I petted his dog. The conversations around me were about making meth, shooting up, getting jumped, committing suicide, the best places to stand and hold up a sign asking for money, types of guns to have, wanting to steal purses from the yuppies walking on the mall, being tired, having sex with someone who hasn't showered in days, running from the police....yeah, not exactly stuff I know a whole lot about, but I sure do now. While I was sitting there with them, I noticed the stares I got from the random bypasser...or how the police seemed to hover around our stoop. I was grateful to have someone look me in the eye. It was a humbling experience and I realized how easy it is for me to have conversations with people, but never fully enter their world. I'm writing a paper about community development - and a huge aspect is relocation. Jesus didn't commute to save us. He didn't spend his nights in heaven and come down to the earth to do his day ministry. He humbled himself and became one of us. "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8).
Right now, I really need to use the bathroom. A lot of coffee has passed through my system in the last couple hours of sitting here. So...blessings on you all...have a fabulous weekend.
