UNDER THE BRIDGE: Sudden Fear in the Camp!

Since this blog is being read in over 30 countries, we are greeting one different country every time a post is written.  This week we say, “Hello!” to our brothers and sisters in Russia. 

“Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled, so that you can pray.  Above all, love each other deeply…” 1 Peter 4:1

«Поэтому следует очистить единомышленников и сдержан, так что вы можете молиться.  Прежде всего, любить друг друга глубоко...» 

1 Петра 4:1

The Bridge Camp (left of the bridge) owned by the state,
and the Bay Side Camp (right of the bridge), owned by the county.
A new, wider bridge will eventually come out of the left side.

Sunday, December 7 and 14, 2014

     As soon as I arrived, one of our homeless man we minister to, frantically said to me, “They’re going to fence off the whole thing with chain-link fence!”

     Somebody else blurted out, “They’re gonna fence off the whole bridge area, and we won’t have a place to live, any longer!”

     They didn’t even look at the hot food and needed supplies we had for them in our hands, as Paul and I walked up to the pavilion at the Bay Side Camp. 

     “They came Friday with eight police cars and told us we had to go!” one said.

     “If we are still here by Monday morning, they would arrest us!” another joined in.

     Trying to sort this out, I asked, “Who is ‘they?’”

     “The D.O.T, man, the D.O.T (Department Of Transportation)!” He said to me.

     This is important because the Bridge Camp is on state property.  The city and county can’t really do much with the homeless staying on that side of the bridge because neither owns the property…the state does.

     How do you know it was the D.O.T that was here?”  I asked

     “The head honcho – the Director of the whole Florida State DOT - was here, himself, with a few of his men and lots of policemen.  He went under the bridge and looked.  They’re gonna fence off everything!”
     That is serious.

Bridge Camp with  orange D.O.T work truck by the bridge!

     “Anything left under and around the bridge that belongs to us will be thrown away if it’s still there tomorrow!”

     “When did ‘they’ tell you all this?” I asked

     “Friday, the day before yesterday!” replied a disgusted homeless man.  “Where are we gonna take all our belongings?”

     I pondered their situation.  A lot of things they were saying just didn’t add up.  I wanted to help them, but first things first.  Like the man that I am, I wanted to tackle this issue like a real man would.

     So I firmly and decisively said, “Let’s eat!”

     As we were eating, and they all shared their situation with me, Fear was freely circulating amongst them.  It seems Dread was somehow also invited to this dinner; not to mention that party crasher – Anxiety. 

     I felt life a failure, myself.  For God’s sake, just last week I had preached my heart out on Faith to all of them – the faith of a mustard seed!  We even gave them all crucifixes to put around their neck with a mustard seed glued at the feet of Jesus so they would remember the lesson on faith.  They were all still proudly wearing those crucifixes today.  Where did I go wrong?

I'll have my crucifix with mustard, please!

     To these homeless saints of God, their whole world was being fenced in.  The whole time I was there I could hear, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!”

     Yes, we all know this bridge (The Three Mile Bridge) is scheduled to be replaced by a new, wider bridge – but not to be started until 2017-18.  And it will certainly start being built on the Bridge Camp side of the bridge – not at the Bay Side Camp where we were sitting and eating.  Also, the state would certainly not completely fence it in this early before construction begins.

     The other side of the bridge, The Bay Side Camp, belongs to the county, and not the state.  It is a very nice park with picnic pavilions, and is the park that leads to the drive-on fishing pier which was recently built – the longest drive-on fishing bridge in Florida, as our county is fond of advertising.  That side of the bridge would certainly not be fenced off, also. 

DOT truck (L); rescued homeless belonging (center)s; homeless (R) having a BBQ breakfast!

  

     I called a couple of the homeless who had witnessed the DOT director inspecting under the bridge and had heard him speak.

     “He said it was impossibly filthy, smelly and looking like a dump under there.  There also is a fireplace and a charcoal BBQ grill which is not allowed under a bridge,” answered one of the men.

     Another man continued, “They complained that too many police calls have been made for violence.”  Then he added, “But it’s always the same two people who are always fighting and calling the law on each other.” 

     Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. 

     They also had to agree that the DOT director did have a good point.

     Fear, anger, helplessness and frustration can all be so harmful as to block the simplest of logic – not to mention faith in Jesus Christ.  Most of these homeless men and women are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  If they were to die today, they would go straight to heaven.  They are not afraid to die; they are just…afraid.  Fear in a human is like a virus in a computer – it creates havoc.

     We have to remove the virus.

     “Guys, maybe they’re just going to fence off the area under the bridge,” I suggested, “not the whole camps.”

     Half of those present silently nodded their head.  The other half did not want to let go of their fear and their doomsday scenarios.  Fear releases lots of hormonal changes in the body which results in a surge of energy.  Some might even like fear and might resent letting it go, as it can be a natural “high.” 

     However, faith is a hundred times better “high” than fear!  And without faith, it is impossible to please God.  Faith is the opposite of fear.  God wants faith from you, not fear.

     Still, some were making preparations for the world to end tomorrow!

The guard said, "We're putting up a fence!"

     I came back the next morning, Monday, to see what was going on.  A work crew had already blocked off the way under the bridge.  There was a guard present, as the workers were state prisoners on work duty.  I called the guard over and asked him what they were doing.

     “We are putting a fence to prevent people from going under the bridge,” he answered.

     “That’s it?” I replied.

     “Yep.”

     Virus removed.

The world-shattering chain link fence!

     This fenced would keep only three homeless men who lived under the bridge from living there any longer.  By Monday, this is how the bridge fence had affected the three homeless men:

1. Pete, who decided to return to his home (and his wife) in Louisiana and confront his issues.

Pete will be confronting his issues!

2. Terry, whom Pete lovingly put on a bus headed to a rehab center in Alabama so Terry could once and for all stop drinking, as Pete had.

3. Jack the Astrophysicist Fisherman, who found a sweet spot at a hidden beach where he could beach his kayak on sand, rather than having it get beat up on the rocks under the bridge.

No more rocky landings for Jack!

     Also:

4. At the Bridge Camp, Tim and Suzanne decided to move in together in a home they are now renting in town.

Tim at Bridge Camp...

...and Suszanne

5. Mari and Stosh decided to move to Jack the Intellectual’s camp under the oaks on the other side of town.  Someone even gave Mari a new, larger tent to live in!

Mari (L) and Stosh moved to a larger tent!

6. Chris the Peacekeeper decided to move back to Phoenix, Arizona, where his wife lives.  As a homeless man sorting out his life, he was impressed with our ministry the past year or so, and he wants to start the same in Phoenix.

Chris will start a homeless ministry in Phoenix, Arizona!

     Many of the others around the bridge had a breakfast cookout on the BBQ grill that was under the bridge, as they watched the state inmates work putting up the fence.  It was warm and sunny, with the clear blue water reflecting a million sparkling diamonds.  Life was somewhat back to “normal.”

Elmo's Kitchen!  Grill was removed from under the bridge.

     A couple days later, as I was driving down the street, my vehicle engine suddenly started making an awful metallic sound.  I stopped, opened the hood to see where that horrible sound was coming from.  I feared that I would now not be able to leave on my long awaited, family holyday visit at the end of the week.  I also feared the large expense I was going to spend to fix this engine. 

     I feared that… oh…wait a minute… nawwww…I’m not going to fall for that, Lord!  I will not fear, but instead have faith in you, Jesus.  If you want me to go on my trip, You, oh Lord, will fix my vehicle.  If you don’t want me to go, then so be it.  I trust you completely, Lord.  Glory to Your Name, oh Lord!  And I began to worship my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

     And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding filled my soul, heart and mind.

     I “feared” for about twenty seconds.  I’m still working on shortening that reaction time.

     Good night, folks, and God bless y’all.

Fear?

P.S.  It’s a long story, but the Lord did fix my vehicle by the next day, and it didn’t cost me anything!  I’m on my way to spend time with my family.  Glory to God!

  And for our Russian brothers and sisters in Christ:

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:40

Король будет ответить, ' я говорю вам правду, что бы вы сделали для одной из наименее этих братьев моих, вы сделали для меня.»  Matthew 25: 40

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