Helping Up Mission

The grits were found! Yippee! So we southerners were able to function today. After breakfast and a time of devotion and prayer, our entire team (except for our handyman) headed to the Helping Up Mission to do whatever were were asked to do. We began with a time of orientation and a word of testimony from one of the residents. Then we took a tour of the facility which houses 240 men in various stages on the road to recovery from addictions. It also sleeps and feeds homeless men off the streets.

Four of our ladies helped in the kitchen while the rest of us wiped down the mattresses the homeless men sleep on at night. Then, while the kitchen ladies continued working, the rest of us did a little dusting, but mostly talked to and encouraged one of the residents who is working hard to get his life back together. We spent a little time in the rec room, then four of us helped serve in a very, very hot kitchen, two washed collard greens and cut up 100 chickens, and the rest mingled with the men while they ate. I had serving duty. The men were very polite and nearly always thanked us for putting food on their trays. One of the men sang for us, and another man showed one of our youth boys the proper way to lift weights. All in all it was a very rewarding experience. We left Helping Up just before a thunderstorm burst open upon us. We drove through torrential rain, gusts of wind, and marble sized hail. Fortunately the worst part was over by the time we arrived at our door step. We were hot and tired, but blessed by our experience. One lady took a nap while the rest of us did our own thing. We had a rousing game of spoons going which was a blast. I was on my way to losing when my husband asked me to come to where he was. He had something to ask me.