New Adventure

Last night, I had a new adventure. Staying at the Oliver Gospel Mission. I must say it was not what I expected and was pleasantly surprised. The staff there seem to genuinely care about the guys needing help. The guys needing help have to sign a sheet saying that they are Christians, and at the chapel last night, we all broke into praise songs. It was a good environment. There are some guys there who are recovering from substance abuse. There are others who just got out of jail and have nowhere to go. Then, there are others who just need a helping hand, as they search for work. That's my group. Last night, the snoring was very loud in the room where I was. There was about 25 guys in the room, sleeping on bunk beds. My bed was on top, which made for an interesting way to get up there without a ladder, and I had to make sure everything was situated, because I didn't want to have to climb back down before morning. I got a locker with lock to put my stuff in. It is kind of small, but I feel it is secure. The only problem is that it is in the way of folks needing to get to the bathroom, as the hallway is very narrow. So, there are a lot of guys saying "Excuse Me", as they try to get by. You can only shower at night. I don't really understand that concept, but maybe it is because breakfast is at 6am, and you have to be out of your room by then. After breakfast may come a chapel service, but they didn't have one today, so I had to kill about three hours before the library opened, so I could use their computer. I can't have my laptop in the mission, and I'm not supposed to have a cellphone, but I do. There is no TV either, so I'll have to learn how the football games were later tomorrow. This is an adventure. But, I hope it doesn't last long, if someone will step up and let me stay with them. I am joining First Baptist tomorrow, so I hope that will help. I must say though, in closing, that the comraderie of the guys there at the mission is a good thing. Homeless people are not all bad.