For as long as I live on this earth, I will forever remember my first
moments with Diane. I met her in the
fall of 2017 at the north end of the Frankford Avenue bridge community. I knew that this lady was new to the streets. When we were close enough to talk, I
introduced myself and asked her name.
She smiled and told me and then she asked:
"Yes. I'm from Urban Hope
Church."
"I love the church. I go to
Mass every day that I possibly can even living out here."
And She Slept
…. I want to tell you about a
young woman in her mid-20s. "Diane's" spirit shines bright with
the inner light of her Christ who I know lives in her heart as she worships Him
almost daily in Mass at the local Roman Catholic Church. On
Sundays, she occasionally attends a contemporary worship service at another
church and invited me to join her there some Sunday. She does what she
can to stay physically clean and well dressed. She always has a smile and
an extra hug to give away.
To num the emotional pain of her
childhood and through no fault of her own, addiction found its way into her
life. Having been cut off from her family, she financially supports her
life by walking the streets looking for dates. As she prepares to do so,
she looks at me and says “It’s time to go humiliate myself.” A tear,
perhaps God’s tear from deep inside her soul, spills out and down her cheek
even before she can complete that short sentence.
The mental anguish of
self-humiliation and long hours with no sleep bring with them absolute
exhaustion. Upon returning to the bridge, "Diane" curled up on
a piece of cardboard and covered herself with a nearby sheet. As the cold
dampness of this late fall overcame her, she began to shiver with no immediate
solution to the problem.
Enter the Quit…
Barely an hour before this, a
neighbor in Glen Mills gave me a queen sized quilt that had been sitting
somewhere in their house unused and not really needed. She gave it to me
to give to someone in Emerald City. When I saw Diane asleep and
shivering just outside the cover of the bridge, I grabbed that quilt
and wrapped her in it as snuggly as I could. She awoke enough to say
“Thank you.” as her teeth chattered.
I knelt in close to her and said
softly, “Jesus loves you just as you are.” She nodded her head as one who
knows such a fact as fact would do so.
And she slept.
**********
Diane
In the early days of her time on
the street, she attended Mass every single day as much as she possibly could. She told me last night that she has not been
to Mass for quite some time and misses it.
Diane cries as she thinks about
doing what she feels she must do to raise funds for her addiction that she
despises. Each and every time she references what she needs to do, she tears up
and refers to such moments as leaving to go humiliate herself.
This young lady is something of a
fine porcelain doll in appearance. She appears as though she could be easily
broken. Her lifestyle requires her to be on guard for her own physical safety
at all times. She carries a knife and has had to threaten to use it a few times
as 'men' have tried to do unspeakable things to her.
About a week ago one of the
students from the Studies in Urban Ministry Program at Urban Hope Church gave
me a Christian book called Jesus Calling for me to give to a
specific person within Emerald City. I knew Diane would love this book. I
found her about an hour later. When I handed it to her and she saw the title,
tears ran down her cheeks. She knows how much her Lord loves her.
Please
pray for Diane.
**********
I share these blogs with you at this sad time to bear witness to
Diane's Christian Faith. Diane's
Commitment to her Christ and her Substance Use Disorder occupied equal space
within her being. One did not cancel out
the other. It is in this fact that we
can know that our "Diane" moved to Heaven during this Holy Week and is
with her Savior in Heaven as we mourn this first week of knowing she is gone
from this earth but not from our hearts.
Diane's first week in Heaven is the most holy[3]
of weeks in God's Church. What a
fantastic first Sunday for Diane to worship her King in the King's presence -
Easter! This Easter Sunday, please
consider attending a church if for no other reason than to honor our friend
whose life lives on in our hearts and in the presence
of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
For those of you in Kensington, I invite you to join me - and I could
really use your presence this week - at Urban Hope Church, 210 East Tioga
(Tioga and A Street). Our worship starts
at 11:15 am with a special Easter breakfast beforehand at 10:00am.
Final Thought:
As I sit here at my computer on this rainy Saturday morning, I can't help
but envision Diane on her first Friday in Heaven and our "Good
Friday" the day we remembered the Crucifixion of Christ. I can easily see her giving God and Jesus a
hug, looking at each one and saying "Thank you. How are you?" She would really want to know.
[1]
Diane always asked not because it's a custom in our culture. She always asked because she always really
wanted to know.
[2]
Diane read every blog in which she was mentioned by "name" and
thanked me for telling her story.
[3] dedicated
or set apart for religious purposes, devoted to the service of God, relating
to, belonging to, or coming from a divine being or power
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