Encompass Blog
November 2019 Blog Article
A couple of weeks ago,
as I staffed the Shower Care Café table outside
Martha’s Kitchen,
two gentleman stopped by;
one a teenager and one an adult in his mid 50’s.
The young man, “Joe,” seemed listless and in some sort of distress.
The older gentleman, “Bob,” was very animated
yet also in some distress.
Bob was very worried about Joe.
They’d met earlier in the day and
Bob sensed then that Joe was in distress.
Bob had tried to get Joe to call his mom and go home, however, Joe would not.
Eventually Bob got Joe to enter Martha’s and eat some food.
After dinner they came back out and as Joe quietly paced back and forth,
Bob quietly shared his concerns about Joe.
Joe was having suicidal ideations and
vacillated between listlessness, agitation and breaking down in tears.
Bob was very worried about Joe and had been at his side since they’d met.
They stayed around the table we used and
I was able to listen into their conversation.
Bob was very forthright as he shared with Joe,
stating that he too, Bob, had had mental health struggles,
suicidal ideation, was now in a board and care facility and
that none of this was a reason to be ashamed.
Bob kept reminding Joe that there is nothing shameful about seeking help.
Bob recounted how he had sought help and how God had always taken care of him.
That Joe should trust that God had a plan for his life.
As 5 PM approached and the end of the Café loomed,
Bob and I discussed what would be the best course forward.
Joe did not want an ambulance.
Bob thought that to call the police might be too much for Joe.
We decided that I would take them to
EPS (Emergency Psychiatric Services)
so that Joe could get more support.
Bob volunteered to accompany Joe through the process.
So, we loaded the car with the care items, Bob, and Joe,
and off to EPS we went.
On the way I learned a bit more about Bob.
Bob was a Bellarmine High School graduate.
I learned this because students from Bellarmine
were volunteering at Martha’s that day and Bob was very proud of them.
Bob had intended to become an auto mechanic but
that hadn’t worked out due to his struggles.
During our drive to EPS he was very engaging and kind in his conversation.
Once at EPS Bob assisted Joe with the intake
and told me that he would ensure Joe was admitted before he, Bob, returned home.
Bob later text me that Joe had been admitted
and had also admitted that he had used Meth to alleviate some of his struggles.
Self medication is often seen in those on the edges of society as they struggle with various burdens.
This encounter is such a snap shot of how things can
just go “sideways” all by themselves.
How a young person can get lost (a teen with a dysfunctional home)
so easily and, in a different situation, could end up being preyed upon.
A person with all the support in the world (a Bellarmine graduate)
can still struggle and that changing their life
is not as simple as needing to just try harder.
This also showed how a simple encounter can change,
for the moment at least, the outcome of a moment of despair.
And lastly, I saw how much, those on the street,
struggle to care for themselves and each other,
always trusting that God’s hand holds them.
That those on the street see God in every good encounter
and trust God in every negative encounter.
