A big thank you to Cross and Crown Church

Each and every Saturday of the year the volunteers with the Ministry of Hope at Cross and Crown Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, serve a feast for the homeless and low-income of the area. Approximately 50 to 70 people enjoy the hot breakfast and lunch each week. Many partake in the opportunity to attend a worship service.

The volunteers and pastors of Cross and Crown are a gift from God to the homeless. They live from their hearts, offering smiles, joy, friendship, hope and support to all who need. They serve delicious meals, give clothing, bikes, and more. They give transportation to and from the church in a church member’s van. The Ministry of Hope is NOT even part of the church budget–all costs come out of their own pockets!

The Ministry of Hope volunteers are absolutely amazing! I honestly don’t know how such a small church can do so much for so many! Some may remember that it was this same church that was vandalized around Christmastime. There was an outpouring of support from communities all around, including an awesome new Christmas tree to replace the one that was damaged by the vandalism.

I felt glad that this church was able to celebrate Christmas and feel the warmth of the community help that we homeless feel when we go to the Ministry of Hope on Saturdays. I hope to return the love and kindness someday by finding a way to help them myself, perhaps by finding them a new or used van of their own to give us rides in to and from the church. It would even grant the church the ability to give us rides to the church on Sundays so that we may attend the regular worship service–something many of us wish to do but can’t get to the church on our own.

View a pdf file about the Ministry of Hope.

Now what?

I am supposed to take some of my stuff to someone’s storage tomorrow. Unfortunately, he has dropped on me that we can’t do it now. And I HAVE TO get my stuff out of where its at TOMORROW. As in Thursday, June 11th, 2009. There is NO way that I can carry everything! So now what the heck am I supposed to do?! I already carry more weight than I should because I don’t have the storage. I think I was given a weight restriction at one time that was put at 25 pounds? Well, if that’s the case, I’m currently over by about 50 pounds in what I’m carrying with me. It all adds up! Its unbelievable how much weight is acquired from how little I actually have with me. Plus I have to somehow get food from the food pantry tomorrow and carry a bunch of canned goods because I’ll use up what money I have left for the train. Then that $100 bill that I was given a while back will be gone. I didn’t splurge on anything and waste any of it. Every cent has been used for something I need. If anything, I splurged on food, like McDonalds, Taco Bell, etc, on weekends. I have a lot to figure out. I don’t know how to do this.

Blessings and curses

Another lovely day at the Cross and Crown! I am really tired and have a headache and other problems so I can’t say that I was really alert for all of it, but it was definitely a great day! Plenty of people came. The food was good. Friendship and conversation was all around. The new volunteer who found her way there came back again. Ken offered a great message and music in the service. There was an update on a computer class that they are offering soon.

I finally took a Vicodin for my headache and I’m doing a little better now. Well, I still feel it but at least that part of me is improved. The rest of me…. I should have skipped the food. Its all bad for me. I was starting to get sick the other night already and had some bad arrhythmias. Yesterday it was my stomach and more. Today–its everything. I gotta learn to not eat when I go there. Things could have maybe started to get better instead of worse. My D* kidneys. They don’t filter right. I feel it already. I’m going to be in for a really bad weekend. And its not going to be good with sleeping and living outside. And I’m now out of Vicodin until my doc gets back in the office to ok the refill. Wish me luck on that and more. The most positive thing out of protein and potassium foods making me sick–is I might lose a few pounds, LOL. Not that I’m overweight really, but I wouldn’t mind.

Its Game Time!

I love Mountain Dew!

$100 to give away?!

O-M-G! I was sick yesterday and a little dehydrated from it. The library closed and I walked to the park in the middle of the local downtown area. A woman came up to me and gave me a $100 bill and told me to “get a good meal”!!!! I thanked her and we said good night, and only then did I see how much it was! I was completely shocked!!! I thought it was probably a $10 or something, but no it wasn’t–lo and behold it was a $100 Ben Franklin!!!!!

Well, since I was sick yesterday I wasn’t about to go out and eat a fancy meal last night. Actually I am very afraid to eat today yet, but I had a tiny bit at a local church that has a meal kitchen on Saturdays. My eating habits have been in a restricting phase lately so I’ve barely been eating, so I don’t think it would be good to eat a big meal right now anyway. Well, and all my issues with that besides.

It will almost be hard to spend it. There is a lot that I need! I plan to spend some money on train and bus tickets, I am desperate for laundry, and other things I need. Maybe a tarp to put on the ground under my sleeping bag. I still can’t believe it. Like, wow! LOL!

God will provide :)

First, I had to go to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. The bus driver recognized that I am homeless and let me ride for free!! I only paid 25-cents for the transfer so I could get back.

Then I get back.

I hadn’t eaten yet today. Someone had bought me a Mountain Dew last night which I saved for this morning and drank. That’s all I’ve had so far. I decided to use money I was saving for the train to the food pantry to buy food instead and thought I could try and get a ride from someone to there next week. I decided on a small microwave pizza–only $1 of the $2 I went in with. (I’ll let it thaw and eat it, LOL.) Well, walking through the parking lot someone I saw in the store walked up to me and gave me a Jewel gift card! With that and going to the church tomorrow for breakfast and lunch, I’ll make it through the weekend just fine for food!

Funny how stuff like this always happens when I decide to “splurge” and eat. I eat, and more food comes my way so I don’t have to go without after.

I admit, a small part of me thought about not eating anything at all today and just going without for the whole day. I have history of an eating disorder, and now that the shelters are closed food is a bit more scarce. Because of my health issues, its not as easy for me to get around all the time to get food, nor do I often have money. Well, I ignored that old part of me and decided to get food like I had planned. A person with history of bad habits like mine and its like I’m being rewarded for eating. Somebody is watching over me.

New events!

Hey! I finally added a few things to the events calendar! Check them out! Both are ministries which serve, if I must say, GREAT meals to anyone in need! Both offer some form of transportation to the location, have clothing closets, and other help.

I also plan to (finally) start adding info on happenings geared more toward homeless and social services agencies, and other public events related to homelessness and issues surrounding it.

Blah

Don’t feel good today.  My chest hurts and pulse is low, my stomach isn’t good all the way through.  My kidneys aren’t working right.  The food served at the overnight shelters is great, but it’s too much of a good thing for me.  But I need to eat.  It really doesn’t feel good to not be in charge of my own food.  I have no money–I can’t go to the store and buy something “healthier” for me.  I don’t have a Link card.  I am so tired of living like this!  Literally.  It’s hard to stay awake sometimes because of my health issues.  They can seriously put me to sleep.  I am actually afraid to eat when I feel like this.  Not just because of how it affects my stomach, but because eating can cause such bad palpitations and screw up my heart and I’ll have more chest pains.  Headache isn’t too bad right at the moment.  This isn’t the best type of life style to be sick.  I’m lucky–it’s not severe this time.  Only moderate at best.  So long as I don’t eat anything high in protein/potassium/phosphorus/sodium/carbs for a few days.