No More Shacks- Days 5-6

by arm

on October 24, 2023

Shack Blog- Day 5-6

Sunday and Monday

Each day the weather grew a little warmer in the evenings, making the nights more manageable. Plus, sliding my wood shutters into my window holes and stuffing plastic Walmart-type bags into the gaps where my walls and roof meet maintained my body heat. It was only uncomfortable if I awoke in the middle of the night and had to use the restroom. Using the restroom is a bit of a chore…it would be akin to going to an external bathhouse like at a camp site.

Sunday morning was busy! A men’s breakfast group came to the shack around 7:45am to see the shack and talk briefly about how we can serve our low-income neighbors more effectively and compassionately. They also brought breakfast a huge treat!

Later that morning, a Sunday School class with my good friend and former ARM team member, Joe Davis, came over. We were engaged in a meaningful and heartfelt discussion called Costly Compassion and talking about the Good Samaritan. That is when it happened…

A man in a metal, “Storm Trooper” mask stopped by our display. I had seen him a few days before. He pointed to our information sheet with statistics about rural poverty and asked me why we were helping people in the county/rural areas. I explained these areas did not have as many resources as our urban areas. This answer not sitting well with him, he angrily cursed “BS” and reported the number of people in Auburn needing help and interrogated me on why we were not helping them. Listing people by names, he questioned, “What about them”? I explained we are a home repair ministry and that our focus is on those needing repairs. I pointed to Ms. Walker’s picture and tried to share her story.

He would have none of it. Then, he pointed to the church and asked if I was part of it. I answered “yes”. With disgust in his voice, he said the church was doing nothing for people needing help. When I countered with what the church was doing, (knowing that was the heart of our Sunday School discussion) he again cried “BS”. He called me a sham, a fraud and that I should walk the streets of Auburn more often and learn what is in the community. By now, I could feel my own anger rising while recognizing at this point, I was most likely engaging with a homeless man. Thus, I also knew he had a deeper story. In fact, as he began to walk away, with a raised voice, I told him he did not know anything about me or my story. Naturally, the retort was I did not know his story either. And there it was, the opportunity.

My last comment to him was, “then why don’t you come by and let’s listen to each other’s stories.” He stormed off, still masked, muttering as he left. I was fairly shaken, frustrated, and somewhat angry…but also puzzled at the encounter. Lasting no more than three to four minutes, the entire engagement made for an interesting return back to a Sunday School class to continue discussing Costly Compassion and how we are to engage our neighbors who are struggling. Ironic???

The rest of the day created space for engagement, a little rest from the previous day and more visits from friends. However, I was still perplexed by the earlier engagement with the lone, masked man. The fundraising was going a little slower than what I hoped but was still encouraged by the outpouring of love and generosity.

Night 5 and Day 6

What made this night unique was my dog, Starbuck, was with me. While my mom and aunt were here, they would take her back home each night. They left to return to Florida Sunday morning and so I would have Starbuck Sunday morning through Monday afternoon. My shack is way too small for a dog her size so I decided to sleep in the guest shack. It is larger and can fit three people being equipped with two mattresses. It made for a quiet and final night.

Monday morning started early with me and a colleague going to the Lee County Sunrise Rotary Club to share about the ministry of ARM, No More Shacks, and to receive a gift of $1000 from the club. It gave us a space to say thank you to them for coming out to serve in home repair on October 7^th.

Back on site, I reflected on all we had encountered and learned the past few days and our next steps. I was also joined by Ms. Willis, one of our homeowners, who came to sit with us and join the campaign. While talking with her, a man in his late 40’s early 50’s showed up and struck up a conversation. He began to talk about the homeless and then I realized it was the same man with whom I had intensely conversed with the day prior. A bit tentative on what might ensue, I immediately relaxed as he apologized for how he acted. Starbuck, however, nervous around men sometimes, was not really happy about his presence.

His name is Louis but he likes to be called Jay. A musician, he carries a djembe and snare drum in a cloth wagon like what is used for tailgating. Jay is quite the talker! Wow! He was incredibly knowledgeable and very keen about the plight of the homeless. I learned his frustration with the church was because of something personal that happened to him. It became apparent Jay is homeless but not destitute. He is homeless by choice and lives on income earned from music gigs he picks up. He is concerned for others that are homeless who cannot tap into the resources he has. He is concerned about affordable housing and why it seems our communities are reluctant to help. A question many are asking and seeking to discover solutions.

Jay hung out with me throughout the day. What was beautiful was him learning Ms. Willis’ story and our engagement with her and serving with her through home repair. I knew I would not have to justify our ministry actions or our choices. We are not shams and frauds. I learned a lot from Jay, although it did honestly become a bit overwhelming. Starbuck never quite got comfortable with his presence, especially when he dawned a large hawk mask that looked like something a mascot might wear. I took notice of Starbuck’s tentativeness.

As the day closed, I was joined by my great friend and colleague, Ms. Ashley Davis, who serves with the United Methodist Church and Alabama West Florida Conference. ARM reports to her and a team who allocates some funding for ARM. Finally, our last guest was City Councilwoman, Ms. Taylor from Ward 1 in Auburn and my friend and board member, Rogers Hunt, and his lovely wife. With Jay still being around, he certainly added flavor to our conversation and especially with a member of Auburn’s City Council present. I learned of her passion for renovation, the homeless, and the conundrum of affordable housing which is tied up with the unavailability of land to build upon. Jay gave her some good ideas and her hearing his lived perspective, I believe, was invaluable. Maybe that is what we really need, to ensure we hear from those we are trying to help.

We closed out the day around 4:00pm and Jay helped me pack up. He even painted a bit on the shack adding three crosses much like paintings you have seen with a prominent cross in the middle and another cross on each side. Jay spoke of his relationship to God. He thanked me for our time, showed me how to play a djembe, and once again apologized for his actions the day before. I accepted his apology and thanked him for his time.

The final total as we left that day was $86,850. More is coming in and several have pledged although we are unsure of amounts. So, we will just see what God does and keep you posted. Thank you so much for your love! I am so grateful to the meals, the visits, the corporate gifts, the individual gifts, the prayers and so much more. I am grateful to our ministry team and board of directors who worked so hard in the prayers, planning, preparation, and all the activities during No More Shacks. It was certainly a team effort and the body of Christ coming together.

Thank you so much! As we close out No More Shacks 2023, we now get back to the work we must do as we continue working together to ending substandard housing in Alabama and work to see transformation in rural communities by creating sustainable homes, strengthening families, and building compassionate community partnerships for God’s glory!

Give at www.arm-al.org/give