Jimmy "Carwash"

Again this week we had a fun with the folks in the Sunday morning "homeless church" in the park. When Mr. Bill asked, "Who here is following God the best they know how?" little Linda, dressed in men's cords and boots and a baseball hat on sideways called out with a broad, toothless grin, "I am! I am!" and danced up to the front.

Big John, whose brother is an NFL football player, was acting out whatever the pastor said, until I told him to come sit beside me. Eddy was back and wanted to talk, and Kenneth had on his red sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. His eyes said he was ready and waitng for God to touch him.

There was a new, sweet little couple sitting on the park bench, each with a shopping cart full of wheels and stuff. Pam, the Katrina refugee lady, was back with a friend, and was so happy to be prayed for again.

Another 'old' friend was there. Jimmy "Carwash," I smiled, "it is nice seeing you. I missed you when we went up north last weekend."

"He shook his head sadly. I wrote your name down, because it's so hard to remember, and I said I'd pray for y'all, but I only prayed once."

"That's fine," I said. "It worked!"

"No," he replied, "I really need to give my heart back to da Lord. I need to be obedient to Him," he said, his head hanging down. "I struggle so much with doing what's right. Even today...well, Ah'm planning to do something bad."

I suggested instead that he fill his time with positive things, hang around other believers, and that maybe this evening he could come to the Bible study at Ms. Amy's little yellow house a few blocks over. He promised he would not disappoint me, but would be at the Conaco station at 5:45 pm for me to pick him up.

I half expected him not to show up, and as Maggie and I were driving there, I said, "Mag, what are we doing, you and I? Here we are going into the part of Jackson we are not supposed to go, to pick up a homeless guy we met at the park. There is going to be lots to share with Dad when he gets back from Boston!"

She just laughed, "Mom, God told us to do this, so we better do it."

Earlier she had made a run down there with our boys to pick up some darling teenagers from another forbidden address. She had invited them all to see that wonderful movie, "Facing the Giants". When she had arrived, the 16 year old boy jumped into the car and suggested they wait in that parking lot till the girls, who were still dressing, should come out.

That particular parking lot happened to be the place where the drug dealers meet, and as the kids sat joking in the car, one came over, aggitated, and asked what they were doing. Maggie said not to worry, but pulled away anyway and soon the girls came out.

So she was all relaxed about this evening's adventure. "Jimmy will be there, Mom. Don't worry," she said and pointed. "There he is! He's waiting for us."

I replied, "Maggie, that's just a bum!"

Well, of course it was a bum, but it was our dear 'bum,' with his ragged jeans, chains, and dirty jacket, carrying his plastic bag, a handkerchief on his head.

He shuffled over to the car. "Hey y'all, I am so glad you came. Ah bin walkin' and walkin' and thinkin' and quotin' Bible since 10:00 this morning. I fell asleep and someone asked me if I was drunk, but I woke up and said, "No! I'm fixin' to go to church!... So here I am."

He had kept walking and struggling all day long, and it was our prayers and the Holy Spirit that kept him going and out of the trouble he had planned.

Well, the Bible study went fine. Another street friend joined us, a lady who slept down on the floor at my feet most of the time. That was ok; she needed a sweet, safe place to rest for a change, and this was it. When she woke, she turned and smiled up at me with a totally toothless, beautiful smile and patted my knee.

During the study, I peeked at the notes Jimmy was taking beside me in the neatest printing I have ever seen. "Always be led by the Holy Spirt," he'd written.

At one point he spoke up and very seriously shared a bit about his life and how it pertained to our Bible chapter. Afterwards we all prayed for both him and Beatrice and gave them a hot dinner.

We dropped off Beatrice at her place, and Jimmy explained that he would not be sleeping at the mission tonight. Since he had come to the meeting, it was too late and they'd be closed. He would need to be taken elsewhere.

Ok, I thought, maybe you had to sacrifice your bed at the mission for the Bible study, but as long as you have a place to sleep, that's ok, because it's starting to rain.

He directed, and we drove until he said to turn in at this parking lot. I pulled in and saw no lights and no people or signs of life. Hmmm, whatever you say, Jimmy Carwash.

Getting out, he gathered his things, and looking back into the car he said, "Thank you. I am glad I came. For once I obeyed God."

I almost cried, and he walked away into the dark. Maggie and I sat waiting for some door to open in the building, but the last I saw was Jimmy settling himself under an overhang.

Off we drove with his last words in our ears, "I'll be praying for y'all."