The
nice man at the JOHN 3:16 shelter for homeless men told
me all their beds were full. He then suggested I try the
Salvation Army and gave me directions. "It's a few blocks
from here" he said. "They may have a bed open." It
was close to 12:00 midnight and cold for Tulsa, Oklahoma. The
streets were all dark and as I ventured the fifteen minute walk
to find a bed for the night, I was suddenly approached by a man
who mumbled something to me which I could not quite understand. I
stopped (which could have been a bad move on my part) and asked
"What?" responding to him as he walked toward me at the
intersection of Denver St. My heart started speeding up a bit as
I wondered if I was going to experience an unwanted adventure. He
replied that he didn't want to walk with anyone and would prefer
that I left him alone. Relieved, I said "fine" and
smiled to myself as I walked across the street hoping he wouldn't
follow me. My pace soon moved into a jog and as I found my
distance from him increasing, my heart slowed down. On my journey
to find Tulsa's Salvation Army, I discovered I was very
under-dressed for the cold weather. I later learned the
temperature went down to 32 that night (which for Tulsa, was very
cold). I had only put on a T-shirt and a light sweat shirt. I
wondered if I was going to bring back a cold from this journey to
the streets. I had been invited to Tulsa by an old friend, who
was a youth pastor at the Asbury United Methodist Church. The
Church was having a series of special meetings to emphasize
missions and had asked me to be the key speaker for the youth.
Their theme was "Heart to God, Hand to Man". My talk
"RISK YOUR LIFE FOR A CHANGE" was to be given after I
returned from a night with the homeless on the streets of the
city. This
is actually my 7th trip down to the subculture of streets. It had
been almost 2 years since my last journey which took me back
again to Lexington, Kentucky where I re-visited the homeless who
were in a new city/county “Hope” shelter. The residents
called that place 'the prison.' I remember being
greeting that cold October 1993, not by people but by a metal
detector and a set of written rules the first of which clearly
stated that we should turn in our fire-arms before being admitted
to the shelter. How uninviting. I hoped that this new experience
in Tulsa would be a little less threatening. As I see
through a glass dimly, the urban homeless have become much more
aggressive and much more violent. Despair has risen to a new
response as desperate people do more desperate things. I believe
it is this growing sense of desperation combined with the mission
statement of SURVIVAL that creates an atmosphere of aggression,
intimidation and violence. The shelter providers where I have
stayed have become much more 'response-ready.' The
metal detectors and full-time security guards with their guns
serve notice that violence will be met with violence. After
searching in the dark for the Salvation Army shelter, I located a
very large complex and eventually found the door to the shelter
section. I asked the nice man who answered if they had any beds
open to which he replied “No.” Puzzled, I asked,
"Do you have any suggestions for someone like myself who is
looking for a place to stay?" He suggested that I come back
tomorrow around 5:00 p.m. He indicated that I would be likely to
get help then. As he began to shut the door, I attempted to make
further conversation. "Where does someone go when there are
no beds open?" I asked. “The man from the JOHN
3:16 Shelter sent me here." The desk-man repeated that
they were full. Then he stated that there were only three
shelters in town and there was no place else to go. I asked if
there were any stores or places open all night close by and he
indicated he knew of none. I then asked if he would call the
police and have me arrested if I slept by the window right next
to the door. He said no. Many people
believe there are more homeless in the winter. Actually, there
are no more homeless in the winter than any other time. But it seems
that way because the homeless who usually stay outside in warm
weather choose to go inside in the winter rather than get sick or
possibly freeze to death. I suspect this is what was happening in
Tulsa. The cold weather brought everyone in and all the beds were
filled. Immediately,
I laid down on the outside next to the large lobby picture window
. As I hit the hard dirt, I discovered the large quantity of
cigarette butts that were in my face. I closed my eyes and began
to pray. "Lord, what now?"
The
nice man at the JOHN 3:16 shelter for homeless men told
me all their beds were full. He then suggested I try the
Salvation Army and gave me directions. "It's a few blocks
from here" he said. "They may have a bed open." It
was close to 12:00 midnight and cold for Tulsa, Oklahoma. The
streets were all dark and as I ventured the fifteen minute walk
to find a bed for the night, I was suddenly approached by a man
who mumbled something to me which I could not quite understand. I
stopped (which could have been a bad move on my part) and asked
"What?" responding to him as he walked toward me at the
intersection of Denver St. My heart started speeding up a bit as
I wondered if I was going to experience an unwanted adventure. He
replied that he didn't want to walk with anyone and would prefer
that I left him alone. Relieved, I said "fine" and
smiled to myself as I walked across the street hoping he wouldn't
follow me. My pace soon moved into a jog and as I found my
distance from him increasing, my heart slowed down. 
