“You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing, you say I am strong when I think I am weak” lyrics from song, “You Say” by Lauren Daigle

Today, we had the privilege of serving 41 people.

• There were a lot of our friends out this morning even with the steady rain.  They thought we might not show up, but they were happy we did.  Winter jackets, sweatpants, sweatshirts, and gloves were in demand.  We met some new friends who were surprised by our packet of $10 bill/$10 Dunkin Donuts card/prayer card.  (Suzie) asked for a blanket along with sweatpants and a sweatshirt.  She is living in a car with (Rob).  Her stomach had a large lump sticking out caused by a hernia.

• Our new friend (Steve) had heard about what we were doing and was glad he ran into us.  He promised Peg he was going into treatment.
  

• One of our friends (Ray), who looked and talked different, told us he was trying to get a handle on his addiction.  He had been talking to his daughter, and she told him “if you don’t like what you are doing then make a change”.  He couldn’t disagree with her as much as he wanted to.
  

• We met up with our friend (Jessie) who was trying to stay dry in a vestibule of a local supermarket.  We had swung by his tent, but it was gone.  He told us a friend had taken it.  He didn’t seem to have a new plan.  We told him not to give up on himself and try getting into treatment again.  It’s heartbreaking seeing our friends in such a state of despair.
  

• We met up with (Catherine) standing under a bare tree wearing a poncho trying to stay dry.  She told us the last visit to the hospital because of infections started to get her thinking about this lifestyle, especially after being in a warm bed and eating three meals a day, only to go back into a cold tent and cold weather.  We always encourage our friends to make a new plan and start fresh.
  

• My wife and I were at mass Sunday, and I was struck by a young girl in front of us who resembled our friend (Catherine).  We thought this could have been what (Catherine) may have looked like when she was young.  Then I started to think about what our friends may have looked like in a different life before they ended on the street.  Some of them may have come from a normal family; most may have come from abusive family situations experiencing physical and emotional trauma.  It’s very sad.  The ones who are supposed to protect them are in fact severely damaged themselves.

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‍PLEASE NOTE:    We have changed our location for donations for On the Street Ministry from Holy Cross Retreat House to My Brother’s Keeper.    We currently have a box in the main stairway on the 1^st floor of MBK. ‍ If you have recurring orders through Amazon or any other retail website, please change the delivery address to:

On the Street Ministry

C/o Shaun Teed

67 Turner Road

Scituate, MA 02066

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Thank you and God Bless,

Liz Londergan

Shaun Teed and Tito

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“Those who do not Love a brother or a sister they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen”. John 4:20

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