I didn't know they closed down main streets downtown for St. Patrick's Day...
don't these people have to work or go to school? Last time there were this many people outside in downtown, Barack Obama was in town to speak...it's like a holiday or something. If St. Patrick's Day can get such a day, I propose that Chinese New Year become a nationally celebrated holiday, too.
...you are driving down the main highway from South Bend to Indianapolis (US 31) and you encounter more horse-and-buggies crossing the road (4) than police cars patrolling the highway (0).
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and on a completely different note - favorite players from conference championship weekend: Johnny Flynn and Toney Douglas.
I volunteered for a few hours with a student clinic the students at IUSM are starting up. We were performing prelim. health screens for people in a very poor part of town. I was assigned to man the greeting/filling out forms table at the door. Now I have to be careful with this story b/c I can't violate HIPAA rules, but this is more about my encounter with a person and his needs rather than a medical case. I hope that's ok.
"For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me...Truly I say to you, as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." -Matthew 25:42-43, 45
In any case, two homeless people, R and K, walked in. K, a man, sat down, seemed really tired, distraught, disappointed, discouraged. He filled out the forms I gave him and went through all the health screening stations we had set up, then grabbed a cup of coffee and a blueberry pastry and sat down in front of me to eat, so I struck up some awkward conversation with him.
Then, after some silence, he started telling me about how he was sick of the life he was living, "done with this debauchery," so he said. He said he needed new socks, new clothes (judging by the look of the clothes and the odor, he was right), would go to a hotel to take a bath if he had money. He also walked with a noticeable limp, which he attributed to being stabbed a few months ago. All I could do was sit, nod, say I'm sorry he was struggling, and offer him more food to take with him. We were there merely doing health screenings for people. I had no idea what to do, so I told him about IMC, a church in downtown that offered free food every Sunday morning before worship, and said that I'm sure they could help him more. He left, came back, and left again, then came back, and just sat in a chair and slept.
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." -James 2:14-17
I felt, and still feel like such a cop-out. But I honestly had no idea what I should have done. I was there with medical students, and I didn't want to set a precedent or try to meet a need that the student clinic was not meant to fulfill - at least not according to the leaders, yet. But I feel like the priest and/or the other person who walked right by the guy on the side of the road that the Samaritan ultimately helped. I wanted to take the guy somewhere to get some new socks and stuff - but I still found myself sanitizing my hands after he left, partially out of protocol and partially because I was paranoid. I need to learn how to love with the same compassion and love that Jesus shows the poorest of the poor, the most rejected of the rejected, the least of the world.
What would you have done?
the Lakers, with the best record in the NBA currently, lost their 11th game of the season last night.
all that means is that my Bulls 72-10 record from the 95-96 season is safe once again. hooray. (we'll just ignore the fact that they just lost to Washington in front of Pres. Obama last night...)
such is the state of IU basketball right now. kind of sad, kind of funny, all rolled up into one. he's 5'9" - that's like my height!
so i played bball at NIFS today for the first (and probably last time since i can't afford the membership there). i scored no points in 3 games, but hopefully played solid D, though i doubt it. it was fun, but i had forgotten how competitive some people can be and how much of an attitude some people can have...it's actually quite amusing to watch.
and when a guy was arguing with one of my friends after a game, i said to the one guy, "hey man, it's just a game of basketball," he not-quite-so-nicely remarked back to after staring at me for a few seconds, "...Hey! we [his team] won. get off the court," and turned and walked away.
i know the economy sucks, but can't we just be nice to one another?
afterall, basketball really is just a game. or for me, just exercise.
