Homeless Babies

When you hear the words “homeless person” , what comes to mind? A man who hasn’t showered for two weeks and smells of beer and urine? A woman who is addicted to crack? A Vietnam Vet who has PTSD? You probably didn’t think of a baby:

Homeless infants usually have low birth rates.

Homeless mothers are less likely to receive prenatal care.

Babies who are underweight, and whose mothers have not received prenatal care, are nine times more likely to die before the age of one.

The homeless babies who survive their first year have less access to basic medical care than other babies.  One-third of homeless babies lack basic immunizations.

Homeless babies who live in overcrowded conditions, such as a shelters, are more exposed to illness.

The next time you are tempted to think of homeless people as “lazy” or "crazy", remember homeless babies. 

I am my Beloved's and He is Mine

My friend and Candi and I were talking a few months ago about how no one ever told us about s*x when we were growing up, especially about how it's importance in marriage. (I'm not being a prude - just being careful about search engines).  Pete and I were told to read a book called "The Act of Marriage" by Tim LaHaye in premarital counselling, and that was about the extent of my education on this subject. (No offense to Tim LaHaye, he did found my alma mater, but he is not the person I would have picked to learn about this from!) So Candi had the idea of meeting a couple of times a month with some of the teenage girls from our church to talk about relationships, purity, and marriage. Meeting with the five girls that regularly come is one of the most joyful, fulfilling things I've ever been privileged to participate in.
         With that in mind, I thought that I would use my etsy shop this Valentine's Day as a reminder to married couples of the beautiful gift that God has given to husband and wife. Song of Solomon, with its' rather explicit erotic poetry, as well as many other passages in Scripture (Proverbs 5:18-19 for example), makes it clear that God gave s*x as gift for married couples to enjoy! Not just as a way to have children, or to "avoid immorality", but as a sacred gift to be delighted in. So I painted these set of mugs based on Song of Solomon 6:3a:

 Here is a link to the listing on etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/92406407/i-am-my-beloveds-and-he-is-mine

As always, twenty percent of all proceeds goes to buy socks for homeless children.

16th and Island - Chapter 5 - Echelons and Neon Green Carpet (Part 3)

This is a continuation of a true story of a homeless family I was writing this spring - and got distracted from with helping my husband with Greek intensives! Here goes:

Pete motioned the tow truck driver to Susan's car. Susan panicked, "I don't want that Shelby seein' us leavin', and we just saw him by "God's Extended Hand". Can you tell the tow truck driver to not be stickin' out like a sore thumb into the innersection?"

       Pete agreed,  mumbling under his breath, "What does it matter if we are leaving? It's not like that loser has a car to follow us in", but told the driver and went to go get our car, which was parked across the street from God's Extended Hand, so that Shelby wouldn't see us leave. As the tow truck driver hooked up her car, Charles the Echelon, Judah the man who had protected her from Shelby night before, and several other homeless men gathered round Susan. Charles exclaimed, "Everything will be ok honey. Don't worry. It will be ok!" Of course it will, you crazy man! I thought. Now that they are getting off the streets away from scary people like you, and psychos who are threatening their lives, they will be immensely better than they are now! Susan hugged her friends, Judah especially tightly. "I promise to keep in touch with you guys - you have all been so good to me and my Jeb - thank ya!".

       Susan and Jeb, with his skateboard, got into the car, but I thought I saw in Susan's face the same look as I imagined Lot's wife to have when she left Sodom, as she waved goodbye to the five or so homeless men congregated around the car. I looked at Pete with a baffled look, who just shrugged. Pete told the tow-truck driver to follow him, and drove him to our church, Grace Fellowship, where we would leave Susan's car until we could figure out how to get it running.

     Susan thanked us profusely. "You guys have been reel life-savers today - I don't know how to thank ya' for gitten' me and my boy away from that crazy Shelby!"

     "Don't mention it - it is the Lord!"

     "Those guys, Judah, and Charles, they sho' have looked after me and Jeb. Growin' up in a middle-class family and all, I used ta think that homeless people were all just a bunch of drunks and druggies, but I sho' was wrong! There are some reel good 'uns out there, some reel good 'uns."

     "Well God protected you while you had to be down there, and He is protecting you now by finding you a placement."

    Jeb sighed. "I'm glad to be away from that place. It sceered me. Yesterday I saw a man with a gun stuck in 'is pocket, 'ould you believe it?"

     "Wow! Uh, what you like to do for fun, Jeb?" I asked trying to change the subject.

    "I like ridin' this here skateboard, and I used to play with my cousins back home." I almost expected him to say, "and we went fishin' for crawdad's and caught Junebugs and put 'em in jars and visited Gomer at the fillin' station."

      "Too bad he can't be with his cousins'" sighed Susan, "but my family, they just plain don' wanna help us, and we can't stay aroun where there ain't no jobs. That's why we come out to California." How could you think there would be jobs here? I puzzled.

      We pulled up to the church. Pete paid the tow truck driver, who happened to be a Christian and gave us a discount. "That's as much as I can take off without gettting into trouble," he told Pete.

       Susan got a few things from her car. "Well, I guess we better go by the house so I can change before work," Pete said.

Follow Your Bliss .... and Learn in the Process!

In my pursuit of raising money for homeless kids while experimenting to discover a business I can do from home, I decided last week to do a bake sale at church. I brought samples of carrot bread and of my grandmother's herb biscuits (well, I added the herbs!), thinking I would get 3 or 4 orders. I got 13 orders - which will buy a lot of socks for homeless kids! And more importantly, make people aware of homeless kids.
After pacing myself all week, shopping one day, mixing the dry ingredients the next, mixing wet ingredients with the dry ingredients the next, and finally, baking today, I filled all the orders in my tiny kitchen with very little equipment! Here are some things I discovered along the way:

Carrot Cake Bread



 1) My first strength in baking is recognizing good recipes and improving them to make them taste better and make them healthier. As far as the recipes I used, I knew they would be good because they called for real butter! As far as making them healthier, I thought of adding flax seed to both the biscuits and the carrot bread, using organic eggs, and using 1 part wheat flour to 2 parts white flour instead of all white flour. The recipes didn't call for any of these ingredients!  Also, I thought to use 1 part brown sugar to 2 parts white sugar for the carrot bread for a richer flavor.

2) My second strength in baking is figuring out how to get ingredients frugally. I used herbs that I am growing in my garden, I know the best places in town to buy organic eggs (down the street from a local farm or from Fresh and Easy if the farm is out!), flour, sugar, etc (most of the bulk things I bought from Costco!) . I also know how to make my own baking powder (corn starch and baking soda) and brown sugar (white sugar and molasses), so I can make really good baked goods really cheaply!  And a dear friend gave me 100$ as seed money to buy more ingredients in bulk so we could raise even more money for homeless kids, so I was able to get things like 3000 square feet of plastic wrap for 10 dollars, and a few big mixing bowls (turkey basters from the 99 cent store!)

Garden Herb Biscuits

 3) My biggest area to grow in is efficiency in actually baking! Part of this is because I have never made myself learn how to be efficient - with just Pete and I, I am quite content if it takes me extra time to mix biscuit dough with a wooden spoon instead of an electric mixer - in fact, I enjoy the sensory experience! But with baking in bulk, this just won't do! I learned a lot of little tricks for efficiency I never thought of before, which to most people may seem like common sense, but I never cared about before! Like instead of forming each biscuit by hand (wearing gloves of course!), roll out the biscuit dough and use the edge of a cup to cut it out.

4) This is related to # 3 - I learned the importance of having the right tools to bake efficiently!  I've decided to start looking on Craig's List, or garage sales and thrift stores, for a good deal bread machine, and for an electric mixer, the kind with a bowl connected. Also, I am going to borrow a bigger kitchen, with more than one oven!

5) Pete and my friends were right - I need to raise my prices!

My Conclusion - At this point, I am not efficient enough and don't have the equipment to make much of a profit off of baking to do it as a regular business.  Also, if I am going to start a for-profit business, I want to invest little or no money (and I don't want to invest in a baking license at this point). But I still love baking for people and I want to help homeless kids, so as I can aquire some basic equipment and find a big kitchen to borrow, I'll do occasional, maybe monthly, bake sales with friends, as I am up for it. As far as making any sort of real supplemental income to help us get out of debt, I think I will pursue teaching Greek to homeschoolers, as a blogging friend suggested.

What is your bliss?

16th and Island - Chapter 5 - Echelons and Neon Green Carpets (Part 3)

This is a true story of a homeless family we met last year. Some of the names have been changed.

       “Hey guys, this here is Charles. He’s bin a good friend to us, protectin’ me an’ Jeb from that crazy Shelby,” Susan drawled.
       “Oh we met earlier.” Charles said, his huge grin showing his false teeth.
       “You see, down here there are good people and bad people. Charles, he be a good person – he is an esh-al-on, and he takes care of stuff down here. Every one respects him, you see, and Shelby don’t dare come near us when Charles be around.”
            Pete gave me a knowing look.  A small alarm went off in my mind. Susan seems way too trusting. “Well thanks for looking after them,” I managed to say.
           “It’s my pleasure. That’s what I do.” Charles said.

           The camp of homeless people next to Susan and Jeb’s car started to get rowdy. One lady, who was missing most of her teeth and whose face was caked with dirt, was holding a paper bag with a bottle in it. She sat in the lap of a homeless man, who as equally dirty and was sitting in an equally dirty fold up chair.

            “I am your b-----,” she cackled. “In treatment, they taught us to make ‘I’ statements. Well, my ‘I’ statement is “I am your b-----.”

           “You are an f------- foul b-----, that’s what you are,” he laughed, as did the rest of the group.

         “That’s not an “I” statement,”  the lady howled with laughter, passing the bottle of booze to another lady. “I am sitting in the lap of a f------- retarded homeless man, now that is an “I” statement. …”

I wanted cover Jeb’s ears, who was still riding his skateboard, to shield him from hearing such filth. I looked both ways to see if I could see the tow truck coming, as if I could will Jeb off the streets faster by my impatience. Pete said to Jeb anxiously, “Stay in sight.”

Susan said, “My Mama would roll over in her grave if she heard this. I was dun’ raised in a respectable middle-class family, and I never heard nobody cursin’ up a storm like this.  This har be no place for a child like Jeb to be."

A tall homeless man came around the corner. He looked to be about in his mid-forties or early fifties, and had a long braid of salt and pepper hair and a full beard. He was clean, and had handsome, large features. He walked over to us, and said soft-spokenly, “Hi Susan.”

“Pete, Andrea, this here is Judah, the man I was talking at you about. He be the one who sat up with me last night when Shelby was threatenin’ us. Pete and Andrea are going to take Jeb and me to a place in Vis-tah where we can stay, away from Shelby. . . ”

“Nice to meet you Judah,” Pete interjected.

“Mama, I need to use the toe-let, now, or I’m gonna poop my pants!” Jeb interjected.

“You gonna wear me out boy.  God’s Extended Hand be closed, and we gotta walk all the way to 15^th Street to go at the Mexican restaurant, Salazar’s I think its called,” she sighed, “Judah, will you walk with us in case that Shelby be lurkin around?”

Judah agreed to go with them, and we said we would watch for the tow truck. Jeb took his skateboard with him.

Pete held me tightly as we waited for the tow truck. “I am glad that little boy will be away from all this,” he whispered in my ear as the people in the camp next to us continued to cuss and yell, and a fight broke out around the street.

Twenty minutes later Jeb and Susan returned, and a few minutes later, the tow truck came. Not a moment too soon.

16th and Island - Chapter 5 - Echelons and Neon Green Carpets (Part 2)

          When we got back to Susan and Jeb's car, I called Operation Hope to confirm that we were coming, and that there was still an opening. The lady on the phone confirmed that there was an opening, but said that they couldn't take anyone until 4 pm, when Russ the Office Manager would be in to interview them. She gave me Russ' number to call and let him know that we were coming.
         "Babe, they can't accept Susan and Jeb until 4 pm," I told Pete, motioning him a few yards away so that Susan and Jeb would not overhear. Reading his look of frustration and worry, I said, "Don't worry, I can drop you off at work and drive up there. I'll be okay."
        "But the car is having problems, and I don't like to think of you having to drive all the way to Vista by yourself. Why don't we come back for them another day?" Pete replied.
      "I will be fine," I said firmly. "I haven't had a chance to tell you, but Susan has gotten a death threat on her life, and  Jeb a kidnapping threat. We have to get them out of her as soon as possible." My jaw was set.
      Pete's eyes were big with alarm. "Well, I guess there is no choice then. At least we have roadside assistance," he sighed reluctantly.
      "I will be fine," I said, stroking Pete's arm reassuringly. "I need to call Russ, the manager at Operation Hope, and confirm that we are coming.
       I called Russ, expecting to hear the voice of a caring, counsellor sort of man, assuming that this would be the type of person working at a place for homeless families. Instead, his very brisque manner surprised me, but I assumed he must be overworked. He was very firm that Susan would have to get drug tested, and I assured him that this shouldn't be a problem, as Susan was not on drugs.
       Meanwhile, Charles, the homeless man who had told us that Susan and Jeb were in God's Extended Hand, had returned and was talking with Susan, while Jeb rode his skateboard. I noticed that Susan seemed very attached to him, and I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. I wonder if I would feel this way if he wasn't homeless. 

16th and Island - Chapter 5 - Echelons and Neon Green Carpet (Part 1)

Chapter 5 – Echelons and Neon Green Carpets

      “Well, I sure do appreciate it, more than you kin know!” Susan’s brown eyes, which I noticed were as big as Judy Garland’s, were shining.

      We walked out of God’s Extended Hand together.

      “Babe, Susan wants to go to Operation Hope,” I told Pete, trying not to let my voice show how ecstatic I was.

      “Jeb, we are going to go to a place called Vis-tah, they have a school for you to go to, and we will be away from this here place,” drawled Susan.

      Jeb tilted his head to the left and whistled. “Will they let me take my skateboard?”

      “Of course they will!” I assured.

      “Ok, well then I will call the tow company,” Pete said. “Where do you want us to tow your car Susan? To Vista?”

      “I reckon you know a good spot for it. I don’t know San Diego very good, so tow it wharever you be thinkin is best.”

      We arranged with the tow company to have it towed to the street in front of our church, Grace Fellowship, so that it would be easier to get it fixed for her. It was 11 am, and the tow company said they would be there in half an hour to forty-five minutes.

“We can come pick you guys up for church tomorrow so you can get to stuff in your car. Do you want to talk to the people at ‘Operation Hope’ and find out the rules and about Jeb’s school?”

      “You already had been talkin with them, right? I don’t want to be askin them the same things you asked them. They be sayin’ to themselves, this lady is re-dun-dant. I wanna be makin’ a good impression, so I ought not make them think I’m re-dun-dant,” Susan laughed.

      “Ok, whatever you think. I’ll just call to confirm that you guys are coming then,” I said.

      We began walking back to their car. Susan kept introducing us to her homeless friends, telling them that she and Jeb would be going to stay in a shelter in Vista. Meanwhile, Jeb road his skateboard up and down the street, and I kept a nervous eye out for Shelby, who had threatened to kidnap him. We met the wife of Bob, the veteran whose arm was hurt – she was visiting him from the hospital. Her diabetes had gotten so bad that she was in a wheelchair because her feet were too messed up to walk. Bob was upset that Pete would not jump start his car.

      It took us 20 minutes to get back to Susan’s car. “She and Jeb seem really popular down here,” I whispered in Pete’s ear.

16th and Island - Chapter 4- Operation Hope (Part Five)

Pete of course agreed to watch Jeb, who was happy to have more space for skateboarding, and I watched back into God's Extended Hand.

      I breathed a silent prayer – Help me Lord ­– as I walked back to sit down with Susan. Wanting to let Susan decide when she wanted to open up to me, I began talking. “So let me tell you what we were thinking, Susan. There is a place in Vista, called Operation Hope, where you and Jeb can stay. It is about 45 minutes from here, and Pete and I can drive you there if you want to go. Here’s a note I wrote you that I was going to leave on your car if we couldn’t find you.”

      Susan read the note aloud. “They have job training and a school for Jeb… This sounds real good – I can not turn down somethin’ like this!”

      “Now I know that you don’t know us, and for all you know we could be kidnappers, but we just felt God put it on our heart to at least offer you a ride up there.”

      “Yeah, you could take us little helpless North Carolina folks and sell us down the river and nobody would know whar we were,” Susan laughed. “No, I think this is from the Lowrd, there bein’ job trainin’ and a school for Jeb. You jus’ don’t understand what has happened to us the last few days. I come from good stock – a good middle-class, Christian family. I never thought I’d be homeless, and somebody would be trying to help me off the street. I told you already about that Shelby, the crazy that I came out here with who took off with all my money to go to Tijuahana, well he comes back here last night. And he wants back together, and when I tell him I don’t want nothin’ to do with him, well, he starts threatenin’ to kill me! Thank the Lowrd Jeb was asleep, so he did not hear any of that. Please don’t tell him about it – he should not have to know about that heavy stuff – he’s just a child.”

      “Of course…”.

      Susan interrupted. “Well, this rael kind man named Judah stayed with us in the car and guarded us all night. I sat up prayin’ all night that I could get Jeb and I to some place safe. So I’d be obliged to ya’ to git us away from har!” Susan was shaking like a leaf, but looked relieved.

      No wonder I couldn’t stop thinking about it – God wants us to get them out of here to save their lives! “Wow, that is horrible! I am glad you are safe! We will get you guys out of here.”

      “But wait a minute, what shood I do about my car! Shelby may try to stael it or git into it and take stuff if I jus’ pack up and go. Now, you’re friend Shawn (one of the college students, I barely knew him) said he wood try an fix it for me, maybe I shood wait for him to fix it first.”

      “Susan, you’re lives may be in danger. We will tow your car to wherever you want, and we can try to get it fixed from there. But for now, we just need to get you guys out of here.”

      “Well, I sure do appreciate it, more than you kin know!” Susan’s brown eyes, which I noticed were as big as Judy Garland’s, were shining.

16th and Island - Chapter 4 - Operation Hope (Part Four)

This is a true story. Some of the names have been changed.

      I squeezed Pete's hand, and walked into God's Extended Hand.

   I walked slowly towards the back of the room, which was packed full of homeless men, women, and a few children eating breakfast at white plastic tables. The room was simple, with few decorations, but clean. I breathed slowly as I approached Susan and Jeb's table. Susan and Jeb were eating the same meal as Charles - fake looking cafeteria eggs, a piece of sausage, a piece of toast, and a small side of fruit.

    "Hi Susan - do you remember me? I met you the other night in front of your car. Our church was passing out peanut butter sandwiches."

    Susan looked surprised and said, "Well, I sure do remember ya. Why don't ya sit yourself down in that ther char'? Are you hungry? Get yourself some fixins." Jeb grinned at me between mouthfuls of egg and toast.

     "Thanks, I already ate", I said, sitting across from her. "You are probably wondering why I am here. Since the other night when we met you guys, my husband and I couldn't stop thinking about you."

    Susan broke down into tears. I walked over to her and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry".

     "You just can't begin to understan' all we've been through, and this is all jus' so embarrasing. I'm grew up in a good, upright, Christian middle class family, and to be down here, homeless, it would make my poor Mama roll over in her grave!"

     "You've just fell on some hard times, that's all, Susan. It could happen to anyone."

     "You're so kind," Susan dried her eyes, and put on a smile. I sat back down, this time next to her. "We've had a lot of people be real kind to us, down here, so I don't mean to be complainin' none. Jeb, show this here lady the skateboard Santa gave ya at your school! The school he goes to, hit be for homeless kids, it's called the Monarch School, well they gave him that thar skateboard for Christmas," she whispered confidentally.

    Jeb smiled brightly, "Don'ya jus' love it? Hit can go reel fast" He was beaming with pride, as he started riding it back and forth on the ceramic tile floor. And of course no one thought to donate pads or a helmet to go with it! Oh well, he is so happy.

    "Mama, this har floor is too bumpy - I want to go outside and skateboard!"

     "Jeb, now you jus' have to wait - I'm talkin' to this lady, and don't ya be rude!" Susan yelled

     "Yes Mama," Jeb replied. What a sweetheart! Homeless and going through hell, and more polite then most kids I know!

     "So how have you guys been doing since the other night?" I asked.

     Susan looked as if she would tear up again. She leaned over to me and whispered, "It has jus' been Gawd-awful, like you would not believe! But I do not want ta tawlk about it whar Jeb can hear."

    "Oh, I understand. My husband is outside - maybe he could watch Jeb while we talk."

   "I don't keer to trouble him..."

  "It's no trouble - he is just standing out there."

    "Well, are ya sure it wouldn't be no trouble?"

   "Of course - let me go ask him!"

   Pete of course agreed to watch Jeb, who was happy to have more space for skateboarding, and I watched back into God's Extended Hand.

Calligraphy Fundraiser for Homeless Kids

This week's featured calligraphy is from Isaiah 26:3-4:

Each print is 5$ plus shipping and handling. All profits (up to 100$!) will go to buy socks and underwear for homeless kids at the Monarch School in downtown San Diego. These kids need socks and underwear as people don't think to donate these items very often!

You can email me at andymichelle.vik@gmail.com, comment below, or check out my etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/listing/68889912/810-isaiah-263-4-calligraphy-print.

16th and Island - Chapter 4 - Operation Hope (Part Three)

This is a true story about a homeless family we met at Christmas. Some of the names have been changed.

       I was smiling as though we had just won the lottery.
       Pete and I walked as quickly we could around the corner. We both breathed a huge sigh of relief when we saw Susan's red suburban, even though Susan and Jeb were nowhere in sight.  A very clean homeless man, about 5'7" with striking grey eyes, was sitting in front of the suburban, eating a breakfast of eggs and toast in a styrofoam container. The only give away that he was homeless was his camp set out on the sidewalk.
        I introduced Pete and myself to the man, whose name was Charles, and asked "We wanted to check up on some friends we met the other night, and this looks like their car? Have you seen a middle aged lady and a little boy, about eight years old? They have a strong southern accent."
        "Oh yeah - I know them! I've been looking after them, keeping them safe," Charles replied. 
        "Thanks for taking care of them. We want to try to help them," I replied.
         "Yeah, of course. They are good people. They are in the church around the corner eating breakfast, if you want to go talk to them" Charles grinned. I noticed he had all of his teeth.
         "Hey, thanks so much Charles. You are a good man," Pete said, shaking his hand. 
We walked back to the corner of 16th and Island where the church was, and waited outside for Susan and Jeb. I noticed that the church walls were covered with fascinating mosaic designs, like this one of Jesus holding a lamb:

and this one of the devil coming after another lamb:



         Five minutes passed. I prayed that Susan would listen to what we had to say. We could see the first group we had met that morning were still standing in the same corner,  carrying themselves like they were the jocks and cheerleaders of the homeless world. About twenty or so homeless people were sitting or standing against the walls of the church. The paramedics came for an elderly man in a wheel- chair who was apparently having heart-trouble.

       Ten minutes passed - I paced back and forth and blew on my hands to fight the cold. I prayed that God would give me the courage to be up-front with Susan about what a scary place this was for a little boy like Jeb to be living. A thirty-something homeless woman, who looked like she hadn't showered in a week, was yelling to a homeless man a few yards away from us. "I have two degrees - I just can't find any work in San Diego."  She began crossing the street, and I noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes, just socks. "I used to make a lot of money - phew, I was a high roller - I'm sure I made more than you ever did," she yelled back to man, standing in her socks in the middle of the street as cars honked at her. "Get out of the street, and get some shoes!" was his retort. She crossed the street, and continued yelling across it about her two degrees, while the man she was yelling to just ignored her.  

      Fifteen minutes passed - the smell of booze and urine was becoming overwhelming. "Pete, do you think I can just go in and see if they are there?"

      "Sure, why not?"

      We asked a volunteer where they served breakfast, that we had a friend we wanted to talk to, and he showed us the front entrance. I peeked inside, and saw Susan and Jeb sitting at a table at the back of the room. "I think I should go in and talk to her Pete. I think she needs to be handled gently. Pray that God will give me the right words."

      "You're right - I'll stay out here and watch our car."

      I squeezed Pete's hand, and walked into God's Extended Hand.

Calligraphy Fundraiser

This week's featured calligraphy is from Psalm 48:14:

I really enjoyed making this one, as I am still new to the Gothic font, and I am learning how to do shading with pastel chalks.

Each 8"11" ready-to-frame print is 6$; shipping is additional. The first 100$ I make selling calligraphy is going to buy socks and underwear for homeless kids in San Diego -already at 30$ thanks to your generosity! After that, 20% of all proceeds will go to homeless children, and the rest for a special project Pete and I are planning for our future family ;).

If you would like to order, but would prefer not to leave your address listed below, you can order through my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/68396117/811-psalm-4814-calligraphy-print  or send me an email at andymichelle.vik@gmail.com.

Thursday's Tip from the Green Housewife - Pick Your Neighbors' Fruit for the Homeless

         In San Diego, there are at least 8,500 homeless people, and 2,200 of them are children. Most of them, obviously enough, do not get adequate nutrition. Meanwhile, many people in San Diego have gorgeous citrus and avocado trees which do not get fully, or even partially, harvested! Within walking distance of my house, I have counted 20 plus citrus trees which are full of fruit falling and rotting on the ground.

         Here are four bags of grapefruit, 1 bag of avocado, and 1 bag of oranges and tangerines "gleaned" from our friends Jennifer's and Heather's trees:

Thanks guys! Pete and I are going to take them tonight to a homeless shelter downtown where a homeless women and children often stay. Hopefully all that vitamin C will help strengthen their immunities during this very difficult cold and flu season.

What are your green or frugal tips?       

16th and Island - Chapter 4 - Operation Hope (Part Two)

This is a true story - some of the names have been changed.

          “After all this, all our fighting, and praying, and hoping, I can’t believe they aren’t even here!” I exclaimed in frustration. “Well, I hope they are ok.”                                                                             

           “Pretty ironic,” Pete laughed.

           "Well, we may as well not waste a trip down here. Why don't we pass out the rest of the water bottles in our trunk?"

           "We may as well," Pete shrugged. 
            We approached a group of four people at the corner a few hundred yards from where we had met Susan and Jeb. A homeless women, crouched on the ground against the wall, looked as wrinkled and worn as a seventy year old who had done hard labor her whole life, but I guessed she was no older than fifty. What is her story? I wondered. An attractive Asain woman, about twenty-five, was hanging on a tall, handsome man who kept taking swigs of whiskey out of a bottle hid in his black leather jacket. I hope he's not her pimp. A middle-aged homeless man, not nearly as well dressed or as clean, was yelling out his life story to them.
          "I've been homeless thirteen years. Been a drunk most of that time, but I got clean for a while when this one family let me live with them for a few months.. . "
         "Man, you are so f----ing stupid. Never admit you've been homeless that long. Say you've been homeless for three weeks!" said the man in the black leather jacket. The young girl cackled loudly.
         I squeezed Pete's hand, and he asked, "Are you guys thirsty?"
         The man in the leather jacket said, "That's all you got? Water! You think we want water! You must be some kind of crazy!" The young girl again cackled loudly, slapping her knees.
         "I'm thirsty" said one of the older women. She smiled and I noticed that her lips were deeply cracked and most of her teeth were missing. We give her a gallon of water, and the socks I had intended for Susan.
          "Oh look, Pete - there's Bob - their friend we met the other night. Let's go see if he has any information." I was relieved to move on.
         "Good idea - we can give him this other jug of water ..... Hi Bob," Pete held out his hand, "do you remember us from the other night? I'm Pete, and this is my wife . . ."
         "Oh sure, I remember you two." Bob took off his dirty blue baseball cap to scratch his head matted with curly gray hair. "I've made a lot of progress on my van, I think it is almost fixed."
        "Oh very cool. Hey do you want some water?"
        "Yeah, that would be fantastic. It's been warm working under that hood."
        "We were wondering if you knew anything about Susan and Jeb - the lady and little boy you were guarding the other night?"
       "Oh yeah, yeah. We moved their car around the corner because some nut kept yelling at them the other night. Just around the block, you will see them."
       "Awesome, thanks man." Pete shook his hand.
       "That's my bad hand - hurt it in 'Nam!"
       "Oh, I am so sorry!" Pete apologized. 
       I was smiling as if we had just won the lottery.

Calligraphy Fundraiser

This week's featured calligraphy is from 1 Corinthians 13:13:

I created this last Saturday for our churches Valentine's Day party tomorrow, and I didn't get around to posting it until today! I guess it is a little last minute for Valentine's Day - oh well, there is always next year to get more organized! I also listed it on my etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/CreedalCalligraphy?ref=pr_shop_more
Each 8"11" print is 5$, plus shipping. All proceeds from calligraphy sold on my blog goes to buy socks and underwear for homeless kids in San Diego.

Happy Valentines Day!

Homelessness Affects Unborn Children

These pictures are from http://prolifeamerica.com/4D-Ultrasound-pictures/

This is a 4-d ultrasound of an unborn child yawning.

Did you know babies in the womb can yawn as early as 12 weeks?

Did you know that 35 percent of women coming into homeless shelters are pregnant?

Did you know that one-fifth of homeless women are so hopeless they abuse drugs and alcohal while pregnant?

Did you know homeless women suffer from chronic and acute medical problems which affect their baby's development?

Did you know 50 percent of pregnant homeless women do not receive prenatal care during their 1rst trimester?

Did you know that by the end of the second trimester, everytime a mother's heartrate goes up from stress or anxiety, her child's heart rate also goes up? (Imagine the number of times a homeless woman's heartrate goes up.)

16th and Island - Chapter 4 - Operation Hope (Part One)

This is a true story about a homeless family Pete and I met this Christmas. Some of the names have been changed.

   

    We woke up early for a Saturday morning- at 8 a.m, that is. I called the shelter in Vista, “Operation Hope”, praying, Please let there be room in the inn! The lady I spoke to, Tanya, said they did have an opening, and that it was a perfect place for a mother and children as only women and families with children were allowed, and there was a school and job training. As long as she was could pass a drug test, there would be no problem in admitting them that evening. I assured her that Susan was not on drugs. She said to have Susan call the shelter’s supervisor, Russ, and ask any questions she might have.

 Thank you Lord! I started dancing around the room. Pete, who had heard the conversation on my battered cell phone which only worked on speaker phone, grabbed me and kissed me. “That is such a relief! We can go talk to them this morning, and I can drive them up there before work. I don’t have to be there until 2:30. I don’t want you to have to drive them to Vista by yourself when we’ve been having so much car trouble lately,” Pete said.

“God is so good! We should probably go now, don't you think, so there will be enough time? You don't mind not having bacon and eggs this morning like I promised, do you?"

"No, there's no time to worry about that today, my Angel. We should just grab some cereal and  go" 

 "But wait - I just thought of something – what if she doesn’t want to leave her car in downtown and go all the way to Vista? I would, if it meant somewhere for me and my little boy to sleep, but she may not feel that way.” I replied.

“Good point. We could use the money that we were going to use on a hotel to tow her car somewhere safe.”

“That’s true – we could do that! Your brilliant! But wait – I just thought of something else. What if she doesn’t trust us enough to drive her and her son all the way to Vista? I mean, she could think we were trying to kidnap her or something.”

“Yeah, good point. Well, we can make the offer – the decision will be up to her.”

“I guess we will have to try to win her over like we did the women who were going to have abortions when we used to go sidewalk counseling. I should probably be the one to talk to her – she might respond better to a woman. And we should write her a note with my cell phone number and the number of the shelter in Vista, with some change, to leave on her car in case she isn’t there.”

“Well, let’s pray.’ Pete grabbed my hands. “Dear Father, please let us be able to find Susan and Jeb, and let Susan want to go to Vista so she and Jeb can be off the street.”

“And Lord, please give us wisdom in what to say, and help me be gentle and sensitive so that I can convince her that she should take the placement in Vista and not stay living in their car. In Jesus name, Amen”.

I wrote the note explaining the shelter in Vista and wrapped some quarters in a pair of socks to leave on her dashboard so she would be able to call us and the shelter while Pete checked the oil in the car and got the number for a tow company near 16^th and Island.

The drive downtown, which was only 20 minutes, seemed like 3 hours. I kept rehearsing in my head what I would say to her, praying repeatedly for God to give me the right words. When we got to the corner of 16^th and Island, my heart sank. Their red suburban was gone.           
“After all this, all our fighting, and praying, and hoping, I can’t believe they aren’t even here!” I exclaimed in frustration. “Well, I hope they are ok.”

“Pretty ironic,” Pete laughed.

Calligraphy Fundraiser

This week's featured calligraphy is from Romans 11:33-36:

Each 8"11" print, on white cardstock paper, is 4$ plus shipping. All proceeds will go to buy clothes for homeless children in San Diego http://www.monarchschools.org/ , especially socks and underwear as this is what they are most in need of!

I am having something of an ethical dilemna - how to buy clothes for homeless American kids which aren't made by kids enslaved in sweat shops in China or Bangladesh. If you have any ideas (besides a clothes drive for gently used clothing), let me know!

16th and Island – Chapter 3 - Somewhere Else at a Mandatory Party (Part 3)

This is a true story - some names have been changed. This post is a day late, but I've had bronchitus!

Mona was waiting for us out in front of the Lower Campus Chapel. She showed us our seats, and while waiting for dinner to be served, we made small talk with professors and staff members who had worked at the college when we were both students ten years ago.  I managed to accidentally (not knowing who I was talking to) complement the school’s president wife on her ballet-style shoes. Pete whispered to me who she was afterwards. So far, so good! No one can tell we had just been fighting.  

Sitting at the table with Mona and her other guests, my thoughts kept wandering to Jeb, and I tried to focus on chit-chatting with her and her interesting menagerie of friends she had invited. Mona was the type of lady who knew all her friends and neighbors, and their children and pets as well, by name.  Normally, I would have been delighted to talk to her ninety –year old neighbor who loved cats, the middle age woman whose husband couldn’t be there because he was busy running his Italian restaurant, and the older couple who used to be missionaries in Mexico City. I picked at the mashed potatoes and rosemary green beans, which were objectively quite delicious, and discretely gave Pete most of my rib-eye steak and chocolate cake roll. I wonder if Jeb and Susan have any food to eat tonight! How can we just sit here enjoying ourselves when there are starving children in our own city? But my answer to Mona’s missionary friends who asked, “Isn’t this food just wonderful?” was “Yes, the rosemary green beans are to die for”. I feel so alone in this crowded room.

After dinner, the students performed various modern worship songs along with some classical Christmas music. Vision, the school’s traveling singing group, sang the hauntingly melancholy song about Mary the mother of Jesus, “Breathe of Heaven”. I choked back tears at the lines “Breathe of Heaven, Hold me Together, Be Forever Near Me, Breathe of Heaven. Breathe of Heaven, Lighten my darkness, Pour over me your Holiness, for You are forever Holy” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgVBPsYVljM. Hold me together and help me trust in You to lead Pete to make the right decision, like Steve always is trying to tell me.

            As soon as we got home, I breathed a sigh of relief from not having to pretend anymore. “Pete, what if there isn’t an opening at the shelter tomorrow? What do we do then? Can you at least pray about considering letting them stay here a few nights until we figure something out?”

            “And what would we do with them after a few days? Dump them back on the street? I still don’t think it is a good idea for them to stay with us – we don’t know why they are homeless. . .”

            “Yes we do! Susan told us – they came out here looking for work, and they were robbed, and the government is taking its sweet time to help them!” I interrupted. “Why do you have to be so cynical?” I stopped myself. “But I’ll let you make the final decision about all of this.”

            “How can I make the final decision if I know that my decision will make you really mad at me? And that we might be fighting about it until Christmas?! We haven’t disagreed so strongly about something in a really long time!” Pete sounded almost frantic.

            Which is why it is almost impossible to let you make this final decision! But I have to trust God.  “Okay, you’re right, I might be a little mad at first, just because I can’t stand the thought of them being on the streets. But I’ll get over it long before Christmas. Whatever decision you make, just make sure you really are seeking God about it, though.” Pete looked visibly relieved.

            “Thanks babe, I can actually think now. I will pray about it. You know what we could do,” Pete sounded excited, “we could pay for them to be in a hotel room for a few nights!”

            “I guess we could! You wouldn’t mind spending the money? We could afford it – it would mean putting off paying down our medical debt until February, but a little boy’s life is more important!”

            “No, I don’t mind the money at all – I thought you wouldn’t want to spend it!”

            “Oh thank God, maybe that is our answer if the shelter doesn’t have an opening!”

             I looked for several hours online trying to find a decent hotel or motel or hostel that they could stay in a few nights. Anything under 50$ a night had terrible reviews, like the Pacific Coast Motel. “Bed bugs ate me up all night – would never consider going there again.” The San Diego Hostel said, “Kids are welcome, but people are up all night partying and they may not feel comfortable.”

            “This idea is just not working Pete. We can only afford to get them off the street into a decent place for only night or two, or we can put them up in a place almost as bad as the streets for a three or four nights. I think there must be a better way we can spend our money to help them more in the long run.”

            But it was midnight, so we agreed to sleep on it and pray that the shelter from Vista had an opening.