PART 2 - HEAVEN BOUND PAUL, AND MY "ROOTS" DISCOVERY...

Greetings -

This is Part 2.  If you didn't read Part 1, and are inclined to do so, here is the link http://lioneaglesoar.blogspot.com/2011/02/heaven-bound-paul-and-my-root-discovery.html

Scriptures are from the King James Bible.

Psalm 40:17
But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Last paragraphs of Part 1:

I made calls to various shelters and they stated that they didn't have vacancies.   The last shelter that I contacted, named Harriet Tubman, was the one that our Lord had for me.  What I found out later about the Harriet Tubman building made me laugh then, and causes me to smile now.  Harriet Tubman is on the campus of a former full service hospital.  I knew that, and I also knew that I was born in the subject hospital.  What I discovered one day as I sat in the hallway of the shelter was that that precise building was the OB-GYN the many years ago when I was born there!  I cracked up in laughter when another shelter resident shared the OB-GYN information with me.  Later I observed the OB-GYN signage that was still on the wall in the building.

I know that our Lord didn't allow vacancies for me at the other shelters because He specifically wanted me back where I began.  The last shelter I contacted, Harriet Tubman, was a return to my "roots!"  The full spiritual implications aren't clear to me.

PART 2 BEGINS:

My financial status qualified me to apply for Section 8 (government subsidized) housing.  I applied and was informed that the waiting list was long.  The wait could be more than two years.  I wasn't disturbed.  My joy was in our Lord and His will.  I went to Sunday school, Bible studies, and regular church services.  I never asked the Lord to deliver me from shelter living.  Instead, I prayed for His will to be done.  My contentment was in being friends with my Lord.

My private daily Bible study, praise, and worship continued in the shelter environment.  I had a Sony portable CD player that I would turn on to gospel music.  Dancing before our Lord was in that process, as well.  I danced to the Lord inside and outside the shelter, on the shelter grounds and on public space.  Hey!  In the Bible, David danced in public before the Lord - 2 Samuel 6:14-16.  His wife, Michal, "despised him in her heart."  Regardless, David let her know that He was glad to dance before Almighty GOD!   Later we learn this about Michal, "Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death." - 2 Samuel 6:23.  The Bible says in Galatians 6:7, "...God is not mocked:.."  Michal mocked GOD and HE rendered her barren for life! 

One backslidden Christian shelter resident told me how she was deeply blessed, and affected as she observed me in the building dancing to the Lord.  Others called me crazy.  My response, "I'm crazy about GOD!"  His words tell us to pray, praise, worship, sing, and dance in service to Him.  That is what I do because it is gospel truth conduct.

I continued to search for work and worked with a job assistance specialist there at the shelter.  They had an excellent life skills instructor who had a superb knack for engaging participants.  Her meetings were a joy to attend.

One day, a shelter resident (I'll call her Clara), who is also a homeless advocate, informed me about a survey that was available to complete for escalated housing opportunities.  The Lord had Clara there to inform me because, often, the shelter staff was not good about sharing pertinent information with residents or they had their "favorites" who were privy to more.  The Lord told me to pursue the survey matter with staff even though before I had moved into the shelter, I had been to the appropriate government building to place my name on the list for housing.  I met with staff  management member (I'll call her Kay) and filled out the survey.

The conditions for the escalated (survey) priority housing process was that it was for those who had been chronically homeless for more than a year, and/or those with mental illness issues, "qualified"   physical infirmities and those of older age.  I didn't fit any of those criteria but was content that I had obeyed our Lord, and completed the survey.  Kay assisted me and it was done and submitted.    

Less than two weeks later, a man called me on my cell phone and told me that he was my case manager to assist me in getting my apartment unit.  I didn't get excited which rather surprised him.  I didn't get excited because so many times, in the relevant months of my life journey transition, people proved to be less than credible with their words.  In the interest of fair disclosure, "Christians" are included in the "lot."

Fast forward...

My case manager told me that there were two unit choices for me to select from for consideration.  The Lord told me which one to select.  The other city location was unfamiliar to me and I found out later that it was in a less desirable area.  But before I became aware of that, I simply obeyed our Lord.  And get this - my unit is on the same block as my previous unit where I lived with Paul for more than about seven years.  Paul is still there.  Paul is my neighbor, people!  Only GOD...

When I got my unit, to my pleasant surprise, the government sponsor had developed a program, PSH, which fully furnishes the apartment units with quality status new furniture.  In addition, they provide a $300.00 Target gift card for the purchase of household items.  And Paul was generous to give me some of what I had left there with him.  When my move to Charleston and Florida occurred, I left Paul with the fully furnished unit.  Also, a lot of my personal belongings remained there.  My family came for some things while I was in Charleston.  When I settled in, bit by bit, Paul gave me some of my "previously owned" items.  Some of it I requested and some of it, he just brought down here.  The Lord laid it on Paul's heart to give me a $100.00 "donation," and he assembled a large piece of furniture for me.  Thank GOD because furniture assembly strikes me with, "Huh?!"  Other people, including family, added helpful items, as well.  

The man who owns my four-unit building is the same man who years ago was crew chief for a home improvement project in the unit that I lived in with Paul.  He is a born-again Christian.  One born-again Christian lives downstairs from me, and across the hall, my neighbor has some awareness of Christianity.  Her mother is a member of a church that I have attended.

When I moved in, my unemployment was still in flow so I was required to pay a third of that in rent.  When no job manifested, and my unemployment expired, I reached a place where the government pays my entire rent.

I lived at Harriet Tubman for about eight months.  It is interesting that I lived (more than ten years ago) at the shelter where I met Paul for about eight months, as well.  One major difference in my two shelter experiences is that at the first shelter I went in walking with JESUS, and left backslidden with Paul.  This time, I went in on fire for GOD, and left on fire for GOD!  I will write more later, on another post, about my shelter experiences. 

For many years, writing has been a passion of mine.  Both of my parents were writers.  GOD put it in our blood line.  My writing has been published in newspapers, magazines and on the Internet.  Publication of my writing began somewhere back in the 90's.  Payment was never offered, and my love of it didn't give me cause for concern that I never got paid to write.  Also, I had my "good government" job so monetary compensation for writing wasn't a need or desire.  I did it for love - until our Lord told me that He desired that I stop giving away all of my writing.  Also, years ago, some people had told me, family included, that I should pursue writing for some monetary compensation.  

The Lord pressed upon me to pursue a home-based business as a writer, editor, and consultant.  My savings had, for the most part, been exhausted and my unemployment compensation had, by then, expired.  I wasn't worried about the fee, in excess of $400.00, that I needed to become licensed.  GOD told me to do it and He is the SOURCE and PROVIDER.  Recently, I heard a Christian say, "The Lord does NOT order anything that He does NOT pay for."  Also, recently, I heard another Christian say something like, "If it's GOD's choice, He'll pay the invoice."  

Who did the Lord send to my rescue?  One of my sisters provided generously from her heart.  I didn't ask her.  Obviously, the Lord told her to finance my fee costs.  She had told me that she was tired of me writing entirely without compensation.  She voluntarily paid the entire fee, in excess of $400.00!  I cooked, and invited her to a thank you dinner.  

So people, thanks be unto GOD for favor.  I am official as President of Solid Journey.  Praise God that He sent me clients who were fully satisfied.  I received glowing letters of reference, and a number of referrals.  At present, finances are slim but faith is high.  For those who are so inclined, here are the links to Solid Journey
business concerns, http://www.solidjourney.webs.com/ and http://www.torchblazers.blogspot.com/.

Excerpt from above:

The conditions for the escalated (survey) priority housing process was that it was for those who had been chronically homeless for more than a year, and/or those with mental illness issues, "qualified" physical infirmities and those of older age.  I didn't fit any of those criteria but was content that I had obeyed our Lord, and completed the survey.  Kay assisted me and it was done and submitted.

Note: The excerpt shown above is to remind that I didn't meet any of the criteria for escalated housing assistance.  I found out just a few months ago, from one of the facilitators of the program, that the reason I was moved in so fast is because Kay had checked the mentally ill block on the survey for me.  Some of the people at the shelter did call me crazy.  And some folks still believe that I'm crazy.  Again, my response, "I'm crazy about GOD." 

Kay is staff management.  She marked me as mentally ill, I guess, because of me publicly dancing and praising the Lord on the regular there at the shelter.  The bottom line was that she/they wanted me up out of there.  When the facilitator told me how I got escalated, I roared with laughter.  Do you think that GOD laughed, too?

Note: My next post will pick up from my Part 2 - Charleston, South Carolina adventure,
http://lioneaglesoar.blogspot.com/2011/01/gods-adventure-for-me-in-charleston_17.html and move into my adventure in Tampa, Florida, including when our Lord sent me to jail for about three days. 

Sandra

Written Thursday February 17, 2011

Copyright 2011