Next,
I witnessed ……
Angela Banks, our on-site Manager speak about how she hopes to be
of service to the community. She talked about how Rosalind would work
with the social issues facing our residents, and how she’d work
on the business issues. Angela’s eloquence and grace demonstrated
again our desire to serve the community and her commitment to make
CdP Roeser a wonderful and safe community in which to live. And oh
yes, a few more people dropped by to listen.
OK, here’s where it really gets
cool. I then witnessed …..
in an impromptu part of the program, Rosalind invite anyone from the
group to come up and speak. For several seconds that seemed like an
hour, no one moved. Then all of a sudden, from the back of the group,
a man stood and asked to be heard. Quincy, a 45-year-old unemployed
machinist told us that although he isn’t a resident at CdP Roeser,
he has family living there. He knows of the crime history at the property
and in fact was a “part” of the crime several years earlier.
Quincy was arrested years earlier for dealing drugs at CdP Roeser.
He shared with us how God had changed his life. He shared how a hit-and-run
driver killed his beloved Uncle a few weeks earlier while walking
at 16th Street and Broadway. He praised Helping Hands for having the
courage to come onto this troubled community and try to help and make
a difference. By this time, there actually were several known gang
members in attendance, and Quincy humbled himself before all of us,
including these men that knew him so well. God loves a humble person!
I thought to myself, this is really
turning out pretty good, but the best was yet to come. After Quincy
finished, I witnessed …..
Isaac, a 6-year-old boy and son of one of the residents come to Rosalind
and ask if he could sing a song. This beautiful 6-year-old child took
the microphone and sang us a wonderful song about God, and what was
most impressive was that all of the other children stood and sang
with Isaac in perfect unison. For whatever reason, I was so surprised
that these kids knew a song about God. And not just one or two kids,
all of them. WOW!
OK, so I thought it can’t
get any better than this, but of course I was wrong. Next, I
witnessed …… another young boy (maybe
10 years old) come up to Rosalind and ask her if he could lead
us in a closing prayer. Unbelievable! This young
child of God didn’t hesitate; didn’t stammer; didn’t
flinch. He asked all of us to stand and to bow our heads in prayer.
