Greetings, all.
Yesterday was a busy day, as was today, so I didn't get to sit down and write until now. It's 8:45 PM Hawaii time. Whew.
In the morning yesterday, P made me some French toast out of locally made sweetbread. I like French toast, but I've never had it made from sweetbread. It was as good as it sounds. After that we got ourselves ready and R and P and I all drove down to Honolulu, into Chinatown, where R and P help with a ministry to the homeless people down there. They were trying something new that day, opening their space in the city to those who wanted to come in and help sew blankets for Operation Christmas Child. We unlocked the door, did some cleaning and moving furniture (the space is perhaps 16 feet by 12 feet), and were ready for the participants to come.
There was one man already there, sitting a few yards down the block next to a shopping cart and a baby stroller that were overflowing with his possessions. I'll call him W. He had just been released from the hospital last week. He had a wound infection in his leg, and also suffers from congestive heart failure. He is in his early 50s, and probably weighs close to 500 pounds by my guess. He was in an oversized wheelchair, wearing two overlapping hospital gowns. It was a bit of a trick to get him into the space that is devoted to the ministry (which is called PS 150, after Psalm 150), because his wheelchair was too wide to go through the door. W had to be supported from the front by R and a sturdy chair while P and I folded the wheelchair enough to get it in the door, and then unfolded it so W could sit back in it.
Once W was in there, R and P told me to go across the street to a marketplace (we were in Chinatown, after all). So I did. I spent about 90 minutes wandering around, looking at very small store spaces jammed with clothing, slippers, bags, fans, beads, statuettes, jewelry, vases, bells, knick-knacks, parasols, lanterns, decorative items and household supplies. I bought a few things, and walked around to the food court, which opened up into a market with vegetables, fruits, fish, and seafood. I absorbed the sights, noises, and smells (I was glad to get away from the fish) and then decided to go back to PS 150 and see what was going on. R and P's plan was to be there until 12:30 (we got there at 10:30). W was still there, along with another woman, D, who was formerly homeless but now helped out with the ministry. R and D were sitting at sewing machines (R is rather a good seamster, if that's a word) and P was sitting by D's grandson, Caleb, who is 5 and was there because it was a school holiday (Veteran's Day). P and Caleb were writing encouraging messages on strips of cloth which were stitched together with the other colorful strips. W was also helping to write, but once I got there, he started telling me about himself. Interesting, and sad. We cleaned up and prayed for W and got him back outside. He waved until we were out of sight.
After that, we drove over to the Aloha Stadium where the Swap Meet was being held - scores of vendors around the stadium, selling all kinds of wares. Some were made in Hawaii, some in other places. It was amazing. Bags, dresses, T-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, luggage, macadamia nuts, hats, freshwater pearls, stickers, carvings, boxes, figurines.... We traversed perhaps 1/4 of it, and then realized that we hadn't eaten lunch. R and P went back to the car and I wandered around for another 1/2 hour and bought a few things. I wish I had had more time, but it was probably better for my wallet that things were wrapping up. :)
R and P and I stopped at a Mexican restaurant around 3 and had lunch. After that we went to the Windward Mall to get ...an avocado? Yes, indeed, on Wednesdays, the mall has a farmer's market inside. It's the strangest experience for someone who is used to malls having, well, just mall stores in them. There was even someone pounding poi.
After the avocado purchase, we headed home, and relaxed. We left around 6 PM for someone else's house where R and P's "mini-church" was meeting (like a small group). One of the members had just returned from a mission trip to Kenya, so after a yummy dinner, we looked at his pictures. By then it was late, so we went home and crashed.
And I'm done for the day. Writing about today's adventure will have to wait for tomorrow. Thanks for hanging with me so far.
Blessings,
W
PS "Antepenultimate" means third-to-last. :)
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