Today at the Mission...

September 2, 2008.

Today was *fairly* uneventful.  (let's be real honest, the Mish is NEVER uneventful).  There was not a whole lot of chaos going on today, though, and so I was able to check in with a few of my guys.  This evening, I escorted the group to an AA meeting, and four of our community members shared some of their personal stories and struggles with addiction.  They were very moving stories, especially the last one, which reflected on the painful ways in which her children were born.  Because she was an active addict during the pregnancy, her son was born addicted to methadone (a synthetic opiate originally created by the Nazi party to control minds), and had to 'detox' in the hospital for 21 days.  She described the pain and agony of watching her baby writhe and wriggle in pain, unable to feel peace or comfort during the first days of his tiny and fragile life.  It was an incredibly moving story.

The highlight of my afternoon was singing for my friend, Damon - (who happens to be the same Damon that many folks have heard tell of before) - I sang him 'the perfect country western song,' "You Never Even Called Me By My Name," by David Allan Coe, in reference to it being the perfect song for karaoke.  We both laughed hysterically as I donned my best 'country western' accent.

**amendment:  After I had posted this blog, I went downstairs to make sure everything was shut down and everyone had returned from their passes.  One of our female residents was standing outside the Mission with a young man who looked to be somewhere between 15 and 17 years old.  It turns out that the young man was her son who had run away from a TSS program in Framingham (which is close to an hour away from the city).  The other members of the staff team and myself tried to talk her son into going to a program for youth, but he turned down the invitation.  After a while, he went on his way, stating he had a safe place to go for the night, but constantly suspicious that we were going to call the police and have him arrested.  His mother seemed to handle it ok, she definitely was upset; it was heart-breaking to see the vicious cycle of sin that not only affects our female resident, but also her son.

Today at the Mission...

September 1.  Labor Day.

While the vast majority of folks are enjoying a relaxing holiday and a long weekend, I am sitting at work.  On holidays, the Mission still functions on a regular programming schedule - that's one of the drawbacks of working for an organization that, by it's very nature, requires 24/7 supervision for the folks that it serves.  I can't really complain, because I do get a labor day holiday...just not until Thursday.  

I walked in about 15 minutes early for my shift, and that was after stopping at Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast.  I found out around 7:55am that my colleague wouldn't be arriving until about 8:30am, since the train system in Boston runs on a 'holiday schedule.'  I conducted a joint Morning Goals Group (joint meaning it was co-ed) and then supervised morning chores.  I also dealt out some discipline for some minor infractions at the Goals Group.  

At 10:00am, I facilitated a therapeutic group focusing on honesty, and it ended up being a really productive group.  The community of men in the group really opened up and shared about things they thought they could be honest about in recovery, and things they thought they didn't need to be honest about in recovery.  It's a very interesting dynamic when you hear men, who for most of their lives have survived solely on deceit, begin opening up about the importance of being honest.  At the same time, it's discouraging to hear them talk about not wanting to come clean about absolutely everything, which suggests a desire to continue hiding and not surrender completely to the transforming power of the gospel.  

I did some necessary paperwork after lunch, and spent some time with a homeless friend who stopped by a couple of times, and we just shot the breeze for a while.  

Today at the Mission...

It's 1:45pm on Thursday, and I've just come through the front door.  I'm 15 minutes early because I left my house at 1:15, and riding my bike - even when I'm riding slow - just doesn't take that long.  I am directed immediately to go to the chapel so that I can be trained in CPR.  Last year, CPR training was really funny.  This year proved no different, particularly when the President of the Mission started dealing out forceful back blows as we were practicing what to do with a conscious choking adult.  Luckily, no one was hurt.

After training, I took care of some paperwork that needed doing, and my office mate and I had some discussion on what to do with several of our more unruly residents.

We had dinner at 4:30pm, and then I escorted a group of male and female residents to an outside AA meeting.

Upon returning to the Mission, I tackled some more paperwork, and also hid some choice snacks up on the 6th floor that I'll partake of later.  I also sat at the front desk for a while with a resident named Marty, who was working the front desk for our Safe and Healthy Program.  [for a complete description of our programs, please check out the following: http://www.brm.org/index.aspx?sec_id=14&page_id=239&page_url].  While at the front desk, I noticed a Safe and Healthy Guest acting strangely, and so I asked him if he had taken anything or if he was under the influence.  He flatly denied it, and was allowed to remain for the rest of the night.  Unfortunately, I'm so sure that he was under the influence, he will not be allowed to return until further review.

Finally I wrapped up the night, shut down the floors, and headed home around 10:30pm.

Today at the Mission...

August 27, 2008

It’s Wednesday, and I arrived to work at about 5 minutes until 8:00am.  Coming through the front door, I was immediately welcomed by one of my clients stating that he was leaving on a pass, and that he would return later in the morning.  Additionally, a former resident was calling detox at the front desk, and made it very clear that he was interested in returning to the Mission.  As I was carrying my bicycle up one flight of stairs to the chapel floor office, I overheard the following announcement over the loudspeaker:  “Good morning, Kingston House!  Your weather forecast for the morning is clear skies with a high of 77.   Prayer group will begin immediately in the dining room.”  (as a note, announcements made over the P.A. system are typically strictly business, so this was HILARIOUS).  At 9:15am, as is my custom when I work the morning shift, I headed to Deli One (formerly the Kingston Deli) for cornbread and bacon – and you thought Wheaties was the breakfast of champions.  For $3, it can’t be beat. 

At 10am, I led a discussion about sobriety – what is it, how do we get it, how do we keep it – with 14 residents.  It was a co-ed group, and ended up being fairly productive, as far as groups go.

At lunch, there was a conversation revolving around cows pointing towards North and South (2/3 of cattle supposedly do this).  We also discussed the probability of being able to kill a moose with one shot, if the moose was angry and charging.

Today at the Mission...

A note of preface:

I have decided to be more consistent in my blogging efforts, while hopefully cluing folks in on day-to-day happenings - both funny and serious - at the Boston Rescue Mission.  Thus begins my effort to create a daily entry, entitled "Today at the Mission."  I hope you enjoy.