Trailer already packed... we turned back towards the church, hoping what little gas was left would get us there. A number of our regular workers had personal or business appointments that kept them away Sunday night, leaving Jodi, Beatrice, Robert, Wil and me to get the job done. We knew if we could just get to McDonald's, others were waiting to join the team: Katie and Leslie, ever faithful and Mark was coming along with his new pastors, Kermit and Lori Wilson. First WE had to get to McDonald's. My SUV was at the church- the plan was to quickly switch trucks, something we've done in the past, and get back on the road. But I'd left the ball mount for my hitch at home and the other was locked tight to the van... it's now 8:25pm and counting... I drove off in search of a ball mount while our youth pastor, John, looked high and low for the key to the lock holding the one, safe from trailer vandals, to the van's hitch... before laying down the money for another part for the trailer, John called me with the good news of finding the key in the haystack of decades of random keys kept in a can at the church... now it's getting really late... drove back to the church... backed up to the trailer, loaded our little team while John hooked things up to the truck and we were off... 45 minutes behind schedule... but off just the same. Thanks John. Pulling out of the parking lot think we all felt just a little crazy... anxious... but crazy. I'm inspired to work with such dedicated people. Not one of them said: "Maybe we just shouldn't go." No one hinted at getting in their own car and bailing on the rest of us. At the end of a long Sunday, a long weekend, we all knew a couple hundred hungry people were waiting and we only had one option: to make it happen.

No time for a break at McDonald's, after getting together for a quick prayer, a few instructions on who would do what with our skeleton crew, we soon were on the streets doing what we do. I step into the middle of that crowd each week to shake hands, hug folks and get a positive vibe going... guess I've become the warm up man for the real work of jackets and food out ahead. It's interesting for me to turn away from the trailer, that we'd packed full with so many good things, trusting the team to know what to do. I don't bother to look back- it's their part of the night and it's pretty rare that it all doesn't go exactly right. By the time I'd reached the end of the line I had to run 25 or 50 yards just to see if everyone was ready to serve- they were, like they are every week- no worries. We prayed together and soon Mark was handing out great new jackets, jeans and a variety of random winter wear, Kermit and Lori headed up the sandwiches- along with an extra 10 dozen or more the people of College Park church had made that afternoon- little did we know how desperately each one would be needed, Jodi headed up the food line, dishing out some spectacular Chinese chicken over rice with Katie, Leslie, Beatrice and Wil filling out the plates, then everyone finished up the night with either hot or cold drinks where Robert worked full speed to keep cups filled. With so many good things it's little wonder that our crowd has been growing each week. Regardless the length of the line- everyone jumps in and gets involved without hesitation. There's a lesson we teach men and women on the streets who want to help us: "serving is its own reward." It's true. We share the reward every Sunday night.

Two of our more photogenic friends- Reuben and Stephanie are part of a group of people working hard to make their way out of poverty. No small task. A friend from skid row called my cell phone this week despondent- he'd recently been approved for housing, a way off the streets... just the month before he'd been accepted into a sponsored program to train for a new job... when he took the housing offer- little more than a skid row room with a hot plate and shared use of a bathroom, they disqualified him from his training program- it was only for the homeless. He dropped out of school to keep a roof over his head, who wouldn't? But what's his way out of chronic poverty. The company that holds the mortgage on our home was recently purchased- with the help of a tax bail out by the government- ours -the one by and for the people -the guy at the top of the food chain of our failed lender checked out of his short term job with an extra $30- million for his good work. Taxpayers across the US will get close to $600- to "kickstart" our economy. The homeless...? They'll get the same thing they've been getting all along... too many of us will assume they somehow "deserve it." Guess if you make a mistake in the billions, you earn 30 or 40 million to check out. If you're a working man or woman, living paycheck to paycheck, watching your home get sold by the lender- your company outsources your job, cuts out your health care, leaves you to find your own way... welcome to Jackets for Jesus... welcome to skid row... we're in one of the few real growth industries- still thriving in a hurting economy -serving the poor. No bail out program on the horizon...

Jodi and Beatrice washed pans until nearly 1am while I labored with changing out ball mounts in the dark... again... putting the trailer back on our wounded van and driving them into our "secure" parking spot... can't afford another stolen trailer... one of those jobs they never train you for in grad school... guess we may need to put up a steel parking structure for protection! Driving home in the early morning hours, beat, but no where near broken, went over the adventure of the night and thanked God for giving us Jackets for Jesus. Every Sunday night God reminds me that in a world of greed, there are many quick to serve in the darkness. Can't blame a guy for taking the extra $30- million... if he decides to make a donation to Jackets for Jesus we'll take it with open arms... just something about a society that refuses to do all it can to heal much less help those who've lost hope and now dwell in darkness and poverty... Don't mean to get all preachy- just Monday morning thoughts at the end of a full weekend. Not every Sunday night is quite as wild, but every night offers it's own adventure. Good news is that you're invited to join us- we're going this Sunday night -you're needed, now, more than ever.

for changing lives,

Eric M. Denton