"Get that old donkey some shade!"

I had a good night's sleep but I woke up with a horribly stiff and sore shoulder.  Uh-oh.  I carry the Bible bag on that shoulder. 

I decided I'd go anyway and made all my preparations.  One thing I try to tell the recipients "I'm praying for you daily" - then go and do it, daily at least.  They appreciate the prayer, in addition to the Bible, and I enjoy caring for them on an ongoing basis. 

I view the recipients as my spiritual children, and take them very seriously. 

Our driver came and we headed off to Mc Donald's.  It was on Greens Road, near the mall.  However, after we disembarked, I realized the median was ghastly. 

I need a flat, smooth, long median with an unlimited line of sight.  I worked around the trees at De Soto and Antoine, but they couldn't see me 'till the last second.  That may have been a good thing.  Sometimes if they see me they change lanes. 

I need a busy street, but not too busy or my PTSD starts freaking out.  I can become very dizzy and slightly disoriented, both very bad things when I'm playing near traffic. 

I also need a level surface, whatever it may be.  I'm pretty clumsy.  I don't need to break an ankle, or trip and fall into oncoming traffic. 

The medan needs to be at least 6 feet wide, for safety purposes. 

Greenspoint and Greens Road had 3 medians.  One was incredibly narrow.  One was a series of curb stops - no one could walk along without falling.  The third one was very narrow and had trees. 

[BAD WORD] 

I remembered De Soto and Antoine.  I had to push Ron down Antoine for blocks before we found "our" spot. 

I began pushing Ron down Greens road.  One light down, I found Northchase.  It has a picture perfect median on Northchase, backing onto Greens road.  I could see the exit of a massive apartment complex.  It seemed pretty quiet but God does all the work anyway. 

We handed out about 75 Bibles in two hours. 

We discovered that anyone exiting the apartments had to drive past us to get to the Beltway or 45. 

It's always fun to work a new neighborhood.  On seeing the sign, some gape unattractively.  Some race to roll down a window, or roll it up to keep me out.  Some change lanes (away from me) upon reading the sign.  Some think about it and wave me over. 

Some take a little coaxing.  The nice thing for me, about working a "working poor" neighborhood, everyone's rolled down the window.  No one has air conditioning and very few people have that very dark window tint I hate.  I can interact, if they're looking at me. 

I don't bother people working with a gadget, or looking away.  But if they're watching me I'll probably talk to them. 

One old man waved me over and I gave him a Bible.  "Are you sure you only need one?" I teased.  "Yes, ma'am.  That your husband?"  he pointed at Ron.  "Yessir"  He grinned.  "After you finish, you get that old donkey some shade!" 

I should add, it was oppressively hot, sunny, and humid with a heat index well over 100 degrees.  Pretty hellish.  I brought us drinks, and safety orange boonie hats, which we wore. 

I cheerfully handed out Bibles to several young men dressed "urban ghetto".  "I love giving Bibles to gangbangers" I told Ron gleefully. 

I had a lot of young women, and older women.  I had a few laugh at me and then take the Bible, which is great.  They took the Bible.  My work is done. 

One old lady squinted, doubtfully, at me.  "Is that a Holy Bible?"  "Yes, ma'am."  She continued to view me distrustfully.  "May Jesus strike me down if I give you something false, ma'am, it's a real Bible."  OK, she replied.  She'd take one.  For her son. 

Even the people who didn't want Bibles seemed to find me cute, waving, thumb's up, and honking. 

One young woman driving the other way did a u-turn, parked, and walked back.  "I'm having a lot of troubles" she told me "And I just said 'I need a Bible!'"  I told her I'd be praying and ran back to the median.  Ron managed to reel in a few cars going down Greens road, which meant I had to run, catch them, and distribute.  Happy to do it, and Go Ron! 

One guy pulled up in a very fancy SUV, bass blasting angry rap.  It's been my experience that 1.  Loud rap cars don't want a Bible and 2.  Very seldom do the nice SUV's want a Bible. 

I approached anyway, and he wanted two.  I was so happy to be wrong! 

One bicycle whizzed down the road.  I made sure he saw the sign, stepped back, and held out a Bible as he road by.  He snatched it and kept going.  It reminded me of the guys on horseback, on Antoine, a few years back, Ron's first Bible Handout. 

I had another nice SUV stop and roll down a window.  I offered a Bible, and he said, "I need a few more".  He must have had 6 kids plus his wife!  I made sure everyone got a Bible, really glad I'd come. 

One of my drivers told me recently "I want my whole family to read the Bible together every night."  Now they can. 

Some of the Bibles had my testimony "Why I hand out Bibles".  One woman said she had a Bible but kept looking at me, baffled.  I gave her a testimony (I had some loose) and she took it. 

A couple of people didn't go when the light changed, so they could get a Bible.  That, in turn got the car behind them "stuck" and possibly able to get a Bible as well. 

Pretty soon it was 11.  Ron had to run an errand at the mall, so we packed up.  I pushed him over to the mall and got the old donkey some shade.  We ran his errand, giving the sales clerk a Bible.  She gasped delightedly. 

We ate at the food court and looked around a little, leaving on time for our ride home.  When we got home, I put everything away and began running into walls.  I hadn't even taken my medication! 

I took a nap.  My shoulder is still a little stiff but it's workable. 

I'm glad we went.  I will go back.