"I'm interested in learning about God"

I store all my Bibles, in their boxes, on an industrial rack I keep in my living room.  It's the first thing you see when I open the door.  I also keep the Bible crate, a collapsible "milk crate" sized receptacle, on the rack as well, empty. 

Well, I had been storing it with the Bible bag and my safety vest, on the rack.  My elderly cat, Torbie, liked to sleep in it.  You'll see why this matters. 

You may or may not know they had a fatal shooting in 5th Ward, a "bad" neighborhood in NE Houston, not far from downtown.  A car was sprayed with bullets, a man died, two days ago.  While watching coverage of the event, I realized the corner had a "perfect" median for a Bible Handout, not to mention a clear need. 

I have wanted to "work" the 5th ward, in part because my husband grew up there and it's pretty grim.  I can always tell a bad neighborhood when the poor gas station clerk is locked in a Plexiglas cage, making change through a small hole in the counter.  It looked like that kind of spot. 

I was right, the corner was surrounded by boarded-up, dilapidated houses.  Open ditches full of trash.  The gas station clerk worked out of a cage, and I had some unexpected excitement. 

First, though, I had to make the trip.  I was very excited to see they had a Burger King. 

Everyone, I think, had a childhood hamburger restaurant.  The place you went with your friends, full of happy memories.  Mine is Burger King.  Ron, too. 

Once Ron heard about the BK he was totally on board.  One time, I had the easiest time ever getting him to church because they had a BK in the parking lot!  Sadly, that church had to move. 

I set up the Bibles, a case of easy-to-read (large print), a case of kid Bibles (large print and easy to read, with pictures), 30-some ESV New Testaments, and assorted whole, nice, KJV Bibles.  All told, I had 124. 

Most of them crammed into Torbie's folding crate, the rest into the bag, and the kid Bibles stayed in their cardboard case. 

I got out our battered old wheelchair.  Ron sits in the wheelchair, holding the small sign, while I work.  He also holds the crate on the handles of the wheelchair while I'm pushing it from our drop off location to the handout location. 

We got the address, 3009 Collingsworth, and sure enough Ron's old zip code.  Definitely 5th ward, also known as "The Bloody Fifth".  When I did a news article search on 5th ward shootings I got plenty. 

Ron made the trip, giving us about an hour and a half.  One hour to work, half an hour to eat hamburgers.  :) 

I am also very partial to a bag of Queso chips after a Bible Handout. 

Our ride arrived on time and was very nice.  I gave her two Bibles, one for her, one for her daughter. 

I got Ron settled in the wheelchair and put the Bibles across the handles (the crate is wider than the handles, so Ron just has to balance them, but it looks horribly abusive).  I pushed him across the street (I had seen on Google maps, nice ramps, concrete median). 

"This would be hell" I told Ron, surrounded by concrete "In the summer.  Hot."  He agreed.  He loves the median, though, easy travel and safe to sit. 

My last handout, at Rankin and Ella, had huge fire ant mounds everywhere.  I felt like I was working a minefield! 

I put up the sign and immediately handed out two to an older, stressed looking gentleman.  Then a lady wanted Spanish, but I didn't have it in the bag.  "Come back!" I begged.  "I have them right there!"  I pointed. 

Then I got some Spanish and put them in my bag! 

I kept working.  One lady asked for large print in a tone that indicated she did NOT expect it.  "How many?"  I handed her the easy-to-reads. 

I LOVE having a good stash.  The right tool for every recipient.  I handed out the KJV first, and they were very popular.  They were various colors, nice softcover, fake leather, helps, words of Christ in red, kind of Bible.  People were nicely surprised they were getting "nice" Bibles.   One lady told me her Bible was falling apart and she'd been thinking about a new one. 

I had a couple people tried to give me money.  I never accept cash during a handout.  I have the Go Fund me for that.  I just tell the recipients "I have friends on the internet who buy the Bibles."  True enough, but I buy plenty too. 

I really want some Bible promise books, for instance, they are great to hand out everyday. 

Anyway.  I didn't take any money, which as it turns out was a good thing. 

"This is not as bad as Acres Homes" I told Ron.  "Compared to that, this is Disneyland."  The long median really reminded me of Veterans and Antoine, too. 

Unlike Acres Homes and Bissonet, I didn't see any prostitutes.  Unlike Acres Homes, I didn't see any drug dealers, but maybe they weren't up yet. 

I often think it would be great to get a big map of Houston and put a pin in every corner where I've worked a Handout. 

The Spanish lady came back, driving the other way, and got 2 Bibles.  I was thrilled.  I hate it when they don't come back. 

I had some good traffic in Spanish.  One guy told me he had a Bible, but when he saw I had Spanish he took it eagerly.  Good.  Two other Spanish guys wanted the King James.  Well, God will help them with it! 

Kid Bibles remained popular.  "Do you have any kids/grandkids who'd like a kid Bible?"  I gave most of them away. 

One lady pulled up.  I could tell she spoke Spanish.  I held up two Bibles outside her open window.  She stared at them intently for a minute or two and then took them. 

I had plenty of ladies, alone in their cars, who were just delighted to get a Bible.  Plenty also told me (men and women) they already had Bibles, but grinned in a way that told me they liked what I was doing. 

Everyone (save one to be mentioned later) was very polite.  No one "swatted" me away.  They either wanted a Bible or they ignored me. 

About this time I saw a man walking around.  He was older, shabbily dressed, and on foot.  He was accompanied by 3 dogs, running wild.  One darted into the feeder road and I cringed, not wanting to see the poor thing hit by a car. 

Like some of the other people I'd seen, he wandered around for a while, then he crossed the street partway at the end of the median, and walked up.  Another man had done this and cut off to the right, before I could give him a Bible.  I watched him as I worked, wondering if he wanted a Bible. 

He came up, about 4 feet in front of me, standing with the crate of Bibles at his feet.  His dog ran over and sniffed it, interestedly (remember the cat?). 

Don't pee on the Bibles. I thought at the dog.  Don't pee. 

"How many would you like?" I asked cheerfully. 

"I would like" he said precisely "For you to leave." 

What?

"I want you to leave, now." he said, as though he had the authority, belied by his shabby clothes and loose mutts running around. 

I forget if I asked him why or just told him no, flatly. 

He then accused me of panhandling. 

I never accept money. I told him with dignity.  I don't need to beg.  I am handing out Bibles, only, and only to people who want them. 

"You need to leave" he repeated. 

"Well" I told him, "I won't."  He got angry.  "Why don't you call the police and have them sort this out?  I'm not touching the cars, impeding traffic, or accepting money.  I have a perfect, legal, right, to stand here and hand out Bibles for as long as I'd like.  If we call the police, by the way, YOU are going to get in trouble for those loose dogs!"

"Watch your tone" he said "Or those dogs might..." 

Oh, nice, threatening to sic his dogs on me.  They were all about 15 pound size, mixed breed terrier mixes and pretty harmless looking. 

And he was a good boy, or girl, and didn't pee on the Bibles.  The man looked like he'd like to, though. 

"You watch" he said grimly "I'm calling the police." 

"Go ahead" I told him calmly. 

It is nice to be informed and know my legal rights.  If I don't impede traffic, accept money, or touch the cars - if I work the median, public property - I have a complete legal right to evangelism. 

Once he realized I knew that, he left.  He sulked around for a while, waiting to see if I'd leave, and left himself after a couple minutes. 

Good.  I did not want to see one of those poor dogs hit by a car.  And I'm not a dog person. 

Ron theorizes he wanted the median for himself, to beg, using the dogs. 

After that, things really accelerated.  I wasn't getting a high volume of cars, I never did, but I was getting a high volume per car.  People wanted 2-5 Bibles each. 

Everyone has a family.  As I told them "You know someone who needs this."  They did, and they wanted a Bible for them, too. 

Pretty soon our hour was up.  We actually worked longer than an hour, I'm not sure how long, but we handed out 72 Bibles. 

We went to the gas station.  I paid the poor man in the cage and bought some Queso chips, then we went to Burger King. 

They had some interesting characters in there, one of whom was discussing the shooting.  "And I saw the Medical Examiner - he was gone just like that...."  Ron and I started witnessing to him. 

He helped us out of the store when our ride came, and I gave him a Bible.  "All your answers are in here" I told him. 

"Good" He said "I'm very interested in learning about God."  I told him I would be praying and we loaded up, and came home.