To Sleep or Not to Sleep

I recently had a memorable discussion with a visitor at the Free Market. Before going into detail about what we discussed, I'd first like to say that sometimes the staff of the Free Market have to take the stories we hear at face value. We are not always able to validate the situations that are told to us, and I do not believe that it is up to us to do so. We have a certain level of trust and respect for our visitors and can be assured that there is some truth to the things that are told to us.

This guest asked me to look up the price for a round trip bus ticket. As I did so, I asked him if there was a situation. Due to his fourth citation and third time being arrested for trespassing, he was looking at the prospect of between 6 months and a year in jail. My first thought was, "ok….you were trespassing and were probably doing something you weren’t suppose to do." Why else would the police pick on him, right? He further explained that these citations were issued because of where he was sleeping. 

It turns out that he's homeless, and has no family or close friends to room with. He tells me the shelters are no safer than sleeping on the street, so he picks a spot that he considers to be safe enough to sleep and tries to steer clear of private property and inner city buildings. There are supposed to be green flyers posted in places where the homeless are prohibited from sleeping or hanging about, he tells me, and yet most of these flyers are no where to be seen. Even when no notice is posted, the first trespass is a written warning and other violations after that is 30 days in county jail. 

As I looked at his his face and listened to his story, I realized I had no words to respond. I consider myself an intelligent individual, and yet I could not find a good enough excuse to explain away what had happened to him. There simply wasn’t one. It’s absurd, it’s unfair, and it’s so hard to accept that stuff like this happens to people all the time. 

His public defender informed him, “Well at least when you're serving your jail time, you won’t be homeless.” Of course, his response was that even with guaranteed meals, clothing and a bed to sleep in, none of it was worth losing his freedom. For the crime of sleeping, the comfort of a jail cell could never justify having his rights taken away for something so natural - something that we all must do. 

I'm struck by the realization that he is only one such person. Can you imagine the amount of people who fall prey to similar situations such as this one? Are the homeless always going to be victims of this kind of tomfoolery?

I haven’t the slightest clue of what will become of this situation, but I am glad that this individual is not playing victim and plea bargaining out. There are many homeless people who think they have no voice and feel they have no rights. They think that no one cares or no one is going to want to hear their story, but they're wrong. I care. The staff of The Well care. Many people in ministry care. But is that enough? Is it enough to merely care and show some sympathy? 

I’m not going to offer a spiel of things that you who are reading must do or believe. What I will do is issue a challenge both to you and to myself to refuse to fall victim, whether minor or major, to this type of injustice. I challenge all of us to also help those around us to not fall victim either. 

I know it sounds cliché, but there is great truth to the saying that education is the key. By learning the local statutes, we are equipping ourselves to fight back when we're being taken advantage of. We're better prepared to ask questions. We are then able to object to both unfair treatment and unfair laws, and we know better how to make our voices heard. Because we do have a voice, and together our voices are powerful. 

Yes, All Women at The Well

At The Well, we don't make people listen to sermons, and we don't sprinkle every outreach or conversation with "Bible talk." We do hope, however, that every person who walks through our doors or meets someone from our community experiences the peace of Jesus during that encounter. We hope this equally for every person, regardless of gender, race, or socio-economic position. At the same time, it is important to recognize that to make this possible for some groups of people, their unique circumstances must be acknowledged and their distinct needs be met. The women who work at The Well and every woman who passes through our doors belong to one such group. 

During the last several weeks, an outcry over the global treatment of women was embodied on Twitter by the #YesAllWomen hashtag. The trending topic garnered much attention on social media and served as a catalyst for many constructive (and instructive) conversations both online and offline. All of this dialog centers around the sobering reality that women of every nation and background continue to be subjected to objectification, marginalization, and the ever-present threat of violence.

Like everyone who comes to The Well, women come seeking to have physical, emotional and spiritual needs met by our community - all needs that Jesus himself cares deeply for. Providentially, the Gospel of John (Chapter 4) offers us a perfect model of this experience.

When we look at Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well - and other women throughout his ministry - we find that, like all people, they are objects of love and forgiveness. But a closer examination reveals that in each of those encounters, Jesus' posture with women was also both contrary to the current culture and particularly instructive to men.

There are two key ways in which I believe Jesus is teaching us to make him real to the women who work at and visit The Well. This a call to anyone who longs for justice and equality, but is especially an appeal to the men in our community.

We Must Make a Safe Place

To experience love, you must first trust the one who extends it. In so many of Jesus' encounters with women, he begins by first breaking down the present-day social barriers between women and men. We must do the same. At The Well, we don't enforce gender roles regardless of our individual beliefs. Our community strives to recognize gender as a part of each other's identity without making it a condition of our individual value. 

As men, we must deliberately unlearn the patriarchal language and patterns of speech that pervade our communication. You don't need "balls" to be courageous, and to a woman even common terms of endearment like "honey" and "baby" often serve as an oppressive reminder that you're "just a woman." We need to stop making excuses about culture and upbringing - our allegiance is not to culture and upbringing, it is to Jesus and each other. 

Jesus also was very intentional about protecting women from men who exerted physical power over them. As an ally who treated them with dignity and respect during times of threat from other men, his mere presence provided great comfort to them. The first step we must undertake is to simply be present. Among staff and volunteers at The Well, women outnumber men 2-1. We desperately need more men to make themselves present on a reliable and ongoing basis. 

Many of our female staff and clients suffer persistent verbal and physical abuse at the hands of men. Women under threat are frequently unable to correct a male abuser for fear of immediate and potentially violent retribution. A man from the community who is present can more safely correct a male abuser, or at the very least ensure that the woman correcting him is safe from retaliation. Again - this is only possible if men from the community are present. 

Even beyond overt physical and verbal abuse, posture and non-verbal communication are often used to intimidate and dominate women. Within our community and our facilities, we must have no tolerance for even the most subtle abuse. Many of our guests endure hellish conditions of abuse and exploitation on the streets, and The Well should be a place where they are free from that, even if only temporarily.

We Must Call Men to a Higher Standard

Part of the reality within which we operate is that men often respond better to authority exerted by other men. Anthony, a regular volunteer at The Well, must only stand up from his chair to quiet the room. His willingness to play this role has earned him a nickname, "The Peacemaker." The mere presence of a male staff member or volunteer in the room is enough to prevent most abuse from male guests and the resulting confrontations. 

The real beauty though of the male peacemaker, is that they also serve as an example of a man who submits to the leadership of the women in the room. As much as men have a responsibility to protect women from other men, we must take care not to slip into the same paternalism used to marginalize and exploit women for millennia. Even as we advocate on women's behalf, we must both learn and teach the truth that both men and women are equal in the eyes of God. As both men and women, we are charged to set the tone of equality and live out example of a healthy male-female relationship dynamic. As both brothers and sisters, we must treat each other as such. 

Beyond correcting bad behavior and setting a positive example, we also must explicitly teach those who come into or pass through our community how to treat each other. That's the reason for this post, and it's why all of our leaders - men and women, staff or volunteer - should be mentoring others in this regard. 

This is how we ensure that all those who come to The Well experience peace and love. In doing so, we can counter the cultural meta-narrative that reduces women to nothing but objects, and men to nothing but animals controlled by sexual urges. Imagine for a moment a community where all of those made in God's image work together in harmony building his kingdom, and misogyny is a thing of the past. It is worth the hard work and the uncomfortable conversations - but more importantly, it is a new reality that we are called to make real. 

Get Involved

You don't have to subscribe to all our beliefs to help. This is a special appeal to all men who share our commitment to creating a place of safety and dignity for women. To learn more about getting involved, please call Lam Robbins at (813) 528-1959, or email lam.vu@vrobb.com. 

2014 Summer Update

The Well moved at the end of April and opened on Florida Avenue at the end of May. Our doors were closed for a few weeks as we made the transition - you wouldn’t know it by looking at our numbers though! We’ve seen unprecedented numbers of visitors and corresponding needs since we re-opened. In addition to the many lunches and dinners served that first week, we shared over 2400 lbs of groceries - more than the entire month of February at our previous location! This new property is situated centrally to some of the most acute needs in Tampa, and since that first week, each day has set a new record in the number of guests. June has already seen over 1100 visits, double the average month’s numbers for the previous year!

A Growing Need

Word continues to spread of The Well’s new location and expanded services. As more of our neighbors turn to us for mercy and assistance, we in turn look to the rest of our Tampa community for help. The needs around us are substantial and go much deeper than a need for groceries or a bicycle, but it is in meeting those needs that we enter into relationships with these neighbors in hopes to meet those more profound hungers too. As new leaders emerge to champion this work and resources become available, we hope to meet more and more of these needs.

Below is a summary of activity during the first half of 2014 in terms of groceries given (visitors served):

January	February	March	April	May*	June
2,997 lbs (745)	2,153 lbs (602)	3,143 lbs (678)	2,438 lbs (699)	2,462 lbs (239)	5,483 lbs (1,258)

*    Only open for one week during May

Operating Budget With the new facilities, our expenses have increased as anticipated. The overwhelming response from those in need however, has far exceeded our expectations. We are grateful to be entrusted with this responsibility, and are now working to fill a modest shortfall in our operating budget.
				Yearly	Monthly
	Fundraising Goal (Operating Budget)		$116,059		$9,672
	Monthly Pledges		$80,560		$6,713
	One Time Gifts		$20,795		-
	Total Raised		$101,355		$8,446
	Percent Funded	87%			-
	Current shortfall:	$(14,704)			$(1,225)

Ongoing Material Needs

In order to keep operating and marginal costs to a minimum, we provide for most material needs through donated goods. We have ongoing and increasing need for many of the staple items we try to keep in stock to share with our neighbors.

ü Canned Beans ü Canned meats ü Canned Fruit ü Canned Vegetables ü Prepared pop-top canned foods ü Cereal ü Pop tarts ü Oatmeal ü Coffee & tea ü Sugar & creamer ü Long shelf-life snack items ü Dry rice & noodles

ü Dish soap ü Disposable razors ü Flashlights & batteries ü Men’s short sleeve T-shirts ü Women’s/men’s jeans ü Women’s/men’s shorts ü Women’s/men’s underwear ü White socks ü Feminine products ü Mosquito repellent ü Bags (paper or plastic) ü Duffel bags & backpacks

ü Toilet paper ü Sunscreen ü Toothbrushes ü Towels ü Shampoo ü Conditioner ü Soaps ü Toothpaste ü Deodorant ü Shoes ü Bikes ü Bus Passes

Unfunded Initiatives In addition to our current operations, there are currently a number of initiatives which we are excited to begin as soon as we secure funding. These items are not included in our current budget.
	Initiative	Start Up Cost	Ongoing Cost
	Organic Gardening Program	$3,000	$400/mo
	Mental Health Counseling & Case Management	$0	$1,000/mo
	Aquaponics System (fish & vegetable farming)	Raised	$500/mo
	The Re-Cycle Bin (bicycle gifts & repair)	Raised	$200/mo
	Chickens (egg production & waste reduction)	$600	$50/mo
	Food Truck (commercial kitchen & mobile services)	$25,000	$2,700/mo

They That Wait

Patience for most does not come as easily. It is often the one thing we lack and some circumstances without it we aren't able to accomplish very much.

 For most of our visitors at the Free Market, patience, in most cases, is a necessary evil; necessary for the various trials that often occur as a result of living on the street, evil in a sense that although it is required in basically every area of our lives it also difficult to endure.

One thing I can say about the many people who visit the Free Market is that patience is something they have become accustomed to. Is it wrong to say I envy them? Here I have more than what some would have their entire life (of which I am very thankful for), and yet I still find myself wanting more....more of what I don't really need. My patience is thin but getting thicker (God is good), and I have yet to master the altitude of patience that our visitors in the Free Market have. I am in awe of them. I take lessons and aim to be like them. They inspire me. They humble me. In a world where everything is at our fingertips and more this and more that is what we are constantly after, it is refreshing to be among those who lack things in the physical but exude patience in other areas of their lives.

God reveals things to us in his timing. We are not always going to have the answers to every question. I believe it is purposely intended to be this way for if we had the answers to everything then there wouldn't be much use for a God. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." I cannot stress how important being patient and waiting on the Lord is for those who aim to be like him. I have no idea how the visitors in the Free Market have and continue to master this, but I do know that I plan my schedule carefully to be at the Free Market so that I do not miss out on an opportunity to learn from them.

Some could argue that those who are homeless have no option but to be patient, but I could argue that they are not the only ones who struggle and that it is those who are more fortunate who struggle the most with being patient! I for one am constantly learning and I do believe that I have the best teachers...my fellow visitors of the Free Market.

From One of the Crew

The Well is a community of all kinds of different people. Though we are all different, all of us have needs and all of us come to The Well to encounter Jesus in one another. The whole operation depends on individuals who come here to both give life and receive it. We have many beautiful people that make up the mosaic that is this community, this representation of the body of Christ. Allow me to introduce you to one such individual. Kineci is champ. She is here at least two days every week and is always willing to engage guests, get her hands dirty in the back room, or coach and lead newer volunteers. She is a joy to be around and an inspiration to all of us who have the privilege of calling her a partner and friend. I recently asked her to write about her experience here and it turns out that she already had on her own blog! Here is what she had written:

To read more from Kineci check out her blog here

I learned about The Well during a bible study session at the University. I started serving here in October of 2013. Words cannot express the amount of joy I have serving in this ministry. It's an indescribable feeling I have when I feed those who are hungry, give water to those who are thirsty, and clothe those who have nothing other then the clothes on their backs to wear.

The most important part about serving with The Well however, is meeting all of God's people where Jesus met most of his believers, on the streets. You see people misconstrue what exactly it is that we do here. Most of our visitors who come to The Well daily think that they need us and are thankful that we take the time to care for them, it is us who need them though. I need to feed those who are hungry and encourage any who have lost faith.

God is not dead, he is yet alive and through this ministry I am able to do the very thing that God has called me to do. And even though I do not deserve to hear it, I look forward to the day that my father tells me, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"

-Kineci Jackson

I am sure there will be many more posts from Kineci in the near future so stay tuned!

Be Ye Doers

When I young, I worked at a local grocery store. To this day, I still get excited about things like grocery pickups and setting up our free market in large part because of my memories working at the grocery store. Over the years that I worked at the store, I worked in many different departments and got to know many different people as well. One of the people that I really connected with was my friend Chris Doers. We worked stock together for years and interacted a lot when we were both in different departments too. We would also get together outside of work to go fishing from time to time. Chris was always a good dude that I really enjoyed hanging out with.

My car accident, that nearly took my life, happened at age seventeen after a shift at the store. Chris still recalls seeing me that night just hours before the wreck. Not long after my accident, I quit working at the store to focus on college (partying). After just a few years of being away, and after starting to follow Jesus, I came back to work at the store again. Chris was still there and we continued to be friends. We would still fish and talk and hang out pretty often. I eventually began going to a 'house church' at Brian Sanders house, the first house church of what would one day become known as the Underground Network. I think we jokingly referred to ourselves the "underground church" then too. I invited Chris to come over and check it out one night, and he did. I remember him thinking that I was insane, and that our group was a little weird, and the fact that I was about to move to the inner city was just stupid. Needless to say, he wasn't too impressed, but he didn't forget the experience either.

Fast forward to 10 years later, and Chris and I have lost touch with one another. Recently he has been getting more involved with his church community, and getting more and more serious about following Jesus himself. The other day he was on the phone with a friend who told him he was on his way to visit the Underground. Chris remembered me and the house church he visited and asked his friend, "You mean that weird church that meets in some dudes house?" His friend replies "Brother, there's a lot of houses now."

Chris then set out to hunt me down, which didn't take too long as I heard from a few sources within the next day or two that he was looking for me. We got in touch and he came by. It was great to see this old friend and he reminded me of much of this story from his perspective. He just thought that it was crazy to see what all those insane, weird and stupid choices I was making back in the day have turned into. As we toured the neighborhood, and I showed him the houses and the gardens and all the work being done, he seemed to understand more and more what we were up to.

I told him all about the Underground and the work that I now do with The Well, and he promised that he would come visit us at our Thursday night meal called The Banquet. The first night he popped in, I wasn't there but I heard that he came and after the meal, and then I saw this post on Facebook.

Just a few weeks later, Chris came back with the whole Doers family. His wife and kids jumped right in to serve and talk with guests and just be here. It was a great night and we were so grateful to have them here with us. That night, after he left, I saw another post on Facebook that honestly made me tear up. Chris posted again about being at the meal, but what he said in his comments communicates exactly the thing that I hope those who join us to serve will take away. While many homeless folks need some dinner and come to meet that need, many of us who serve do not realize the needs that we have that are fulfilled here. I think Chris's comments help illuminate our need a bit, our need that is made known by coming and sitting at the table with others that we otherwise, often, do not see or know. 

Here you can see his post and the comments that follow:

(And by the way, his daughter in the pink/purple dress, is a cage fighter known as The Reaper!
So that's kinda awesome! )

He writes:

"It's amazing you think you're going to go in and help someone that is truly less fortunate then realize the conversation was probably more important to me. It just puts it in perspective how truly blessed my family and I truly are..."

And then:

"You know I went into it thinking I was going to do something nice but I honestly believe it's a privilege and a gift that I had the opportunity to be there..."

 And after a friend comments, "OMG Great Job," he writes:

"I feel that going there once or twice is almost self righteous, opening your doors to complete strangers everyday without question and without prejudice that's a great job." 

We pray for those who visit us would leave transformed and filled. Challenged in areas of prejudice and entitlement, encouraged toward gratefulness and  appreciation, and inspired to open their own doors and lives to those who used to seem so Other. We are in the business of building bridges and Chris is a great example of what we hope for all of our friends to leave with. We expect to see more of him around here but better than that, we know God has done something in him that will go with him to his own neighborhood, church and relationships.

In reflecting on this story, I cannot help but remember and repeat those words of St. James:

"Be Ye Doers" -James 1:22

On Earth, As it is in Heaven

“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 

Matthew 17:20b (ESV)

Our vision statement for The Well is: “Needs met, bridges built, a city made whole.” More than an ideal, this is the destination against which we plot our course - these are the objectives around which we plan our next year, next month and each day’s work. Bearing this in mind, I offer two ongoing challenges to myself and anyone who believes in this vision for the The Well and for our city.

The first challenge is this.

Imagine what it would take to make this vision come true in the most literal sense - the real and tangible changes that must happen in the sprawling ghettos of aging bungalows and public housing projects that encircle Tampa’s city center. 

To visualize a path, it helps to have a clear vision of the destination. I’ve attempted below to describe what I myself imagine our community would look like on some future day if our vision statement were to be realized.

Today, the sun rose over a verdant landscape of orchards and fields as far as my eyes can see, dotted with shiny roofs and bodies of water teeming with life. Homes are nestled among fruit trees and abundant gardens line our curbs. Beyond the grid of streets and sidewalks, there is virtually no concrete or asphalt to be seen. 

The fundamental material needs of all here are met consistently. Every effort is made to ensure that no person goes without shelter, no one is without a safe place to rest. Food - good, healthy food - is in abundance, and readily shared with those who need it. Those fortunate enough to have a surplus voluntarily contribute to provide for “even the least of these.” We judge our quality of life based on our bond with our neighbors and our ability to prevent homelessness, hunger and neglect in our community - not by comparing our lifestyles to those we see in other neighborhoods or in the media. 

Among people of different ages, races, economic status and origins - we have diligently remedied the previous ignorance and disillusionment, we have dismantled the institutions that confer certain privilege only on some. Conflict isn’t extinct, but together we remain committed to reconciling any separation that divides us. We each recognize that we are interdependent on the others, parts of a whole, and only together are we complete. At every opportunity, we choose cooperation over competition. Even the land itself is seen as a shared gift, and we treat it as sacred, contemplating with every choice what we will leave for the next generation. 

As we collectively pursue aspirations greater than ourselves, we discover as individuals a sense of purpose, direction and deep fulfillment. Because we now understand ourselves first as connected beings, we readily submit our knowledge, effort and much of our wealth for common enjoyment and oversight by the community. Even simple gifts of service and material goods now take on a much deeper spiritual significance within the context of our community’s reconciliation over generations. By doing unto others as we would have done to ourselves, we honor not only the commandment but the giver of the command. We remind each other to keep our eyes fixed on the vision, as every day we seek to make the present more closely mirror our future perfection. 

I find it helpful to envision this future reality every night as I fall asleep, and imagine what must be done tomorrow to make it so.

The second challenge I offer you is this.

Learn to believe in our vision enough to see through today’s pain, obstacles, and the seemingly insurmountable amount of work that lies in front of us - and find the faith that will make it a reality. 

Not only should you dream of this future, this dream should haunt your days. You should begin each new day with a clear sense of purpose driven by this singular goal. You should feel compelled to encourage the community by sharing what you’ve envisioned with the rest of us so we can conspire to make it real. Is there truly such a thing as Heaven on Earth? I can't promise you that, but we are commanded to work toward exactly that. I believe with all my being that inasmuch as our community will be made whole, we will each also be made whole in the process.

When is this future? Is it a decade from now? A century or more? In actuality, that day can only come as soon as we believe it to be true. There is a mustard seed hanging in our new office that symbolizes the mountains moved already in 2014. It should be equally as much a reminder of the mountains that we will move tomorrow.

May these words echo in your head until you believe them: “Nothing will be impossible for you.”