Coalbiting...

So i learnt a thing or two about life on the streets tonight. I was chatting to some of the people who come into the life centre, but tonight they were at Youth Church. I noticed that one particular young girl, which for the purposes of this blog we'll call Kate was missing. I asked her husband where Kate was, and he said she was off "coalbiting".

Have you ever heard of it? Because before tonight, I sure hadn't heard of it! I'd seen it in action, but not known what the street name for it was. In Melbourne the site of somebody “coalbiting” - approaching people directly to ask for money, sometimes aggressively - is pretty much par for the course. For many people this can be quite a confronting experience, while for many homeless people it’s an accepted part of what it means to survive on the street.

Every Thursday, without fail, as I walk down to catch up with a friend for coffee, I will walk past Kate and she'll ask me for money. She now knows who I am. She knows I work for The Salvation Army. She sees me in the Life Centre a couple of times a week, and she knows I won't give her any money. I ask her if she wants to grab something to eat or drink, but she politely refuses. I found out tonight that Kate's husband sends her out to get money on the streets for their drugs, while he relaxes in our Life Centre, or chills out on the Youth Outreach Bus. Kate looks young, shy and innocent, and any normal person would give her spare change. Kate's partner knows that and uses that to their advantage.

Tonight I was talking to her husband. Kate and her husband have been married for 2 years, but have been living on the streets for their whole married life. Tomorrow they're moving into temporary accomodation. Hopefully this is the start of a positive turn around in their lives. Next step is rehab. Praying hard...

The knowledge that Kate's husband sends her out to "coalbite" and get money for their drugs angered me at first. I mean how dare he take advantage of his wife like that. But God then made me look at him through His eyes. And suddenly that anger and frustration was gone. Then the line from a Nooma that I had watched that night, called Lump popped into my head. It was talking about God's love for his children, and how God says to us "nothing you could do, could make me love you any less". And that's the same for Kate and her husband. No matter what we've done, no matter where we've come from, nothing ... nothing will ever make Him love us any less. I know that beneath the surface, beneath the issues of homelessness and drug addiction there are deep deep struggles and issues... there's so much more to these people than just being homeless and drug addicted... so much more...

I'm not saying that this situation is perfect- by no means, but I know that our God is a God of the impossible, and things can change. Relationships can be restored to the way they're meant to be. People can be freed from the bondage of drug addictions... The chains of injustice can be broken... Things can change. With God all things are possible. No matter what the situation, we must always cling onto that fact.

When the situation seems bleak this my cry...

There's freedom in the name of Jesus
Freedom from all shame
There's freedom in the name of Jesus
Freedom from all pain
There's freedom in the name of Jesus
Freedom from all sin
There's freedom in the name of Jesus
Freedom in the Name of JESUS! (Free: Planetshakers)

Hallejuah!

For Him Alone
Ness :-)