The following is a portion of a post from June 28, 2010. As you will see, this is how I met Curtis and what I learned about him. Afterwards, you will learn more.
On April 10th, an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon, approximately 50 of us First Responders arrived from various parts of town. We stood on the sidewalk directly where the shooting had occurred. Standing next to me, holding my hand, was a worn-out, old-looking Black man. This was his first F.R. time.
When we finished praying, I shook hands with him and asked his name. It is Curtis. We walked and talked for a couple minutes and I offered him a ride home.
During the 3-minute drive he shared his story with me. Curtis had been on crack and other drugs for most of his life. He is 52, has been in prison 8 times. Curtis has been “clean” for a year and lives at a Christian rehab house. He is thankful he was in prison so often .... he believes if he had not been behind bars, time after time, he would have been dead through murder or O.D. He is one grateful man.
We have become friends. In this short time, his body appears more solid, his face exhumes more light, and,when we meet, he always hugs me and tells me he’s "doin' good."
How many times would any of us say we were grateful for prison, thankful that it was the right place to be at the right time?
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Late yesterday afternoon, I went to a murder site. A man, 47 years old, named Anthony, had been chased by a young man and shot and killed while running through a back yard. This was the 6th murder this year, so it's always disappointing to have to take that time, but we do it.
When I parked in a local post office lot, I saw a man who was using a tri-pod walking cane, having a hard time getting through snow stacked next to the sidewalk. Then I thought, "Isn't that Curtis?" I hadn't seen him for several months, and, since life changes, I couldn't be absolutely sure. When I climbed out of the car, I said, "Hi." Then he turned to me and grinned and I knew it truly was him. But over the past nearly-two years that we've known each other, I'd certainly never seen him with a cane and struggling with and shuffling his left leg.
When I reached him, and we started to walk to the murder prayer site, I hooked our arms together so we could walk slowly and solidly, make it easier for him. I asked him what had happened. This is it:
On January 4th, he had been up the street near this site visiting his Mom. When he left, walking down the block heading for a Bible study, a car came by and the guys inside started shooting at a house. When he saw them nearby, and knew the risk he had, he tossed himself under a car. They saw him do this, and as they were driving past the car, they aimed under it. He was shot in the leg, twice. He is in physical therapy and doing better, but it's going to take a while before he can really walk again.
After the prayer time, we walked back to the parking lot. Before he left with his rehab pastor, he said he'd like to go to lunch with me some day, and said, "I'll pay." [I know he doesn't have much money, if any, so B.K. or McD. will be more than sufficient.] That is very nice. My husband approves of my friendships, so that's not an issue. [One of my goals is to have the men meet. I'm sure Dave can bless Curtis, and maybe the other way around, too.]
Other bits:
1) Curtis knew the man, Anthony, who was murdered. Christian seed may well have been planted in Anthony's heart; the results aren't known.
2) a Middle-School boy was brought to the prayer site. Mason is 12 to 14, and is a grandson of Anthony. It was amazing to see people pray over him and speak very clearly to him about how he can serve the Lord and help to turn this evil around in that part of town.
3) Curtis' son was shot not long ago. 9 bullets, 7 in front, 2 in back... and survived. Curtis is hoping his son will realize that the Lord has His hand protecting him.
In spite of the fact that it's connected to murder, First Responders groups always have joy in the mix. We really do care for each other and, in spite of the reason, we welcome our time together, sharing the Word, encouraging the pastors and "servants", pouring forth love.
Yesterday... cold, cloudy, windy, blah!... was even more a blessing for me than usual. I...saw...Curtis! I know he's still struggling at times with all those decades of addiction and years and years in prison, but he has a soft and caring heart. And he's alive when that shooting that so badly wounded his leg could so easily have ended his life.
I feel so blessed to have another "brother" and it's always... ALWAYS...good to see him.
Sometimes life is frustrating and filled with anger and rage. That would describe my momentary stretches this past few days.
According to the recent report, there have been at least 15 shootings since the beginning of the month here in Omaha... the beginning of our new year. Three men died.
We had three First Responders prayer times... one on Friday evening, two this afternoon. At all of them we had family members and neighborhood folks meet with us so we could comfort, encourage, and pray the peace of God over them, AND allow them to share their hearts with us.
On Friday night, the prayer time was held at a home just down the street from where Joshua had been shot. The shooting was on Tuesday; he was on life support until Wednesday. Joshua, 22, had been part of a local Christian facility for some time. The ministry focuses on kids from the tough and poor neighborhoods and difficult family backgrounds. Many of that ministry's group members have been in gangs and on drugs. There's been more than one indication that Joshua had changed his way of life and was trying to turn a solid direction. Many of the friends and family who were at this prayer time... a cold and windy and dark time ... were Christians. Solidly walking with the Lord.
During the praying and sharing, of the 50 or so people, a bunch of small children were running in and out of the circle, the pack. Another few guys in their teens and early twenties were Joshua's friends. And, among others, his grandma, mom, aunt, and one of his young boys.
The saddest aspects this event? His dad was killed, just "accidentally", last August.
Thursday, 3 PM, a 42-year old man was shot in front of his apartment; he died shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital. A 19-year old man was arrested today.
We met at the murder site this afternoon at 2:00 for the prayer time. A number of family, neighbors, and friends came. At all the murder sites I've been at in the past 3-1/2 years, I've never seen any harder-looking faces. Especially the women. Whatever the reason for the shooting, they lost George. Forever and ever.
Then, we went to a home about a mile from my house. This was even more disastrous.
It was a domestic situation, and we rarely go to one of those places. We don't want the neighborhood or the family to be upset, thinking that we are just nosy. This description might be hard to follow, but give it a try. In this case, Antonio, father of a couple boys, became angry because their mom, Kennetta, with whom he had lived for a few years until a recent breakup, had a new man, Davarus,living with her. Antonio showed up on Friday morning and shot and killed Davarus. Then Antonio took the young boys [8, 5, and 4 years old] into his car and hit the street. He was stopped and arrested just a couple miles away. The kids were OK -- physically, at least.
Because of the children and the future of their stress and "heart" damage, we went today. Turns out that, even though we planned to not be in front of the house, but would only be together up the street, we were actually invited to the property. One family member stood by the front door, the protector ... from some source the family has been receiving threats. Another young man, Michael, a family friend in his early 20s, prayed intensely. A little later another young man was with us, looked very sad. When I glanced a couple minutes later, he had a young woman in his arm, her head on his shoulder. Someone asked who she was and he said it was his sister. And the sister was Kennetta. I would never have imagined such a young woman being the mother of those boys.
We all encircled them, and a local pastor prayed very intensely for her. Kennetta sobbed and sobbed and clung to her brother. Michael, who had prayed earlier, came back down from the house and spread his arms around our shoulders, too.
At church this morning, I was telling my pastor about this day-plan on my schedule and what Friday's F.R. was like. He said something that touched me. Basically, that we tend to read a newspaper, glance at these horrible events, skim through, and then head on to something else. [My mind was saying "comics".. my tendency.] And he was not pleased with the automatic choices people make almost constantly.
So, I'm home. I'd like to spend more time editing and re-editing and perfecting this post, but I can't adjust it much better right now; too much on my mind and heart. But, also, I can't wait to send it out to the world. Why? Three families are walking through a stretch of life the vast majority of us never have to face. For them, my heart is filled with an intense desire that the enemy lose ENTIRELY. That these wives, moms, children, lovers, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters... and on and on... will turn to the Lord and find His kind hands touching their hearts.
And THAT is the blessing. We WILL be together; we WILL spiritually fight together; we WILL praise our Father together -- forever and ever -- AMEN.
The following is a portion of a post from June 28, 2010. As you will see, this is how I met Curtis and what I learned about him. Afterwards, you will learn more.
