Indian Joe

Well as some of you know - MY BLOG IS FAMOUS! Okay, I'm really not that excited about it, but Team Family Love made front page news in Saturday's Tribune Herald. I can't go into many details on here, but I will tell you that Aaron and I were quite surprised when we walked into a gas station on Saturday morning and saw my name and my blog in the paper once again (Whew - being a celebrity is exhausting) If you want a copy of the Waco paper from either Saturday let me know (I might have bought out the whole store)

Today started off pretty normal..just another morning at the CRISIS Center. About ten minutes after I walked in, Indian Joe let loose. Now some of you many know Joe - He's kind of a Waco celebrity. He is a homeless man that takes a lot of pride in his Native American heritage. Sometimes he can be like a sweet ol' grandpa, but other times he can be a little intimidating.. especially since he carries around a 5 inch knife. He is a huge help around the Center - He speaks Spanish fluently, so he translates for us from time to time and also does a lot of the manual labor. In return, we give him as much food and clothing as he wants.

The only problem with Joe is that he is continually talking about the plight of the Indian and how the "white man" is an oppressor. Now, I believe that Joe has a point. Occasionally he gets carried away and will start bashing all races (except of course, his beloved Native Americans). He also bashes Texas, New Yorkers, and a variety of other people...Oh and Bush too. Usually we all just sort of nod and agree with him and eventually he will get quiet. But NOT today! I guess something must have happened earlier this morning, but when he came into the Center he was in an angry mood and looking for a fight. He started yelling about how he hated the blacks, the mexicans, and the white man. How we were all lazy and stealing the Indian's inheritance. He used a few choice words that I won't write on here and made everyone more than a little uncomfortable. Joe also threatened to kill a few of the black men that were in the waiting room and then threatened the man that runs the Center. I was just sitting at the Welcome Desk not knowing what to do. It was more shocking than scary, but it could have been bad.

Thankfully, the director was able to get him settled down and eventually got him out of the Center. I know that Holy Spirit was there keeping everyone calm, because most people (especially the African Americans) would not usually have allowed someone to say such ugly things. Its amazing how God takes care of us on a daily basis. The Crisis Center can be a scary place sometimes, but its also a place where God is at work.

All in all - There is never a normal day at the Operation CRISIS