Monday 11th Dec 06

First Day :)

I enjoyed Church last night, and had some friends come and give me some prayer and support afterwards, which was great. One person gave me $5 to pass on to another needy person (still yet to do) and another gave me three custard tarts for the journey, thanks! It was just getting dark as I started my walk into the city. It took many hours as I stopped to say a prayer for the city every 10 steps. (I stopped and prayed [short ones] while crossing the roads, and made really quick steps either side of the prayer!) It was about 11pm when I got to Flinders St Station and I sat down on the steps. There were two people next to me: A 'Goth' girl who said I was evil as the cross on my top was the correct way up, (huh?) and a very drunk fellow who kept saying, "Bless you brother," and wouldn't stop shaking my hand. I offered a custard tart, but ended up having to eat them myself.

Walking around the city for an hour I was then tired and lay down on a bench next to a Church, but after 1/2hr it started to rain lightly and so I had to seek some shelter. I walked up to a park on the edge of the CBD that had a small building/shelter with benches undercover. I lay down and went to sleep, but kept waking up every so often as the bench was so hard and I had to change positions to stop my body from going numb. Actually my mind could not escape it as I had a dream in which I had been sleeping on the bench for a week and my whole body was so numb and dead from stiffness I was physically unable to move and get off the bench. In the dream three lawyers came along and bemoaned as to why no-one had removed this wasting body from the bench, but then a good lawyer came along and sent them away and put me on a softer bench and started massaging feeling back into my body to help me. (All kind of like the Good Samaritan story).

I woke up at first light, and noticed there were 3 other homeless people sleeping nearby at the other corner of the building. I didn't disturb them and went back into the city. Walking back in I felt quite strange, like I should be heading off to work or something! For the first time I didn't really have a specific goal to head towards. And I felt a bit silly wearing the big white cross on my top, walking by people. At Flinders Station again I stood and observed people for a few hours, and no-one paid me any attention. I just prayed for peace on people as they walked by. Then I went into St. Pauls and listened to the Choir for a while, and then wandered around the city a bit. I decided not to enter any shops for now so that I don't go looking for distractions. It's a bit cold and windy and I also visited St. Francis's Cathedrial for some prayer, before ending up here at the State Library, which has free internet (after a wait) to keep you all informed:)

I am a bit at a loss about what to do next, as to where the homeless and marginalized people hang during the day... but I will wander around some more and see what happens...