Tuesday 30th Jan 07

Monday:
Yesterday was quiet, I even sat at HJ's this morning until 2:30am, but no one came by. Then I went off to get some sleep, but my usual spot was taken, so I went to check out my backups. They were all used as well! I think I will have to revise up the number of people I perceive sleeping rough in the city. Finally I head to the back wall of St.Patrick's Cathedral and lie down. Then some drunk guy comes along and is singing/shouting a hymn, over and over, for half an hour. I wonder if God would prefer to listen to drunken praise or no praise?

Tuesday:
I got up at 6:30am, after 3hrs sleep, and walked for 2hrs to a friend's house where I had a shower and gave my clothes a wash. Later I met the girls from St.Martins who were back doing their Steps ministry, after having a Christmas break. Again it was generally quiet, except for Dougy who came by, drunk, with a huge welt on his head from the other night, and a bunch of old flowers he had found in a bin. He tried to give them away to some ladies but they just didn't seem interested. Not long after he went off to get another casket, and didn't return. Abbey came by and talked to the girls. She was the girl I had met at the start of the month who was walking around in bare feet asking for cigarettes, but she was wearing shoes now. I said goodbye and headed to the Vic Markets for the late night food van.

While I was waiting I started chatting to two teenage boys about church. They really liked my idea for a Church being open 24hrs and said they would be in it if I ever got it up and running. One of them was a runaway from his home in Adelaide. He had got in a fight with his Pentecostal Church after they kicked him out for his drugs and alcohol. He said he had given up the vices and went back to the church but was told he was not welcome back. His mother was called, and then the cops, as he was so angry at being rejected after having changed. His mum was angry with him for being arrested at a church, so he ran away to Melbourne where he was staying with his mate here. His mate said he was a part of a youth ministry team out west, so I hope he is in good hands, as he said he was here to stay permanently.