Page 89 - moondani kyema
P. 89
ndani kyema, My Story - Ray Moore 89
trays were stacked with plates and cups and saucers which had been given to the
Mission by various restaurants who were refurbishing, so many of them displayed
well-known names and logos. There were large trays such as you would find in a
bakery, which was probably where they came from, containing cakes and
sandwiches cut into triangles. This was “breakfast”.
At 7 o’clock we opened the main doors and the men would shuffle in – 100 to 150 of
them. They didn’t talk much. I guess most of them didn’t really like belonging to this
“fellowship” so there was no sense of camaraderie amongst them. Their eyes were
downcast and, when they found a seat in one of the pews, they showed no interest or
emotion, but just sat and waited.
They all understood that this was a “mission” so they knew that a condition of
receiving a free meal was that they had to listen to a Bible reading and a prayer
before they started. Jim read a short reading and then prayed a few sentences, and
they were ready for breakfast. They all respected Jim. He was a mild mannered
man and had an obvious love and respect for them, but if anyone got out of line or
became aggressive, he was also a very strong man and was able to control them
physically if necessary. But mostly he controlled them through the strength of his
personality.
Everybody received a cup of tea or coffee and a plate of sandwiches or cakes. When
they were finished, they could shuffle out in to the city lane again and start working
out how to fill in the long day ahead. But we still had more to offer and this took up
much of the rest of the day for us.
In a back corner of the hall, we had set up a couple of benches, and, if they wanted
to, the men could stay and have a shave and a bit of a cleanup. We supplied the
razors, soap etc. We also had another table set up with equipment for cleaning their
shoes. It is true that the majority of them ignored this offer, but there were always a
number of them who stayed and cleaned up for the day.
During the breakfast, as we walked around the room while they were eating, we
would quite often spot one or more of the men sitting there with little, moving white
spots standing out across their shoulders against their dark clothing. We didn’t need
to get too close to know that they were lice. So, after the breakfast, we would invite
them to stay and get a change of clothing. Jim always did this as unobtrusively as
possible.
The Mission had a lot of second-hand clothing sent in, and every afternoon, Jim and I
would sort through bags and bags of clothing and other items that had come in
during the last 24 hours. When the men had finally finished their ablutions and left the
building, it was time for individual interviews. Outside the front door there would be a
line of men who wanted to see Jim about something. Some of them wanted clean
clothes or shoes, while others wanted money.
Jim would interview them and then work out the best way to help
them. Of course it was obvious what the men with the lice
needed. We would take these men out the back and ask them to
strip off. Then using a stick to lift their clothes off the floor, we
dumped them (the clothes that is!) in the incinerator. As these men had probably
become infested with lice because they had an aversion to washing, Jim tried to get
trays were stacked with plates and cups and saucers which had been given to the
Mission by various restaurants who were refurbishing, so many of them displayed
well-known names and logos. There were large trays such as you would find in a
bakery, which was probably where they came from, containing cakes and
sandwiches cut into triangles. This was “breakfast”.
At 7 o’clock we opened the main doors and the men would shuffle in – 100 to 150 of
them. They didn’t talk much. I guess most of them didn’t really like belonging to this
“fellowship” so there was no sense of camaraderie amongst them. Their eyes were
downcast and, when they found a seat in one of the pews, they showed no interest or
emotion, but just sat and waited.
They all understood that this was a “mission” so they knew that a condition of
receiving a free meal was that they had to listen to a Bible reading and a prayer
before they started. Jim read a short reading and then prayed a few sentences, and
they were ready for breakfast. They all respected Jim. He was a mild mannered
man and had an obvious love and respect for them, but if anyone got out of line or
became aggressive, he was also a very strong man and was able to control them
physically if necessary. But mostly he controlled them through the strength of his
personality.
Everybody received a cup of tea or coffee and a plate of sandwiches or cakes. When
they were finished, they could shuffle out in to the city lane again and start working
out how to fill in the long day ahead. But we still had more to offer and this took up
much of the rest of the day for us.
In a back corner of the hall, we had set up a couple of benches, and, if they wanted
to, the men could stay and have a shave and a bit of a cleanup. We supplied the
razors, soap etc. We also had another table set up with equipment for cleaning their
shoes. It is true that the majority of them ignored this offer, but there were always a
number of them who stayed and cleaned up for the day.
During the breakfast, as we walked around the room while they were eating, we
would quite often spot one or more of the men sitting there with little, moving white
spots standing out across their shoulders against their dark clothing. We didn’t need
to get too close to know that they were lice. So, after the breakfast, we would invite
them to stay and get a change of clothing. Jim always did this as unobtrusively as
possible.
The Mission had a lot of second-hand clothing sent in, and every afternoon, Jim and I
would sort through bags and bags of clothing and other items that had come in
during the last 24 hours. When the men had finally finished their ablutions and left the
building, it was time for individual interviews. Outside the front door there would be a
line of men who wanted to see Jim about something. Some of them wanted clean
clothes or shoes, while others wanted money.
Jim would interview them and then work out the best way to help
them. Of course it was obvious what the men with the lice
needed. We would take these men out the back and ask them to
strip off. Then using a stick to lift their clothes off the floor, we
dumped them (the clothes that is!) in the incinerator. As these men had probably
become infested with lice because they had an aversion to washing, Jim tried to get
