Rosemarie Knows She is Loved
It was our April 17, 2005 Celebration Service at Tracy J’s Watering hole on E. 19th Street. Two Columbia University graduate students were taping a news program on Forgiven. After the service, the students wanted to interview me in Union Square Park. Once the interview ended, we headed back uptown to our car on 19th Street. As we were walking we passed a homeless woman on the corner of Park Ave and 19th Street. I had seen the same woman on the same corner a few times in the prior weeks. Both Pegeen and Emily have compassionate hearts for the homeless.
The Lame Answer...
Emily and I were walking back to the car side by side. She was very quiet and when I looked at her I noticed she was crying. When I inquired what was wrong, she told me that she felt sad for that homeless woman. I told her that there were so many homeless people in NY and that God cares for every one of them...yadda...yadda...yadda. Basically, I gave her the good old pastoral generic vomit inducing answer. But I knew this was different. I could tell Emily wanted to do something for her. As we were driving back to NJ, Emily said that we should invite her to church. Matthew wondered out loud if having someone homeless attend a service would bother the others who come on Sunday. Needles to say we had an interesting conversation about loving and accepting all people. (Deep inside my cynical self, I thought we would never see this woman again.)
The Pillow...
Emily did have a plan. Every time I went into the City, she would call and ask if I saw the woman. I never did. I knew Emily was praying for her. Calendar fast forward: It is Forgiven’s May 1st Celebration. Emily kept going out to the corner looking for the woman...no sightings. After the service we had plans to view some apartments with a realtor. During the week prior to the May 1 Celebration, Emily and Pegeen had gone out and purchased all this stuff to make a pillow for the homeless woman. Emily crafted an amazing home-made pillow and painted on it: "You are loved...From Emily." The last thing a father wants to do is burst the dream bubble of his 10 year old daughter...but in my heart I’m thinking, "God, what if we never see her again...God... please ...for Emily to see your power," was my prayer. We were done viewing apartments at about 6:00. As we came up out of the Subway and walked down Park Ave to 19th Street, I noticed that same woman at her "home" on the corner. She was filling her shopping cart and looked like she was getting ready to leave. I couldn’t believe we saw her! Emily just completed the pillow the night before and brought it with her. She kept it in the car "just in case." I told Emily and Pegeen to go run and get the pillow and that I would approach the woman, explain the situation, and ask her to please wait. As soon as Emily came by with the pillow, Rosemarie started to cry. Rosemarie was very coherent, and sharp mentally. I could tell she wasn’t on drugs or alcohol. She was homeless but she didn’t fit what I’ve always (in my ignorance) considered to be a stereotypical profile of a homeless person. She loves the pillow and told Emily that she will think of her every time she uses it.
The Prayer...
As we talked we discovered that Rosemarie had grown up in Little Italy, her husband died several years earlier and she had two sons. One son past away tragically (hit and run victim) and the other was the reason she was homeless. You see, her youngest son was a drug addict and stole everything she had....his addiction put her out on the mean streets of NYC for 11 months. She hadn’t seen her son for months and just wanted to know if he was still alive. So there are the four of us...crying with Rosemarie on the corner of Park and 19th. We prayed for her. We prayed that God would provide a place for her to live and that somehow she would see her youngest son alive. After we prayed Emily invited Rosemarie to our next celebration on May 15th. Emily figured that our free lunch for first-timers would be the hook to get Rosemarie to come. Little did we know it would be love that would bring her back. Rosemarie promised Emily that we would see her on the 15th.
Rosemarie Goes to Church...and Prayer Answered
On May 15, when we arrived at Tracy J’s for the Celebration, Emily went out to Rosemarie’s corner...but no Rosemarie. Again, right before the service started, Emily went out again and still no Rosemarie. About 20 minutes into the service, just as I started my message, Rosemarie comes walking in. I almost lost it! Emily ran over and they sat together for the remainder of the service. Rosemarie stayed for lunch and told Emily and Pegeen that social services found her a place to live (on 15th Street and 5th Ave). She even has a kitten. It was during lunch that she told Pegeen... "I gave up on God because I thought He wasn’t listening to me and gave up on me...then He sends my miracle family."
Another Prayer Answered...
Since May 15th Pegeen and Emily have packed bags of groceries, cat food and even a cat travel carrier that I have delivered to Rosemarie at her new home. She came again to our service on June 5. With tears in her eyes she told us that she saw her son. He was strung out and lying on the sidewalk in Greenwich Village. She approached him and woke him up and he started weeping and apologizing. She just told him that it was OK...that he was her son and that she loves him. Amazing...considering he is the one who put her out on the streets. They are supposed to meet again soon. Both prayers were answered for Rosemarie on the corner of Park and 19th on May 1: She got a place to live, and she found out her son is alive.
Lesson Learned...
My lesson? Well as a church planter, we are taught a lot about reaching a "target" group of people....whether it is an ethnic group, young adult group, artists, etc. Well, if you look at how God used the childlike faith of Emily Rose, and broke through the cynical heart of her dad, you will easily see that on God’s radar all people are His "target." It was then I saw how God wants my family to experience the same "God encounters" that I have been experiencing for the last year and a half!!
2007 Update...
Rosemarie is still living on 15th Street and 5th Ave. She holds multiple jobs, one as a part-time receptionist for a group of therapists. She is also a highly regarded and sought after dog walker. She had been a regular attendee of Forgiven weekly home meetings and is growing in her relationship with Jesus. Pegeen is still touch with her as we continually aid in meeting her spiritual and material needs.
