Gospel Mission Director thought I was a homeless person and treated me as such (Part Three)

KLAMATH FALLS, OR—Hypocrites come in all forms and sizes (Part Three)

I went outside and within 5 minutes the taxi driver arrived. He had picked me up before so we remembered each other. I filled him in on the story of going to the wrong place and the wrong date and of course told him where we were going.

Then, I realized after we were driving that he was heading to the Old Gospel Mission. We both laughed and now he drove towards the new Gospel Mission over the bridge.

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it or not but we did. After I took care of a taxi ride I got out and went inside. I looked around trying to figure out where I needed to go to get into line to get a Thanksgiving Dinner. And by the time I had arrived, there was no line. Then I figured it out and while I was getting ready I was standing next to the people who were trying to get the count on how many people came for dinner. I heard them discuss it at being about 190, possibly 200 people give or take. As I was going through the line I was joking how I went to the wrong place where I read it as being the Old Baptist Church on High Street.

As I was moving down through the line I gave out a few of my business cards and let it be known I was going to write a story about the dinner at the new Gospel Mission. I looked around after I got my dinner and found a gentleman that looked like he was sitting by himself. So I sat next to him after I got my hot tea. I introduced myself and we exchanged pleasantries along with the fact that I was writing a story about the dinner too.

I began to take pictures and did the video above while trying to eat at the same time as it looked like people were leaving now and heading home. When this one guy came up to us and said we had to hurry up and finish as they were closing the dining hall. It reminded me of the time I was at Taco Time and the closing of the lobby, Taco Time rant and rave about poor customer service in Klamath Falls, OR. I felt we were being rushed. I know I arrived late but I was there now. What was the rush as the kitchen was closed now and they were not serving anymore?

Was it that they had now done their civic duty and now wanted to head home and be with their family and friends? Since everyone had been fed it was time to get people out of the building so they could get home and that is understandable except some of these people this is all they were going to have in the way of a social event for Thanksgiving. At about that point I asked if they had a cover for my dinner so I could cover it up? And the person I spoke with said, no they did not have any. They did last year but this year they did not have covers for the plates.

I just found some napkins and covered it up and figured it would be Ok that way until the taxi picked me up and I went home. I asked the person next to me if he had a ride back downtown and he said, no he did not. So I offered to give him a ride downtown when my taxi came as the weather was getting worse by the minute. We headed outside into the covered walkway as I began to call for the taxi. In the meantime, it looked like there were a few others that would be in need of ride too. So I offered to help them get back downtown too by giving them a ride with me in the taxi I had ordered.

As time went on we ended up in the parking lot area standing next to a white PU truck with a white cover covering the bed of the truck. The gentleman I had offered a ride too, found a ride with someone he knew. Then it left about four of us. Three standing there and another man in a wheelchair with his dog. And the dog was shivering. I offered to try and give him a ride too but I did not know if the taxi company could pick him up with the dog. I called the taxi company back and let them know the situation that there were a few others with me and if it was OK for the dog and the man in the wheelchair and she told me she did not have the handicap van available right now.

Well, that was not good. And one person in the group taking up a ride with me was supposed to help push the man in the wheelchair back over the bridge but had abanded that idea when he thought he was getting a ride with me. But before that happened the Director or whoever he was came out and removed my plate sitting on the back of his covered truck and handed it to me. As if my dinner sitting there was going to cause harm to his cover sitting on top of it. He was looking down at all of us by the way he was speaking down in his commands about not smoking on the grounds and his real attitude that was not necessary. But he assumed we all were just a group of homeless people standing around and up to no good. What did my plate sitting on his truck hurt? Not a thing. None!

That was it as the weather had already ruined it so what was the point of trying to take it home and I didn't need it that bad. I would not have ate it at that point if you would have paid me to do it. So I just tossed it on the ground by the sidewalk and just left it there. He could clean it up later or have someone else do it. I mean it was really freezing cold now and the icy rain did not help either. The Director was looking at us as if we were a bother as he wanted to get home to his family and did not want to deal with a group of people standing out in the elements waiting on a taxi. But he never asked what we were waiting for or the reason we were standing there, as he was more concerned about his self and his needs. He didn't care about ours but yet he is supposed to be the Christian Executive Director of the Gospel Mission.

By this time it had got down to the point that the Director was dealing with the guy that was supposed to help push the wheelchair guy over the bridge because he had gone under the walkways and was smoking to the point the Director threatening to call the police on him. It was not looking good and a lot of tempers were beginning to flow. At this point, it had dwindled down to this other guy and me waiting on the taxi.

But in the distance, I could see the guy in the wheelchair struggling to get up the steep incline on the hill all by himself and with his dog in tow. At that point I had to make a choice do a good thing and help give the one guy with two legs a ride with me in the taxi and forget all about the man in the wheelchair and his dog or go and help the man with his dog and in the wheelchair being pushed up over the bridge.

No matter how much I wanted to get out of the elements my self and get to the comforts of my home or help a couple of homeless people. I choose at the time the person that was really in need was the man in the wheelchair with his dog. The guy with two legs understood my reasoning and went in a different direction as I headed to help the man in the wheelchair with his dog. I caught up with him and began pushing him over the bridge towards downtown and I would call the taxi company later as my new phone was giving me problems getting it to open.

After I got across the bridge and the man on the wheelchair was able to go on his own now heading to where ever he wanted to go to get himself and his dog out of the elements. I called the taxi company back and said I was almost back home myself and I was sorry I could not get back with them sooner but I explained the choice I made and she agreed it was a better plan to help the man in the wheelchair as my good deed for the day.

When I finally got home I called her back on my home phone and mentioned I couldn't understand why the Gospel Mission had not done better planning and arranging rides for these homeless people knowing the weather was not good and that they were on the other side of town over the bridge that made it a hardship for them, not that they were not dealing with daily hardships already, but that is the point they are homeless and need our compassion and understanding and if you have never been homeless then you will never understand it. What it is like to be homeless...

Like I said, in the beginning, God had other plans for my Thanksgiving day.

Related link: Gospel Mission Director thought I was a homeless person and treated me as such (Part Two)

James Garland of Tulelake News
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