Homeless Heros

I had just gotten off work and was riding back into the downtown area in Tulsa, to meet with and help coordinate relocation with some of the people in one of the camps that the city of Tulsa was forcing to move from the area where they were living.

(They had been given less than a week to relocate, and if they were not out by the assigned date, then the city crews were going to come in and begin picking up and throwing away their belongings. When you have so little to begin with, losing what you have can be tramatic.)

On my way, I got a call from Bud who was at the bus station picking up a lady who needed a ride to the Salvation Army. While he was there, he was approached by a young girl who was wanting a ride to Austin Tx. Said she was stranded in Tulsa and just wanted to "get home." Bud didn't have the money for a ticket to help her so he thought to call me and have me talk to her. I turned around to go and meet them to see how we might be able to help.

She didn't want to go into one of the shelters, and said that she had no ID. she told us that she was 18, wouldn't tell us her last name or where she had come from. Bud decided that we could take her to the camp for the night untill we could figure out what to do. Paul donated a tent that he had,others donated a sleeping bag and blankets. Bud then took her to the Dream Center for church and and a hot meal.

Hers was a story of abuse and problems. We had figured out by the next morning that we had a runaway on our hands. They took her to the Day Center where, Kim and Jennifer and Keisha kept a tight watch over her while Bud and I begin to try and contact the proper authorities.

First stop was Child Protective Services. They listened to Bud's story and told him that they would pass his case onto an agent, but because of her age, 17 (she had changed her origional story by that time) they probably wouldn't do anything. I took over and begin to contact the Tulsa Police Dept. I was directed to the unit that specialized in dealing with these types of cases. Left 4 messages that were not immediately returned.

The folks in the homeless camp continued to give her a place to stay, and did their best to keep her safe, fed, warm and dry, and continued to talk to her to see if they could find out who she really was and where she was from.

Her story begin to change. Now she was from a neighboring town and had hitchiked in with a boyfriend , but had split up with him, which was how Bud had the origional encounter at the Bus station. Phone calls to the police station at the neighboring town and county ended up also at a dead end, They had no record of a missing child of any age. Our friends in the camp continued to care for her, and ask questions.

By thursday morning perhaps they were getting too close. She wanted to be let out at a certain area in town. They felt that they had no recourse but to do as she wished even though they didn't feel good about it. Then came the call back from TPD. Upon hearing her first name, the officer knew who she was, her last name, and the medical condition that she was suffering from. We were able to give him the location of where she had wanted to go, a description of what she was wearing and a photo. Within a short time she had been found and was getting the medical attention that she needed, and a families worse nightmare was over.

Scripture tells us in Phillippians 2:1-4 (Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ , if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being likeminded, having the same love being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

The men and women in this story are heroes. In spite of what was happening in their lives, having to uproot and move from a place where they had called home, looked past what was going on and had hearts of love and compassion for a wayward child who was in desperate need of help. At the bus station there were a couple of "wolves" who had sights on her. A homeless guy came to her rescue. Another homeless guy donated his tent and slept out in the open himself so she could have a more secure place to stay. Everyone in that camp looked after her just as if she was their own.

Homeless people of character working together with ministry, and the Tulsa police department brought an end a frightening chapter in the life of one family. We are proud to have served along side each of them.