Homeless.

Yesterday I was out running. When I run I listen to music, or sometimes just have a good old chat to God, whilst puffing, sweating and simply trying my hardest to keep moving those legs. However yesterday I came across something that I feel God’s put on my heart. For the first time instead running my regular circuit, I backtracked and criss-crossed over parts. I have never done this. Not in the 6 years I have been living in Bunbury, have I ever changed the general direction that I run. But yesterday I felt like it. So my run took me back across to this little old church and park, with a small lake. It is really quite lovely, with gorgeous willow tree, there branches sinking into waters, and black as night swans, and squawking ducks. However, as I was walking up through the car park - it is on a slight hill, I look to my left where the grave yard is.

-A bit a back ground information, this church is the second oldest church and grave yard within Western Australia and has such pretty graves.-

However back to the story, as I was walking and looking around, I saw what looked like to be a person lying longways, still, over three steps leading up out of the car park to the church. My first thought was Oh no. I’ve come across a dead body. There was no one else around, and it was almost 7 o’clock at night. What should I do?

Now most people that know are aware that I am short sited, so simply put I can’t see things that are extremely far away, they appear fuzzy and indistinct. This was, as you could imagine, a slight problem. As I now had to approach this person to see if he/she was alive.

So the two scenarios in my head were:

A) Jayllee you’ve just come across a dead man, run to the nearest house and call the police, if first aid can not be applied.

B) He’s a homeless man, and how can you help.

The moment of truth, as I was approaching the still man, I was about 10metres away his leg twitched. Hallelujah the man’s alive!! After establishing he was alive I let out the biggest sigh of release. EVER.

But now on second thoughts what I did now is terrible. I thought the best and safest action was to run home it was only 5 minutes, tell Mum and Dad and see we could get him to a homeless shelter for the night. However my fruitless searches turned up no shelters in Bunbury. I am disgusted that there were no places readily available that people could go to when they are in such situations.

Now, feeling very ashamed. I couldn’t bring him to my house because, well, simply, I didn’t know the man, and I wasn’t prepared to put my families safety and home in danger. Looking back at it now, I feel that there should have been more I could do. But what? Apart from bringing him to my house, giving him a meal, and then kicking him back out onto the street. Yeah that’s a good idea, here have a feed, okay, see ya now, that park bench looks pretty comfy.

It was quite the situation. I never thought that homelessness was an issue in Bunbury. But I guess I have been walking around with my eyes shut. I am going to do something. What I don’t know. Wait and see.