One day I (Filip) went for a walk and passed a bus stop where two homeless people were sleeping completely wrapped in blankets. The other night I had to help one of the young people home from work late at night and passed several homeless people sleeping on the street. They were just laying directly on the concrete pavement without cardboard or other support.
At Pulse, we have three homeless people (we now have found places to sleep for them (thank you, God!), two gang-related people (those type of gangs that kill for fun) and a girl who was gang-raped shortly before she came to Pulse. We suspected the one gang member to have been involved, so it was an incredibly tense situation that we had to resolve. One of the young boys turned up one day completely bruised because his mother drinks and had found a chain, which she whipped and beat him with. He completely broke down in front of Maria but has at least found the comfort of a mother in Maria that gives him the strength needed to continue at Pulse.
There is need everywhere we turn. Every day the beggars and the homeless approach us in the parking lots. When we get out of the car and coming back to the car again they're there. They always ask for money and food, so when at the supermarket we can go back in and buy some food for them, but of course the need is far greater than we can cover. Some of them - who still have a little more to give - ask if we don't have a job for them, or just something they can help with for a single day to earn a little money. Throughout the day we see so many men standing on the street corners hoping to be selected for some work for that day. It's the day laborers. Last step before it ends in either homelessness or crime.
When we put out the week's garbage, poor people always come before the garbage is taken away to see if there should be any food left they can eat or anything else of value. Last week one of our friends witnessed a man finding a sausage in the garbage that was way, way too old, but to him, it was food and he ate it right away.
A few weeks ago, a white middle-aged woman was brutally murdered in her home here in town. She was a friend of some of our friends. She had dedicated her life to helping the poor and was known throughout the town for it. At least the killer was caught. We don't know if he knew her, but he was in her target group of those she helped.
Emotionally, it can be incredibly hard to see all this misery on a daily basis. All those people who are so loved by God, but who suffer, starve and just struggle to survive. They are the ones we are here for! We pray for them and do what we can to help them to a better life - and we are so grateful to you who have supported us financially and in prayer so that we can make a difference here. It is much needed.