People I was with in that week

Divine Moments of Truth
For some reason I started thinking about people I’ve spent time with in the past ~week (other than Leslie & David):

• Ron C – retired police officer, believes (literally) in truth, justice and the American way. You always know he'll always do the right thing. Good in every sort of fight in case that ever came up.
• Mary H – NP who started at Agape as a student and is now my close colleague.
• Nora A – the Agape lead promotora, a challenging life, strength like it’s just impossible to believe her strength, good Mom, merciful (full of mercy).
• - Dan F – my church school teacher, a great man, an avatar, a living mudra of what he teaches: mercy. Photo is of Dan
• - Dung (pronounce yoong) L – oh my goodness, Leslie and I had lunch with Dung and her husband today. I met her more than 15 years ago when she was about 12 years old, new to America, and even then, surrounded by strong and determined girls (she was one of Shirley's scouts), she stood out for her determination. Photo below is of Dung and me in front of Pho Bang
  
• Jihad – why me, Lord, why am I interacting with people with names like Jihad? Refugee agency caseworker, seems like an okay guy.
• Jay G – my neighbor, retired, lives to ride and rides to live.
• Woman whose daughter and S-I-L burned to death, along with her husband (both are in 60s), taking care of 4 grandchildren.
• Man with a sexually transmitted infection who, when I asked him about unprotected sex, said, “All the time.”
• Htoo S – part of the very painful exodus of Burmese, Karen – beautiful, beyond her dreams.
• Mary Kathleen – my niece, we haven’t talked for what? 5 years? It was really nice talking with her.
• Brother John – enchiladas at El Taquito, where veteranos and poleece mix with the neighbors and friends.
• Aaron M – former student, farmer, uni faculty, believes in the mission.
• Joe C – former student – solid in the clinic and he also believes in the mission and is willing to work for it.
• David S – the man who works on our house, supremely nice person.
• Jackie M – one of our PNPs, another very nice person and very good to be around.
• Pat B – our regular PNP – I didn’t actually see her, but she’s a big part of our life at the clinic and so, here’s to you Pat, good and faithful servant that you are.
• Jim C – this guy will burst into song at any time, so be ready. Another living symbol of the message of Matthew 25:40. One of the things he regularly does (unrelated to his spontaneous singing) is go to nursing homes to visit people and to sing and play guitar for the people there. He's a good singer, too.
• Mike H – on the front lines of holding back financial disaster. Solid.
• Chuck H – living on the edge longer than just the past few months when the cancer came back.
• Lance and Dylan – father and son, Lance a companion on the streets, “Mr. Jones and me stumbling through the barrio.”

There were more, some outstanding people, some less so, people that I love, people that I don't, but these are the people of that week. What is "the mission?" The practice of mercy.