Robbie

I am not sure how this is going to sound, all I know is that I am frusterated, scared and really angry and this seems like as good as venue to release these emotions as any.

I came into work today and within 15 minutes we just got dumped on. It is the end of the month, money is out which means there is no money for crack, emotions are high, things were tense at the mission. Our monk came in to the kitchen and called a prayer mtg for a man named Robbie. Robbie is a former client of ours that had gone to the Salvation Army Shelter (about 3 blks from us) to recover in their respit room from kidney surgery and from a broken leg. He had become something like an institution there, moving from a client to a full time volunteer. He is a sweet, kind man who would (and has) given the clothes off his back. Since the Salvation Army is usually full and there are no empty beds, Robbie has fashioned himself as a protector, or people and of the building. Yesterday he was taking his morning walk arounds and about 6am (still dark) he saw the spark of a lighter and a stem of a crack pipe. He called out "Hey you can't do that here" and before he knew what was happening he was jumped. He was beaten so badley he is in emergency care bleeding internally, and with a ruptured spleen. Because Robbie only has one kidney and his immune system is already "stressed" this has put him at a place where he is fighting for his life. There is also some foreign object, they think a tooth chip that was swallowed during the fight and they are worried about a puntured lung. They don't think he will survive this. Again, someone was checking on everyones saftey and now he is fighting for his life. I am grieved.

I was reading habakkuk 3 during lunch and God has been such a comfort.

"16I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.
17Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

In this senseless tragedy may we see the provision of the Lord, needless to say there has been major ramifications here, if you can pray for him and us.
++side note: I sprained my foot, not important but it hurts and it needs to get better so I can work efficiently, please include in prayers++

finally, sorry this is so rambled, I am at lunch break and I just sat down and wrote.