I talked to a stranger. Then he died. Life is full of the unexplained. The unbelievable. The unknown. We take life (not) too serious. We spend time on things that are irrelevant. We judge people too often. We think we know, yet we have no idea. The honest truth. We are only suppose to be good people. Full of kindness, hope, and love. Last week after given my all at Essence Festival, I didnt have anywhere to stay in New Orleans. After calling everyone I knew for a little help, I ended up sleeping on a park bench. The next day I was graciously offered to stay in Memphis for a few nights at a loving hostel called Pilgrim House. This unique place is filled with strangers from all around the world who stumble in and out from airports, buses, and trains who seek refuge as they explore the city, nightlife, and culture of the Historic Memphis, TN. My first day at the hostel I met a friendly Canadian in my phone named Iain- Biker. He was riding his bike across America for something crazy like 3 months. I told him I was traveling the world and he flipped out with excitement. DUDE THATS TOTALLY AWESOME. For the past week I have spent no money. I have only been loved and cared for from those who believe in me and my message. We even went to a African themed dance party hosted by ITTS supporters in Memphis. Seeing this white kid dance to African drums was hilarious, yet we both didnt care what we looked like. We were having too much fun. Iain was the first to show love and we spent about everyday together, laughing, talking about life, and enjoying nights out. He brought me beers, food, and even came up with a good idea to host a stranger social here at the hostel with all of the guest. I am gracious to have a friend in Ann Patrice. who purchased a $100 gift card to target where Ian and ITTS were able to host a stranger social for about 30 guest of the hostel, strangers, in the community, and church goers. I kept telling him this was his idea and that he should be proud that he helped total strangers in Memphis. His excitement level was on 10. Especially since he is a HUGE football (soccer) fan and basically dragged everyone to watch the matches with him. But, we all agreed that his excitement and enthusiasm was so contagious we had to just support him. He yelled and cheered as Germany claimed victory over Argentina in the World Cup finals. We also attended church Sunday at a beautiful service of love, peace, and unity among all man. He left the hostel yesterday morning. Geared up in his biker uniform, special glasses with the reflective mirror, special pockets of sunscreen and snacks, and a smile. He told everyone at the hostel that Memphis was the best stop on his trip and that it changed his life. He joked with me that he has never had so much time with a bunch of strangers. It was one of the top 5 best times of his life. I promised him I was going to have a custom ITTS biker uniform made for him. This morning I woke up to the news Iain was killed on the road by a 18 wheeler within the 24 hours I said by to him. wreg/2014/07/14/cyclist-killed-by-18-truck-in-desoto-county/ The hostel is a little down. I am trying to spread love and support to everyone who was blessed with his presence and smile. Though his life was cut short, he must have been one hell of a guy to spend his last days with new experiences, love, support, comfort, acceptance and one hell of a good time. I was blessed to meet this stranger. The guy in the green shirt. He died doing what he loved. Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. The Movement is growing....
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 19:16:54 +0000
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