On that note-Working Girls

My church partnered with a Harrisburg church to do a Women’s Expo which was a health clinic for women. We were giving free manicures, goody bags and prayer-if they wanted us to pray for them. My non-denominational church hung a HUGE banner on the side of Mercy Ministries advertising the Expo. The church where the women's expo will be held was two blocks away from the Center.

Susie receives a call on her personal cell phone from a drunk woman complaining about women being exposed. The drunk woman said, “It’s illegal to expo women in North Carolina.”

Susie tried explaining to her it was about women’s health.

The woman replied, “I was expoed and my health was greatly affected.”

We could only LAUGH at this point.

So I did a prank call on Susie’s phone asking to be involved in the women’s expose and swore I was NOT from North Carolina. 

How did that lady get Susie's cell phone number? The banner had the Day Center number on it.

Another Working Girl Story

Fran receives a mysterious phone call about a clinic wanting to do a health check-up on all the prostitutes in Harrisburg. She calls me and asks what television channel is sponsoring this. I make several phones calls to the local affiliate stations. I discover that the local network CBS station had an agreement with Christ Community Clinic. They wanted to do a health check of our “working girls.”

So when the time came for the clinic-it was too late-Fran told all our working girls it was a hoax and they left the Mercy Ministries Fenwick Street Center before the clinic started.  That was a good thing because about four to five Richmond County police cruisers showed up outside Mercy Ministries. A really mean officer was carding the women walking through our door. It turns out the television news reporter asked the police there to-get this-help her identify the PROSTITUTES for her story!

I swear-you do NOT need any brain cells to work for TV. How many interviews will you get from a WORKING GIRL with police presence a shoulder’s length away….Hmmmmm.

We felt bad because the clinic personnel had no women-so we pulled FORMER working girls from Mercy Manor and had a local pseudo women’s shelter bring their gals out.

I decided (privately to myself) that this event should be called the HOE-DOWN. Unfortunately I voiced that thought aloud to Fran.

To my horror Fran told our pastor what I wanted to call it. We at least all had a good laugh over it-including our pastor.

No offense to the working girls. We know they are trying to survive on the streets and we gladly feed and clothe them. If they want to get out of that life we would not hesitate to assist them.

Just Say No

Here is a story that begs you to say NO to drugs. Almost a year later…May 2010-Annette (the one who could talk in front of herself) had suffered a stroke. She had a black eye and her face kind of sagged to one side because she had fallen to floor while having a seizure. It was amazing she could still walk and talk a few days after the stroke.

I had what I thought was a reality check with her. I told her she was lucky she could still walk and function. I also said there where no 60 year-old crack heads (Annette was 48) and that CRACK will kill her.

Annette proceeded to set the record straight and tell me she didn’t smoke crack the day she had a stroke. She was doing METH. It was her first time ever for THAT drug.

Well excuse me! Like one drug is “better” over another. 

I was incredulous by her response.

P.S. Doing drugs DOES make one stupid!

Working Girls

I had heard stories about Annette-working girl and crack addict. I saw her from a distance-long blonde stringy hair and a super-thin woman. We could not be mistaken-I was sure. I was in the office on a Saturday with her and Susie. She started to whisper to Susie and ask for money for toiletries and Susie said, “It’s all right-you can talk in front of Annette.”

Miss Annette looked up and asked, “I can talk in front of myself?”

Susie, exasperated stresses, “No. That Annette.” As she points to me.

Annette turns around and was confused. She asked me if my name was Annette. She looked very surprised.

I was trying desperately NOT to laugh.

So the joke around the office was that she the Annette that could talk in front of herself and I was the Annette that could talk behind her back.

So whenever Annette (the one who can talk in front of herself) sees me, she says, “Hey Annette.”

I reply, “Hey Annette.”

She says, “I feel like I’m talking to myself.”

I explain to her that she IS talking in front of herself and I am talking behind my back.