Alex’s personal musings: Heffalumps and Woozles

Those old enough will remember the rather weird and wonderful Heffalumps and Woozles song from Winnie the Pooh (check it out on youtube). I am pretty sure that many of the people we helped last night were experiencing something rather similar!

You may also recall from my previous blog the choppy and bloody adventure I had with a chap from the North East the night before last. Rather unnervingly we bumped into him at the Rudimental gig at Ibiza Rocks before we were on duty last night. As he approached us, Becky (the long termer who helped out too) and I were not sure what he was going to do. The last time we met he was getting quite aggressive and not at all happy with us.

I was ready for a mouthful.

However, he actually came over to apologise for “being a t1t” (his words). I must say that this phrase sounds brilliant when spoken with a Sunderland accent. He kindly offered to buy us a drink to make amends. We were relieved and also thrilled to be thanked for the time we spent with him just 18 hours before. Apparently this is a rare and treasured encounter. There are not many times in a season when people who have been helped come back and thank us.

Last week, I blogged about the carnage we experienced on the streets on a Wednesday night. One week later it was carnage squared. There were bodies lying everywhere. People had crashed in doorways, on their bar chairs and on the floor. There was so much activity that we had to begin prioritising who we helped. We decided to leave one man who was completely out of it with his mate while we attended to a girl who was asleep on her own. Falling asleep is not a great idea – people are often robbed (and worse). We encouraged her to come to the medical tent but half way up we bumped into her friends who were delighted to find her. We advised her friends to take her to the medical tent and left them with water. Job done.

Much of the night was a blur. It was a collection of little moments of help, prayer, kindness and encouragement. To be honest and perhaps it was down to a bit of fatigue I was getting a little frustrated inside with those who clearly needed some help but were resistant to it. Ask Jon about the chap that gave him a mouthful for daring to suggest that he needed medical attention. It’s in these moments when I tell myself to put my game face on and focus on the fact that God’s patience is eternally greater than mine!

This was the latest finish to date. After a necessary chocolate bar and packet of crisps I went to bed just after 0530.

My blog posts have only given you a small sample of what’s been happening over here. Please take time to chat with the rest of the team when they get back. We have all had our ups and downs, prayers answered, moments of joy, times of frustration, comfort zones obliterated, personal spaces invaded, faith challenged, and glorious moments of seeing God at work in San Antonio.

Tonight is our last night on the streets. Please pray for the whole 24/7 Ibiza team as we continue to be Jesus’ hands and feet in the West End.

By the way here’s a pic of the breakfast we had this morning……